Cultures Of Data Use

The AI revolution can seem powerful and unstoppable, extracting data from every aspect of our lives and subjecting us to unprecedented surveillance and control. But at ground level, even the most advanced ‘smart’ technologies are not as all-powerful as either the tech companies or their critics would have us believe. From gig worker activism to wellness tracking with sex toys and TikTokers' manipulation of the algorithm, this book shows how ordinary people are negotiating the datafication of society. The book establishes a new theoretical framework for understanding everyday experiences of data and automation, and offers guidance on the ethical responsibilities we share as we learn to live together with data-driven machines. Everyday Data Cultures is essential reading for students and researchers in digital media and communication, as well as for anyone interested in the role of data and AI in society.

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, organizations face an ever-increasing volume of data that holds immense potential for driving business success. However, many businesses struggle to harness this potential due to a lack of understanding and effective utilization of data within their culture. This book is a comprehensive guide that unveils the transformative power of data and provides actionable insights to cultivate a data-driven organizational culture. The book emphasizes data strategy and data governance's pivotal role in cultivating a mature data culture using practical insights, frameworks, and best practices. This approach ensures robust data culture structures that uphold data integrity, accessibility, and accountability. These structures operate on the people, processes, and technology through analytics, literacy, governance, process management, and data inventory management. The authors introduce the groundbreaking Usage and Flow Data Culture Model, a unique framework that enables organizations to evaluate and reshape their data culture based on distinct cultural types: Preservationist, Protectionist, Traditionalist, and Progressive. Each culture type is carefully dissected, revealing associated challenges and opportunities, uncovering suitable strategies in the process. Developing a worthy data culture necessitates a shift in mindset and the development of relevant skills across the organization. Building a Data Culture is your roadmap to fostering data literacy, promoting data-driven decision-making, and cultivating a data-driven mindset. What You'll Learn Assess your organization's current data culture Identify cultural strengths and weaknesses within your organization Develop a data governance program Define data policies and standards and establish decision-making processes Who This Book is For Professionals and leaders across various industries who are interested in building a data culture within their organizations. The typical reader may have a background in data management, analytics, business intelligence, or technology, but the book is designed to be accessible to a wide range of readers with varying levels of expertise.

The ability to gather data that can be crunched by machines is valuable for studying society. The new methods needed to work it require new skills and new ways of thinking about best research practices. This book reflects on the role and usefulness of big data, challenging overly optimistic expectations about what it can reveal, introducing practices and methods for its analysis and visualization, and raising important political and ethical questions regarding its collection, handling, and presentation.

FirstSchool is a groundbreaking framework for teaching minority and low-income children. Changing the conversation from improving test scores to improving school experiences, the text features lessons learned from eight elementary schools whose leadership and staff implemented sustainable changes. The authors detail how to use education research and data to provide a rationale for change; how to promote professional learning that is genuinely collaborative and respectful; and how to employ developmentally appropriate teaching strategies that focus on the needs of minority and low-income children.

'Following the data' is a now-familiar phrase in Covid-19 policy communications. Well-being data are pivotal in decisions that affect our life chances, livelihoods and quality of life. They are increasingly valuable to companies with their eyes on profit, organisations looking to make a social impact, and governments focussed on societal problems. This book follows well-being data back centuries, showing they have long been used to track the health and wealth of society. It questions assumptions that have underpinned over 200 years of social science, statistical and policy work. Understanding Well-being Data is a readable, introductory book with real-life examples. Understanding the contexts of data and decision-making are critical for policy, practice and research that aims to do good, or at least avoid harm. Through its comprehensive survey and critical lens, this book provides tools to promote better understanding of the power and potential of well-being data for society, and the limits of their application.

Early childhood educators are keenly aware of the importance of a child’s transition to “real school.” This transition is occurring earlier in a child’s life now that school districts nationwide are moving to pre-kindergarten experiences for 3- and 4-year olds. Annually, more than one million children attend public school pre-k programs overseen by elementary school principals who, although veteran educational leaders, were not trained to oversee these programs. Although pre-k classrooms are rapidly growing and deserve special attention, school leaders must be reminded that early childhood means more than pre-kindergarten; it extends through third grade. School leadership needs to understand the principles of early childhood education to effectively support all children age three to grade three. Professional and Ethical Consideration for Early Childhood Leaders is a collection of innovative research that crafts an overall understanding of the importance of early childhood leadership in today’s schools. The book employs strategies to improve support for children in early childhood years, examines the different roles of early childhood leadership, analyzes best practices for implementation in early childhood contexts, and explores improvements for leadership preparation for schools with pre-k through third-grade children. While highlighting a wide range of topics including advocacy, cultural responses, and professional development, this publication is ideally designed for educators, administrators, principals, early childhood development teachers, daycare instructors, curriculum developers, advocates, researchers, academicians, and students.

Brad C. Phillips and Jordan E. Horowitz offer a research-based model and actionable approach for using data strategically at community colleges to increase completion rates as well as other metrics linked to student success. They draw from the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics to show how leaders and administrators can build good habits for engaging with data constructively. At the core of their approach is a strategic effort to help administrators and faculty identify leading indicators that they can affect and monitor before student failure occurs. The book also helps educators make better use of common sources of data, clarify problems to be solved, match research-based interventions to problems, and evaluate results. The authors incorporate strategies for college personnel to engage with data more effectively by integrating student stories into presentations and embedding these discussions into existing meetings and routines. Three case studies from Long Beach City College, Southwestern College, and Odessa College further illustrate how this approach was implemented as part of comprehensive reform efforts. Based on two decades of experience working with colleges across the country, Creating a Data-Informed Culture in Community Colleges promises to be a valuable contribution to the ongoing conversation about information use in education to improve student outcomes.

Higher education institutions have experienced a sharp increase in demand for accountability. To meet the growing demand by legislators, accreditors, consumers, taxpayers, and parents for evidence of successful outcomes, this important book provides higher education leaders and practitioners with actionable strategies for developing a comprehensive data culture throughout the entire institution. Exploring key considerations necessary for the development of an effective data culture in colleges and universities, this volume brings together diverse voices and perspectives, including institutional researchers, senior academic leaders, and faculty. Each chapter focuses on a critical element of managing or influencing a data culture, approaches for breaking through common challenges, and concludes with practical, research-based implementation strategies. Collectively, these strategies form a comprehensive list of recommendations for developing a data culture and becoming a change agent within your higher education institution.