Edie L. Holcomb is executive director of curriculum and instructional services for Kenosha Unified School District No. 1 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She has experienced the challenges of improving student achievement from many perspectives: From classroom teacher to university professorFrom gifted education coordinator to mainstream teacher of children with multiple disabilitiesFrom school- and district-level administration to national and international consultingFrom small rural districts to the challenges of urban educationShe is highly regarded for her ability to link research and practice on issues related to instructional leadership and school and district change—including standards-based curriculum, instruction, assessment, supervision, and accountability. She has taught at all grade levels, served as a building principal and central office administrator, and assisted districts as an external facilitator for accreditation and implementation of school reform designs. As associate director of the National Center for Effective Schools, she developed a training program for site-based teams and provided technical support for implementation of school improvement efforts throughout the United States and in Canada, Guam, St. Lucia, and Hong Kong. She developed a comprehensive standards-based learning system for the staff and 47,000 students of the Seattle, Washington, city district and has supervised K–12 clusters of schools and evaluated principals.Her work received the Excellence in Staff Development Award from the Iowa Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development in 1988. In 1990, her study of the needs of beginning principals was recognized by the American Association of School Administrators with the Paul F. Salmon Award for Outstanding Education Leadership Research.She served as an elected member-at-large on the Leadership Council for ASCD International, played an active role in Washington State’s School Improvement Assistance Program, and contributed to development of the new School System Improvement Resource Guide. Holcomb is the author of four previous books and numerous articles and reviews.
The aim of this book is best captured by its subtitle, Combining People, Passion and Proof to Increase Student Achievement. The book explains how the goal in collecting more data should be to increase student success, not to be "a more research-based, data-driven school." The book focuses on the human elements, such as hopes and fears, prior knowledge, and current needs. Getting Excited About Data, Second Edition, strives to create active engagement with interaction with peers and data with the purpose of building a more collaborative culture and a shared sense of collective responsibility for all students' learning.
