Americans are intrigued by numbers. We love polls, surveys and statistics. Every TV ad from cars to lipstick quotes some 9 out of 10 survey result. No surprise that the latest wave of school reform is all about numbers called data. Sounds serious and sexy at the same time. Unfortunately data are just numbers about how kids perform on a given test on a given day. They don’t measure the number of substitutes had that year or the number of acting out disruptions the teacher handled, never getting to that all important geometry concept. The numbers don’t show the progress of the same students from a year ago or the skills mastered but not measured.

Oh, I think numbers are important and have from time to time bought a thing or two that 9 out of 10 of you have bought too. But I just know that the numbers are not the whole story. Data can not be the only focus for a school system and data can not be the only measure of progress or means of evaluation. Numbers alone miss too much of what makes schools unique, the human dynamic. Even more dangerous is the misuse of numbers, claiming they measure what they don’t. Benchmarks that test the whole year’s work only tell a teacher what she has not taught. Why waste the time? Test results that don’t explain what the kids mastered and what they didn’t are mistakenly referred to as autopsy data. But at least an autopsy can determine the cause of death!

What can an educator do? Learn about the test the students are taking and figure out how to use the right data the right way. Ignore the useless stuff as it only confuses the conversation. Most importantly use good data to continue the conversation about teaching and learning.

Do you think data matters?