1. What are the current challenges you are facing in Portugal concerning the meaningful and ethical use of education data in schools? What opportunities and risks come with data use?

In Portugal, several interconnected challenges continue to shape the way education data is used in schools. One ongoing challenge is moving from the simple collection of data towards interpreting it in ways that genuinely support teaching, learning and school development. This transition involves encouraging a more reflective and inquiry-oriented approach of data use, fostering continuous learning and improvement. Ethical and privacy considerations remain central, ensuring that student data is processed responsibly, transparently and in ways that promote fairness and equity.  Differences in school infrastructure, digital and data literacy calls for different approaches to collecting, analysing and using data across the country.

Another challenge lies in connecting data to actionable pedagogy: although dashboards and analytics may be available, translating information into effective classroom strategies is not always straightforward. Expanding the range of data sources beyond test scores offers a richer understanding of learners' development, wellbeing and context, capturing the full complexity of their educational experience.

Alongside these challenges, meaningful data use presents important opportunities. When handled thoughtfully, data can support more personalised and inclusive learning pathways, enabling earlier identification of student needs and more targeted interventions. It can also strengthen processes of school self-evaluation and continuous improvement, helping schools monitor progress and refine their practices. Data has the potential to enhance teacher agency too: as teachers become more confident in using data, they are better positioned to reflect on their teaching and make evidence-informed decisions that support learners effectively. At a system level, education data can guide policymaking and resource allocation, ensuring support is directed where it is most needed.

These opportunities, however, are accompanied by certain risks. If data is interpreted without considering context, there is a possibility of drawing narrow conclusions about learners or overlooking important dimensions of their development. Ethical risks include concerns about privacy, transparency and the potential for unintended profiling.

2. The Agile EDU project is coming to an end. What did you learn from this project? Are there anything you are taking with you, moving forward?

Portugal's participation in the Agile EDU project has provided valuable insights into what it means to build sustainable and ethically grounded practices of data use in schools. One of the most significant lessons is that data literacy extends far beyond technical proficiency. It encompasses pedagogy, ethics, inclusion, decision-making and a culture of inquiry. Throughout the project, it became clear that ongoing training for teachers is essential, not only to interpret data, but also to pose meaningful questions, reflect critically on their findings, and translate insights into effective pedagogical actions.

Another key learning relates to the value of bridging theory and practice. The project demonstrated that professional development is most effective when teachers are actively engaged in designing inquiry cycles, collecting data relevant to their context, testing new strategies and reflecting on the outcomes. This practical orientation helps ensure that data use is not an abstract concept but a lived, iterative process embedded in everyday teaching and learning.

The project also underscored the importance of collaboration across stakeholders. Sustainable data ecosystems cannot rest solely on individual efforts. As a matter of fact, they require alignment between teachers, school leaders, policymakers and technology providers. Ensuring that ethical considerations, such as student agency, privacy, fairness and transparency, are embedded from the outset is essential for building trust and legitimacy around data use.

Moving forward, Portugal will take with it several concrete contributions from Agile EDU. The MOOC developed within the project offers a scalable approach to teacher professional development in data-informed pedagogy. Likewise, the use of structured data action plans has proved effective in helping schools translate data into purposeful action. The project has also reinforced the need to integrate data literacy within broader digital competence frameworks, ensuring that teachers' digital skills evolve hand-in-hand with their ability to use data responsibly and meaningfully. Above all, Agile EDU has helped strengthen a commitment to ensuring that data practices promote inclusion, student agency and educational improvement.

3. In Portugal you have been conducting nation-wide teacher training programmes for digital competences. According to you, what skills do teachers need to make meaningful use of data? What is teacher data literacy according to you?

Teachers require a comprehensive and integrated set of skills to make meaningful use of data in their professional practice. One essential skill is the ability to identify the types of data available, assess their relevance and limitations and frame the questions that data should help address. This critical orientation helps ensure that data use begins with purposeful inquiry rather than mere compliance.

Teachers also need the capacity not only to collect or access data responsibly, interpret patterns and trends, but also to understand the contextual factors that shape their meaning. The ability to translate data insights into pedagogical action is equally important: adjusting instruction, personalising learning pathways, designing targeted interventions and supporting student wellbeing all depend on using evidence in thoughtful ways. Reflection is an integral part of the process, allowing teachers to evaluate the impact of their decisions and refine their practice over time.

Ethical awareness is central to meaningful data use. Teachers must be able to recognise and mitigate risks related to bias, privacy, fairness and student autonomy. Communication and collaboration skills are also required, enabling teachers to work with colleagues, school leaders and sometimes parents or learners in interpreting data and planning next steps. Technical competence is valuable, but it must be accompanied by the critical ability to question data visualisations, algorithms and analytics outputs rather than accepting them at face value.

From this perspective, teacher data literacy is not simply the ability to read or use data tools. It is the ability to think with data, integrating inquiry, interpretation, ethical judgment and pedagogical action. It reflects a professional mindset in which data becomes a means to support learning, inclusion and reflective practice rather than an end in itself.

4. How would you complete this sentence: "Data use in education is…"

"Data use in education is a catalyst for reflective, inclusive and evidence-informed teaching when embedded within an ethical, learner-centred and action-oriented culture."