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Imagine peering down an ordinary school hallway, clutching an entry ticket that was sent to you. You turn a corner and stop in front of a wall. There, you spot a concealed opening and step through to Diagon Alley, the hidden magical market from JK Rowling’s Harry Potter novels.

Now that I support 19 schools, I’ve come to understand that the “conduit role” is necessary but not sufficient. The real power of the “data lead” role lies not just in presenting the data, but in bringing together the people who need to talk about it, facilitating their conversations, and supporting them as they turn insights into action.

There was one student in particular, who I’ll call “Alex.” He excelled in conversations with his peers and often shared his thoughts in class discussions, but his performance on written exams did not reflect the full depth of his understanding.

You can bring PBL principles into any math class immediately with four simple strategies—no large project required.

In my forties, I have taken up two possibly ill-advised pursuits: skateboarding and indoor rock climbing. 

Too often when teachers get data, they don’t know what to do with it. At the University of Chicago Middle Grades Network, we use two protocols in succession (the first with staff members, the second with students) to transform data into effective action. The staff meeting protocol is called “What? So what? Now what?” and based on what we learn from that, we organize a “data circle” with students. Here’s what that looks like in detail.

Tracking  absences quarterly allows schools to spot trends and changes faster, whether they be  something to celebrate or a student who needs more support. When we track the number of absences by quarter, just a few missed days in a row can trigger early intervention or celebration.  

Visitors to High Tech High often misconstrue its approach to planning as “loose” or “anything goes” compared to traditional schools, because teachers aren’t following a pre-set curriculum. In fact, High Tech High is “tight” on things that most schools a “loose” on. 

Try Stuff was a hit! Crew advisors were thrilled to hand over some of the facilitation, and students came up with all sorts of creative lessons to share with their Crews.

ELA teachers asked students to connect their personal and cultural identity to the academic content at key junctures in their lessons.