This paper considers how local school leaders build data-driven instructional systems (DDIS) by developing new programs and using existing school functions to create an information flow through a school. The DDIS is presented as a framework involving data acquisition, data reflection, program alignment and integration, program design, and formative feedback. The paper reviews data collected in a five-year study to describe how leaders and teachers create the capacity to meet the demands of accountability policies.

Keywords
principals, new educational leadership, data-driven instructional system, data-based school development, school accountability