2025 NITS and Gifu University Graduate School for Teaching Profession Joint Training Program "Enhancing School Management through Data Utilization" Held

On Monday, December 22, 2025, Gifu University Graduate School for Teaching Profession, in collaboration with the National Institute for School Teachers and Staff Development (NITS), hosted the training program titled "Enhancing School Management through Data Utilization." A total of 25 participants, including principals and teachers from 12 elementary and junior high schools in Yamagata City, Gifu Prefecture took part in the program.

This program is an inquiry-based training designed for school administrators to learn how to support school management policies with data and translate them into concrete improvements. The program consists of two sessions: the first, held in August, focused on acquiring knowledge, while the second session featured practical reports and discussions led by participating school principals. The principals expressed concerns about issues such as:

- How to identify the "invisible aspects" of children

- Discrepancies between teachers' perceptions and actual conditions

- Lack of student engagement and challenges in learning quality

- The need for individualized support, and

- Collaboration with parents and local communities

Based on these concerns, the following practices were reported by participating schools:

• Understanding Actual Conditions and Providing Support through Data
  By combining survey results, emotional data, and academic assessments, schools were able to identify children in need of support at an early stage.
• Improving Lessons and Enhancing Student Engagement
  Establishing a cycle of lesson surveys → improvement → follow-up surveys led to higher satisfaction with lessons and more active children's learning.
• Individualized Support and Increased Sense of Security
  Strengthening individualized support through role assignments, positive reinforcement, and emotional monitoring contributed to improved self-esteem among children and a reduction in problematic behaviors.

Through this training, principals shared reflections such as: "Systematic data sharing and review can transform school culture." "The essence lies in fostering children's growth and sense of security," and "Preventive and predictive use of data will be key in the future." The practices and outcomes from this program will be disseminated nationwide through the Gifu University Symposium on February 2, 2026 and the NITS report.