Building Data Wisdom and Governance in Schools for Evidence-Informed Educational Improvement

Challenges

European education systems face growing complexity due to rapid digitalisation, demographic shifts, and evolving labour market demands, yet educational data practices remain highly fragmented across technical, pedagogical, and governance dimensions. The lack of standardised data infrastructures and interoperability limits data access and cross-border comparability, while national variations create inconsistencies that hinder meaningful insights. At the same time, educators often lack the skills and tools to effectively interpret diverse data sources, as existing systems prioritise administrative monitoring over practical classroom application. Current Learning Analytics approaches remain limited in scope, focusing mainly on quantitative data and overlooking qualitative and contextual dimensions of learning. Governance fragmentation and differing national policies further contribute to uneven implementation, compounded by socioeconomic disparities that affect digital access and data literacy, ultimately restricting the potential of data-driven improvements in education.

Objectives

SCHOOLWISE aims to address these challenges by developing a comprehensive and coherent framework for responsible educational data use in primary and secondary education across Europe.

The SCHOOLWISE project will address the following specific objectives:

1. Develop an integrated educational data literacy framework through collaborative research with key stakeholders to standardize educational data collection practices and enable evidence-based decision-making.
2. Establish ethical educational data governance models and processes that ensure effective, secure, and ethical use of data across institutions while maintaining full compliance with EU regulations.
3. Create evidence-based proposals for data governance policies to promote consistent collection, storage, sharing, and use of educational data across national boundaries within the EU.
4. Develop governance frameworks and standardized guidelines to build sustainable institutional capacities for accurate, consistent, and ethical data collection and analysis for educational improvement.

Our role

Privanova leads the project’s data protection and ethics compliance efforts, ensuring that all activities align with the highest European standards and evolving regulatory frameworks. Responsible for the Data Management Plan and Ethics Compliance Management, Privanova supports the coordinator in addressing requirements arising from the European Commission’s Ethics Appraisal Process, translating them into clear, actionable steps for all consortium partners. In addition, Privanova establishes and coordinates an independent Ethics Advisory Board (EthAB), composed of external experts, to provide impartial oversight, conduct regular reviews, and offer guidance on ethical and societal implications. Through continuous monitoring, stakeholder collaboration, and the promotion of responsible research and innovation practices, Privanova ensures the project remains fully compliant while fostering trust, transparency, and accountability across all its activities.