The power of the norm: how schools interpret, use and disclose education data

While education data is frequently collected and used in schools, critical edtech research has revealed a range of issues and harms for individuals and institutions. In this article, the authors investigate how school administrators, teachers, parents and students understand the collection, use and disclosure of school data. They foreground data justice to reveal systemic issues in Australian education, revealing a complex picture of how school data is experienced that belies the more straightforward discourse that it leads to improved learning outcomes. The authors discuss three main stumbling blocks for schools in the quest for data justice: the increasing use of standardised data and the power of the norm in assessing learning; wellbeing and teacher performance; a lack of informed and knowledgeable stakeholders; and disparities in data infrastructures that are determined by school budgets. They conclude the article by making practical suggestions to advance data justice in Australian schools.