Department calls for tech companies to take part in trials to feed it data to inform policy Department calls for tech companies to take part in trials to feed it data to inform policy More from this theme Recent articles The government wants school management information systems (MIS) providers to help it “harness the potential” of the real-time data they collect to inform policy decisions. The Department for Education is calling on the tech companies to take part in a series of trials to feed up-to-date information from schools straight to officials. Ministers believe the scheme could help heads benchmark their schools with others across the country and contribute to government decision-making much quicker. Nick Finnemore, an educational technology consultant, believes the move could also improve the “outdated” way “statutory returns are currently handled”. “In a modern data environment, the government should be able to access the statutory data it needs, when it needs it, rather than relying on periodic, manual submissions. “[The pilot’s] success will depend entirely on getting all MIS suppliers on board.” …