B.08. Knowledge, Data, and Democracy: Towards Systemic Innovation in School

Today, schools operate in an ecosystem shaped by social pressures, widening inequalities, accelerated digital transformation – not only because of AI – and increasing accountability demands. In this context, democratic governance cannot rely solely on participation as a formal mechanism; it must evolve into an informed, reflective, and genuinely collective shared data and decision-making culture. Schools are therefore called to reconnect learning and democracy through practices that are participatory, evidence-informed, and oriented toward long-term development. Within this process, data can become democratic resources capable of enabling systemic transformation.

The panel places particular attention on the emerging role of data-informed and evidence-based decision-making in schools, interrogating both its transformative potential and its democratic risks. Democracy is framed not as an abstract ideal but as a concrete organizational practice shaped by how information is generated, interpreted, and used collectively within school communities, while data are approached not as neutral inputs but as socio-technical artefacts embedded in power relations, professional cultures, and ethical frameworks. This perspective positions democracy as a learning-oriented organizational principle, directing attention to how decision-making processes, governance structures, and innovation pathways can be democratically reconfigured in complex educational environments.

Key areas of inquiry include:

• decision-making models in educational leadership,

• data literacy as a democratic competence,

• participatory governance supported by evidence use,

• organizational learning through reflective data practices,

• distributed leadership and collaborative intelligence,

• ethical and political implications of educational datafication.

The panel promotes an interdisciplinary dialogue crossing education, organizational studies, political philosophy, and data studies, welcoming theoretical, empirical, and design-based contributions.