EPISODE 31


​How to Use Data #LikeABuilder

Biggest Takeaways You Don't Want to Miss:
  • Data is neither good or bad. It’s how you USE data that matters. 
  • Leaders look at the data in a vacuum. Builders look at data in the context of their vision, mission, and core values which makes the data significantly more meaningful and useful. 
  • Leaders tend to focus on student performance data. Builders focus on multiple sources of data to get a clearer picture of cause and effect.
  • Leaders look at lagging indicators which often means that by the time they look at the data, it’s too late to change it. Builders use leading indicators which allow them to make predictions, adjust performance, and affect student outcomes.

Have you ever gone to a district meeting and been presented with your data and been told to fix it?

Or has your supervisor come to your school and beat you up over your data?

Unfortunately, data is often used as a sort of blunt instrument to bludgeon people into action and demand new results.

Or, maybe you’re in a school where ALL you talk about is data. You have data walls, and spreadsheets, and charts and graphs that tell them to the minutest detail how every student is doing on every single standard and substandard and they constantly track that data daily.

But, do you ever feel like you look at data so much that you are losing sight of your students. Are you so invested in moving the data that that becomes the goal instead of true learning?

Builders don’t run from data or beat people up with the data, but they don’t become so data-driven that they lose sight of students. They use a few simple principles to make data WAY more meaningful and efficient in helping you serve your students.

When used the right way, data can be a powerful tool. But, it’s what we do with data that makes it powerful. So today, we’re talking about three ways that Builders look at data differently from Leaders or even Bosses and how you can leverage your data to make serious gains this school year #LikeABuilder.

Check out these highlights:
  • ​Data is neither good or bad, but how you use data can be.
  •  My first introduction to “data-driven instruction.” Note: It didn’t go well.
  • Why being “data-driven” may be just as bad as ignoring data altogether.
  • Why Leaders settle for goals that are too low and uninspiring (and what Builders do instead)
  • How Builders prioritize data.
  • Why “data first” can actually be a trap.
  • The 3 types of data Builders collect.
  • How Builders use data to make predictions and stay ahead of the curve.
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