Everyone Can Lead with Data

Authors: Amanda Baltikas

Tags: article, improvement

article_subtitle: Practical Coaching Lessons from the Field

post_content: In 2014, after seven years teaching special education, I became one of the data leads at South Shore International College Prep—though at the time, I had no idea what that actually meant. This new role (which I did in addition to my “regular” job) was created when our school partnered with the University of Chicago’s Network for College Success (NCS).

We received support from NCS for instruction, ninth grade on-track, and post-secondary work, and every school in NCS had to appoint its own data lead. In broad terms, the role entails bringing student-level data to administrative and teacher teams to inform adults and support interventions. I spent a lot of hours behind a computer compiling data and creating graphs and charts for school leaders and teachers.

At the time, I saw myself as a conduit for data. Students were taking assessments, receiving grades, showing up for school—or not—and sometimes getting into trouble. I took those test scores, grades, and attendance and discipline records, made them presentable—combining some data sets, dividing others by demographic group—and shared it with teachers in the form of spreadsheets and slides. That felt like a job done—until I realized it wasn’t.

I wouldn’t see what I was missing until nearly a decade later, when I left the Chicago public school system and joined the University of Chicago as a data strategist and coach for NCS. 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.

In order to achieve this, I need to support data leads to play an active role in shaping meeting agendas, highlighting both bright spots and areas for improvement, and facilitating protocols that bring data into daily practice. I have come to observe a familiar pattern: teams tend to be data-rich but action-poor.

In other words, they are collecting (and being sent by the district) copious, even overwhelming quantities of data, but they aren’t using them as a basis for productive discussion that leads to action. In the words of my first NCS coach, “It all comes back to the right data, right people, right time.” And I would respectfully add one more to that: right conversation—because as many of us know, to our dismay, it is entirely possible to get the right data in the room, with the right people, at the right time, and spend hours in a discussion that goes around in circles until everyone is exhausted and dispirited.

I want to share five insights I have gained about helping the “right people” to have the “right conversations” about data (and, crucially, turning those conversations into actions—the effects of which are themselves measurable). This advice is aimed at coaches, which is to say, anybody who is helping somebody else in a school to try out improvements based on data.

Before I go any further, I want to introduce you to Ashthorn High.

Introducing Ashthorn High

To illustrate these five lessons, we’ll follow the story of “Ashthorn High”—a fictional school grounded in real experiences from schools across Chicago. At Ashthorn High, a newly formed team meets regularly to focus on ninth grade success. This team includes a team lead, seven teachers, an assistant principal, and a school counselor. The team lead is receiving coaching from an external organization to strengthen their ability to guide data-driven work. Their outcome goals this year include reaching 95 percent of ninth graders on-track and 50 percent of Black and Latino male students to earn a 3.0+ GPA. Like many school communities, Ashthorn has struggled to consistently support students during their critical transition into high school. While the school and team are fictional, the challenges they face—and the strategies they develop—are drawn directly from the lived experiences of educators navigating similar dynamics.

1. Start with What They Have

This may seem like a simple step, but I can’t tell you how often I’ve brought data to an educator instead of first exploring what they already have access to or know. The starting point for most data work is understanding what is accessible to your coachee—whether from their school, district, or student information systems. Take the time to investigate their experiences with data in their school first. Shifting this approach empowers the educator to be independent, rather than relying on your data. Consider asking:

As you gather this information, you’ll develop a clearer understanding of how data has been presented to them—whether as raw numbers, charts or graphs, or tools for accountability, improvement, or transformation. These insights are invaluable; an educator’s past experiences and beliefs around data will inevitably surface during team meetings and data discussions. Additionally, if charts or graphs are already available, teams can more quickly shift their focus from understanding the numbers to taking action.

What this Looks Like at Ashthorn High

During a coaching session, the team lead at Ashthorn High is asked to describe the current “data story” around ninth grade success. In response, they open a district-provided spreadsheet with student grades and a platform that displays student test scores from a baseline instructional assessment. As they begin talking, the team lead’s body language shifts—they hesitate, their voice tightens.

“I know this data isn’t giving us the right story about the work here,” they say. “I honestly feel ashamed. It makes it seem like a majority of our students are behind.” At this moment, the coach doesn’t rush to problem-solve or defend the data. Instead, they listen. They create space for the team lead to unpack the emotional weight of the numbers. The coach restates what the team lead just discussed and asks about how other educators in the building use data. The team lead responds almost as if holding the entire staff’s emotions on their shoulders—data use is not a generally positive experience at Ashthorn High. By starting with the educator’s relationship to the data, rather than the data itself, the coach is building trust and laying the foundation for deeper, more sustainable engagement.

2. Lead with Questions, not Numbers

Before looking at data, help your coachee identify the key questions related to their work. Educator teams engage in extensive work, unpacking problems of practice, creating interventions, gathering student and staff feedback, leading learning, and driving continuous improvement. Given the breadth of their work, data is a powerful tool to measure their efficacy, monitor progress, and determine when to pivot, iterate, or abandon an approach. Encouraging your coachee to first articulate what questions they are trying to answer will help them determine the most relevant data to bring to the table. Too often, teams default to student outcome data—such as grades or attendance—to assess effectiveness. While these are important, teams should also consider broader questions related to implementation and impact. For example, if a team is implementing a new late work policy, help them think critically about who is impacted and who is involved in this work. Some key questions and potential data sources that might arise include:

Key Question Data Source
Did this initiative remove barriers for students in turning in late work? Review existing policies, identify known barriers, and analyze what was addressed or removed.
How can we gauge student understanding of the new policy? Conduct empathy interviews, student focus groups, or quick reflection surveys.
What learning do adults need to undertake? What mindset shifts are necessary? Gather qualitative data on teacher beliefs; review class syllabi or grading practices.
What impact does the new late work policy have on students? Compare student grade data before and after policy implementation; for example, by counting the number of missing assignments in gradebooks and checking attendance data.

By starting with the right questions, teams can ensure they are leveraging data in meaningful ways that drive informed decision-making and continuous improvement.

What this Looks Like at Ashthorn High

At Ashthorn High, the team lead is beginning to shift their focus from layered interventions to strengthening Tier 1 instruction—the core teaching and learning experience that reaches all students. In a coaching session, they express a desire to move away from a reactive approach and start addressing root causes in the classroom. “I feel like we keep building intervention on top of intervention,” they say. “But what if Tier 1 instruction was strong enough that fewer students needed intervention in the first place?” The coach pauses and asks: “What are you really trying to learn about your classrooms right now?” Together, they begin brainstorming questions that align with the team lead’s goal: What are students experiencing during instruction? Where are the engagement gaps showing up—and for whom? What support do teachers need to strengthen core instructional moves? From this discussion, they identify potential data sources: observation notes, student engagement surveys, lesson plans, and walkthrough data.

3. Build Comfort and Skill Around Key Metrics

Create opportunities for the team to deepen their understanding of key metrics such as ninth grade on-track, chronic absenteeism, or GPA and college persistence. Explore their familiarity with these metrics—what they mean, the research indicating their importance, their implications for action, and how they function as accountability tools within the district. Help your coachee unpack what these metrics and indicators reveal about teacher practice and student experience.

As their confidence grows, discussions shift from deciphering data to focusing on the actions the data informs—moving from understanding the numbers to making meaningful, data-driven decisions.

What this Looks Like at Ashthorn High

During a coaching session, the team lead and coach are debriefing the previous ninth grade success team meeting. At that meeting, the team lead had presented data on how many students were “on track” and how many were earning B’s or better. Now, in coaching, the team lead shares some unexpected feedback: “A few teachers pushed back after the meeting. They felt like I was suggesting they inflate grades or just pass students to make the numbers look better. That’s not what I meant—but now I’m not sure how to bring data without putting people on the defensive.” The coach listens and validates the concern—this kind of emotional reaction is common when metrics like GPA or on-track rates are introduced without broader context. Rather than pivoting away from the data, the coach leans in. Together, they explore how the data was presented visually,  framed, and what assumptions may have surfaced. The coach introduces a strategy: link the data to broader student outcomes, such as postsecondary readiness or course engagement, and invite the team to reflect on what’s contributing to student performance—rather than assuming the conversation is about accountability or grading policies alone. In their next team meeting, they plan to use a combination of visuals and open-ended reflection prompts to reconnect the group with their collective goals and unpack the metrics that matter for young people.

4. Make Data Conversations Routine and Collaborative

Data is only as strong as the learning and conversation that comes with it—this is the “magic.” During coaching, introduce a variety of protocols to your coachee to model different ways to socialize data effectively. Have your coachee actively participate in these protocols to experience them as a team member would, before they implement them. As you facilitate, engage in process observations with your coachee. Consider:

Create space in coaching to explore which protocols and data presentations are most effective at different levels of their school. Bring in data and protocols that would work best with administrators and contrast that with data protocols for a teacher course team. Encourage your coachee to reflect not only on the data, but also on the process of engaging with it to strengthen their ability to lead data discussions. In coaching sessions, debrief their experience to identify key learnings. Role play through challenging conversations and anticipate difficult questions that may arise when data is presented. Sharpen their ability to recognize and navigate data detours—that is, when discussions stray from the data at hand. As data conversations become routine in your coaching spaces and team meetings, the magic of data-driven conversations takes the stage, playing the most crucial role in moving teams and providing accountability to action.

What this Looks Like at Ashthorn High

At the end of the semester, the team lead at Ashthorn High wants to do a deep dive into ninth grade data to reflect on the team’s progress. They’ve created a PowerPoint deck with charts and summaries, and plan to walk the team through the slides at the next meeting. The coach asks a powerful question: “What is the purpose of bringing the team together to look at this data—what do you want them to do with it?” This moment shifts the conversation.The team lead reiterates their goals around ninth grade on-track status and students earning B’s or better. They also speak about supporting young people in their transition to high school and helping the adults do this to the best of their ability. The coach responds and says, “What I am hearing is that the team is committed to these goals, and one way to get us to those goals is to look at data—to hold the mirror up to what is really happening at Ashthorn High and identify action steps moving forward.”

The coach introduces the ATLAS Looking at Data protocol and offers to model it in the session. The team lead participates in the protocol as a team member would, engaging with the data without needing to have all the answers. After the protocol, they debrief together: What parts of the process helped surface meaningful insights? Where might teachers feel stuck or push back? How could the data set be narrowed to focus on a few key questions? What norm will you need to emphasize to keep the conversation productive? The team lead realizes that instead of just presenting data, they can facilitate a collaborative inquiry space—one where team members wrestle with the data together, ask tough questions, and co-create the next steps. They leave the coaching session with a refined data set and a protocol to use at the next team meeting.

5. Call in the Experts—Not Just the Data

There will inevitably be times when the transformed data doesn’t address the questions your coachee is grappling with or is unable to motivate them or their team to action. In these moments, it’s important to help your coachee find the right technical support. Encourage them to connect with someone at their school, district, or even within your own organization who can provide the necessary expertise. Building relationships and connections across teams is key to resolving these challenges and ensuring continued progress. Coaching in this context means more than just encouragement—it’s about helping your coachee navigate systems, ask the right questions, and build the confidence to advocate for the support they need.

What this Looks Like at Ashthorn High

The team lead at Ashthorn High expresses growing frustration. They’ve pulled GPA and attendance data for the ninth grade, but it doesn’t fully address the core questions their success team is wrestling with—particularly because they have learned that grading practices vary dramatically across departments.“We don’t have the right information to share with teachers if they’re unwilling to open up their gradebooks,” the team lead says. “It feels like a dead end.” Rather than trying to troubleshoot the issue alone, the coach helps the team lead map out a broader support network. Together, they identify two key allies: A district data strategist who can help disaggregate GPA trends by subgroup and department. A colleague in the math department who’s been experimenting with standards-based grading and may be willing to share insights—and even model transparent grading practices. The coach and team lead draft a few targeted questions to guide their outreach and schedule time to meet with both contacts.

 

As I continue to embrace the belief that everyone can lead with data, I’ve come to realize that the most powerful data work doesn’t start with a spreadsheet or dashboard—it starts with a conversation. It’s in those moments of reflection, inquiry, and collaboration that data becomes more than numbers. It becomes a mirror, a catalyst, and a map for moving forward.The phrase my first NCS coach shared still resonates deeply: “Right data, right people, right time.” But experience has taught me that one more element is essential: the right conversation. Because even when the right data is in the room with the right people at the right time, progress stalls without purposeful dialogue. We can spend hours circling the issues, leaving teams feeling more confused than clear.

The good news? The person who sparks that conversation doesn’t need to hold a formal data role or possess technical expertise. They might be a teacher, a team lead, a counselor, or a principal—anyone willing to ask a good question, facilitate a discussion, and stay curious about what the data might reveal. In schools, data is abundant. What we need more of are people who can make it usable and meaningful.

By building educators’ comfort, competence, and confidence to take on this role—by expanding ownership of data leadership—we can transform how schools learn. We can ensure data is not just presented, but acted on. And most importantly, we can ensure that every data conversation centers the people we’re ultimately here for—our students.

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