Professional Development

You have data, but does it inform instruction daily? Education Direction teaches and coaches your state, district, or school staff to utilize data to more systematically inform instruction and improve student learning.

Educational policy for the last decade has made accountability for student outcomes a household phrase. Students are tested and other performance indicators are developed, and many assume that simply providing staff these data will "magically" translate into better results for students. The data, however, are not always delivered in a timely manner or useful format, and teachers can be understandably hesitant to rely on quantitative data with questionable reliability. What's more, most teachers are not trained in how to effectively employ assessment results as a tool in their classroom, which can result in superficial classroom changes that do not significantly improve teaching and learning.

Befriending Data

Education Direction will train your staff using proprietary techniques, in conjunction with principles from Data Wise (2005, Harvard Education Press) and Data Wise in Action (2007, Harvard Education Press) to stop dreading and despising data, and to instead view and use it as a tool that can be leveraged in classrooms to help teachers find the kind of professional success and satisfaction they seek. Our professional development helps staff move beyond the superficial changes that data analysis can often yield, such as re-teaching and reallocating classroom time. We will work directly with staff or leadership teams to more effectively use data to make informed pedagogical decisions. We tailor each course to the specific needs of the organization, and deliver training both online and on-site, at various intervals and lengths.

Training Data Coaches

Additionally, school districts and state boards are increasingly employing Data Coaches to create data systems and train staff on how to use those systems. Education Direction will train your data coaches on how to they can more effectively collect, organize, and utilize data to inform instruction. We'll teach them collaboration processes and protocols to get away from the blame game and to work more effectively with educators in their jurisdiction, teaching them how to collaborate with, train, and empower the leaders and teachers with whom they work to do the same.