A Systematic Review of Studies on Decision-Making Systems for Teaching and Learning in K-12

Within the education sector, there is growing recognition of the importance of diverse data sets in aiding strategic decisions and supporting personalized learning. To date, this call for increased and more nuanced data has been translated into institutional use of data dashboards or learning analytics dashboards. While these dashboards have been extensively developed and adopted in higher education, there is limited research investigating the use of dashboards in K-12 education. To address this gap, this study presents a systematic literature review examining dashboards as a decision-making system in K-12 settings. Our analysis indicates significant underuse of data in these dashboards, with a concerning scarcity of implementations and evaluations in real-world classroom environments. To counteract these shortcomings, we propose a set of recommendations designed to enhance dashboard development by promoting the use of Learner Profiles (LPs). These guidelines aim to support educational outcomes and student success by informing the design and deployment of fine-grained dashboards aligned with the specific needs of K-12 education. By highlighting the current gaps and offering forward-looking recommendations, our study clarifies the present landscape and serves as a foundation for future research, with significant implications for educators, policymakers, and scholars interested in using LPs to improve student learning outcomes.