I think when most people, non-educators and educators alike, think about data they worry they are pegging kids with numbers, relegating them to where they are and not where they can and will be. I hear that fear. I worry about that without numbers. Kids are so much more than a grade, a score, more than their performance one day in a class. Kids are growing, learning, and finding their place in this ever-changing and complicated world we live in. I see daily reminders of this as I speak with children about proper communication, reflect with them on their learning challenges, sympathize with them about painful situations going on in their lives, and help them navigate the plethora of options they have on a daily basis. I want my children (by my children, I mean my genetic kids and the 600 children I am a principal to) to take risks intellectually and try new things. I want them to learn how to grapple with and even embrace failure as an opportunity for success. I want them to challenge themselves in all aspects of life to push themselves to do more than they ever thought possible. I want them to understand what a tremendous gift life is and what an opportunity they have to do with it. I want so much for each and every one of them. And this is why data matters to me.
What is data? I know your thinking this is pretty self-explanatory, but I actually think it is not. Data is not just test and quiz scores. It's attendance, it's observations and trends in behavior, it's completion and works on assignments, and so much more. Data is numbering often, but not always. Classical data is always numeric and measurable, but not always objective. Non-traditional data, is observable- What did the teacher see? What did a parent detect? What does the school psychologist notice? These factors are also important. Gaining data and harvesting it is key.
Why does it matter? I believe if we utilize data effectively we can make a huge difference in each child's learning success both in the short term and in the long term.
Why do many educators, even after knowing all of this, often still resist it?
I think the case I am about to make is intuitively something most educators already know, but I think I've managed to pinpoint what is stopping many educators from using it and how it can be effectively used, to a certain degree. Data is scary. In fact, most educators (maybe not math teachers) don't have a solid math background and therefore equate data to using large numbers and complex equations to ascertain variables that they could easily figure out simply anecdotally. It is our job as administrators to show teachers how data (even the kind that is gathered on a microlevel just in their class and not only on standardized tests) can help confirm their suspicions, detail specific sub-areas a student needs support on, identify groups of students that need differentiation, and so much more. It can help teachers be more proactive and less reactive. Other teachers have simply never used a decent SIS system that allows for data to be input the way a Powerschool system does. (see here: http://www.pearsonschoolsystems.com/products/sms/features/) or Data Director, which is more an assessment and data analysis tool. Investing in tools that enable data analysis to be done and shared is key.
As administrators, using data to show teachers how they can quickly and easily learn more about their students and tell a compelling story to the parents about student progress is key.
Collaborative Conference Protocol helps teachers set an agenda for a data meeting and can be found here.
What is data? I know your thinking this is pretty self-explanatory, but I actually think it is not. Data is not just test and quiz scores. It's attendance, it's observations and trends in behavior, it's completion and works on assignments, and so much more. Data is numbering often, but not always. Classical data is always numeric and measurable, but not always objective. Non-traditional data, is observable- What did the teacher see? What did a parent detect? What does the school psychologist notice? These factors are also important. Gaining data and harvesting it is key.
Why does it matter? I believe if we utilize data effectively we can make a huge difference in each child's learning success both in the short term and in the long term.
Why do many educators, even after knowing all of this, often still resist it?
I think the case I am about to make is intuitively something most educators already know, but I think I've managed to pinpoint what is stopping many educators from using it and how it can be effectively used, to a certain degree. Data is scary. In fact, most educators (maybe not math teachers) don't have a solid math background and therefore equate data to using large numbers and complex equations to ascertain variables that they could easily figure out simply anecdotally. It is our job as administrators to show teachers how data (even the kind that is gathered on a microlevel just in their class and not only on standardized tests) can help confirm their suspicions, detail specific sub-areas a student needs support on, identify groups of students that need differentiation, and so much more. It can help teachers be more proactive and less reactive. Other teachers have simply never used a decent SIS system that allows for data to be input the way a Powerschool system does. (see here: http://www.pearsonschoolsystems.com/products/sms/features/) or Data Director, which is more an assessment and data analysis tool. Investing in tools that enable data analysis to be done and shared is key.
As administrators, using data to show teachers how they can quickly and easily learn more about their students and tell a compelling story to the parents about student progress is key.
Collaborative Conference Protocol helps teachers set an agenda for a data meeting and can be found here.
