I just completed a week of meetings with my instructional teams and it was great. What made it great is that teachers brought in their data and then I did some additional calculations in front of them. I did the math as they sat there because I wanted each teacher to see my thinking as I went through the calculations. Basically, I look at a few key measures that hopefully drive home the essence of their efforts - student learning. It's not the data that made this week great or even the further calculations I made that made it great. It's the type of meeting that we had that made all the difference.  I might add that we do have some fairly good data, though. 

One of the things I try to drive home to my leadership team is that sometimes we don't really need to drive home any point. We simply need to be present with the teachers when the point become evident. As information sinks in, they will react. In these moments as the emotions flow, I simply want to be present in a supportive, non-judgmental manner. In this respect, deeper issues can come to light which many times are the main drivers of the data we observe. If I respect the humanness of how a teacher deals with data, I can then co-join them on helping to create solutions, new strategies, and improved learning for all. In other words, not only does the teacher leave with new strategies and personal development, they leave knowing that the principal is there on their side to help make things better. There is a deeper connection to the teacher and their thinking than simply manipulating numbers around for the sake of a meeting.

I am looking forward to our next round of data conferences. Let me know what works for you.