Data-driven is Stupid
We live in a world that is seemingly dominated by data. In every walk of life, in every domain, we are told to make data-driven decisions. Education is no exception. In fact, the majority of K12 vendors I encounter promote the gospel of data-driven decisions.
In doing so, they are making a huge mistake. School districts don’t make data-driven decisions. In the words of George Couros ‘Data-driven is stupid”. If you’ve read my article “Why Superintendents Are Not CEOs”, you’ll know exactly why. School districts make decisions based on students — not data, not ROI, not anything else. It’s called student-driven or learner-driven decision making.
When K12 sales representatives talk to educators about making data-driven decisions, they are doing themselves a great disservice. According to Michael Chechile, former chief superintendent of the Lester B. Pearson School Board, a key attribute of a successful salesperson is credibility. One of the main factors that contributes to credibility is using the appropriate vocabulary. Naturally, this applies to all fields but educators are particularly sensitive to education parlance.
Words have an exact meaning. Claiming to be data-driven instead of student-driven sends the immediate message that students are an afterthought. K12 vendors need to draw a line from their solution to the student in the classroom. Focusing on the data instead of the student misses the mark. The data is the means to an end.
This leads me to a second issue surrounding credibility. Many educators in leadership positions are highly educated — many have earned a PhD in Education. It behooves every K12 sales rep to be well versed in educational research and trends. I can only imagine that sales representatives for airplane manufacturers are very attuned to the latest research and trends in aerospace — why should it be any different for K12 sales?
One of the foremost leaders in educational research is John Hattie. His work on evidence-based practices in education is a cornerstone behind the ideas of student-driven decision making. If you’re not familiar with his work, I highly recommend the Visible Learning website. For those in K12 sales focused on teacher performance, then Charlotte Danielson and Robert Marzano are primers.
I could go on and suggest educational journals but at the very least, a subscription to Education Week is a good place to start. In the words of my former boss, Brett Fadeley, ‘understand the market and act accordingly’. To do so, one must be well informed and well-versed. Just because you attended elementary and secondary school doesn’t make you an expert on K12 just like riding an airplane doesn’t make you an aerospace expert.
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