Written by
Jean-Claude Brizard
, President & CEO, Digital Promise
Data-driven decision-making is not a new theme in education, having been referenced for nearly two decades in schools and districts across the U.S. What has changed is the sheer power of modern data systems, which provides an abundance of information about our students far beyond what we could garner through the one-dimensional, performance-based assessments of the past. It is this information that can help us better understand the full educational journey each child will take—at home, during school, and in their communities.
Yet having access to this wealth of data about our students is not enough. We must learn to interpret the information. We should compare it to historical markers. We need to aggregate the analysis into meaningful and actionable outcomes.
While the data alone can’t shift the structure of instruction or institutional operations, when paired with educators and administrators in organizations with strong data cultures, the use of data can be a powerful tool for addressing the needs of students across the learning spectrum.
It’s How We Use the Data That Counts
During the 2020-2021 school year, it became very clear that our students aren’t served by the one-size-fits-all approach to learning, especially when learning in a digital environment. As Todd Rose, a former Harvard professor, explains in “The End of Average,” each learner varies across many dimensions: executive function, emotional regulation, primary language, mental health, and others. He concluded that no one is average across every dimension and that these dimensions impact how we best learn.
To summarize: Education involves varied aspects of human development. This may sound complex, but at its heart, this means that every student brings unique life experiences with them to school (e.g., relationships, experiences, strengths, challenges).
And this is where today’s ability to collect and analyze such a significant amount of data on our students holds the promise for education. By painting a complete picture of each student, one that gives educators and administrators the ability to see each one as an individual, we have the potential to truly personalize learning and, in the process, build a more equitable educational system.
Menlo Park, CA
By painting a complete picture of each student, one that gives educators and administrators the ability to see each one as an individual, we have the potential to truly personalize learning and, in the process, build a more equitable educational system.
Jean-Claude Brizard President & CEO
Digital Promise
Data Cultures Are Based on a Foundation of Trust
In speaking with passionate educators and administrators around the U.S., we’ve learned that creating a true “data culture” means building an environment where everyone believes that using data is essential to achieving instructional and operational goals. The entire community—educators, administrators, and parents—must trust the data, and most importantly, appreciate its value and importance in supporting each student’s unique educational journey.
As noted in the whitepaper from Whiteboard Advisors, “From Sight to Vision: How Data Can Contribute to Personalization and Preparedness in K-12 Education,” a number of districts are making strides in building strong data cultures including Bellevue School District in Bellevue, Washington. A long-time customer of Microsoft and PowerSchool, BSD understands the benefits of leveraging data tools (and technology in general) not only to gather data but to build trust in the validity of the data.
By way of example, Tom Duenwald, the Director of Education Technology for BSD, led the creation of internal videos explaining the importance of data and why the district operates a data warehouse. Duenwald explains that while “Bellevue has been a data-focused district for a long time, our challenge continues to be to meet the needs of students who are traditionally underserved and underrepresented. Our data culture focuses on engagement—meeting educators and staff where they are but also pushing them to think about how they can make better, more timely decisions.”
Painting a Picture of the Whole Child
Being able to see students in a holistic way is the foundation for creating a system that personalizes learning. It allows us to address students’ social-emotional needs, gives them an avenue for voicing their preferences and challenges, and supports their individual academic goals. Through data, educators can gain insight into each student’s community, track academic progress, discover early warning signs that may require intervention, determine where social-emotional needs are within their student population, and even prep students for life beyond K-12. It is this type of data that helps us paint the picture of the whole child and ultimately gives us all the ability to personalize their experiences in the classroom and ensure they are learning as they developmentally prefer to learn.
Menlo Park, CA
Personalized learning, at its core, is an instructional program that is informed by a wide breadth of data paired with a community of educators who are eager to leverage that information to meet the needs of each student.
Jean-Claude Brizard President & CEO
Digital Promise
Personalized learning does not mean relying solely on digital software programs, regardless of how carefully those resources have been curated. Nor does it mean that students are exclusively learning in a self-paced, individualized manner. Personalized learning, at its core, is an instructional program that is informed by a wide breadth of data paired with a community of educators who are eager to leverage that information to meet the needs of each student. Personalized learning starts with an inclusive, open-minded approach to listening to what the data tells us about each student.
About the Author
Jean-Claude Brizard is President and CEO of Digital Promise, a global, nonpartisan nonprofit organization, focused on accelerating innovation in education. He is the former Senior Advisor and Deputy Director in U.S. Programs at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where he focused on PK-16 education across five communities in four states. He is also the former Chief Executive of Chicago Public Schools. Prior to his appointment in Chicago, he was Superintendent of Schools for the Rochester City School District in New York. Under Mr. Brizard’s leadership, both the Chicago Public Schools and the Rochester City School District saw substantial improvements in student performance. Mr. Brizard is a Fellow of the Broad Center, a Fellow of the Pahara-Aspen Institute, and a member of the Aspen Institute Global Leadership Network.
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