Speakers
Breakout Sessions
The ability to gather, analyze, and act in response to data is a critical component of school leadership, both for school-based administrators and Boards. Yet the reality is that the quantity of data available to school leaders can often be overwhelming, and determining what data to focus on and how best to use it can often lead to cycles of exhaustion and confusion. This session will explore best practices and strategies for identifying what data to collect (with an emphasis on academic data), how to track it over time in a way that reveals insights, and approaches to analyzing school-wide data in order to inform decision-making and accurately measure progress. We’ll explore examples of school-level data dashboards, strategies for aligning data collection to school-wide goals and priorities, and how to ensure the data we’re collecting is telling us what we need to know. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their schools’ current approach to data-driven leadership and plan for how to ensure that the decisions they make are grounded in an accurate picture of student needs and school-wide progress.
Objectives:
Participants will explore best practices for gathering and analyzing academic data to measure progress and drive school-wide improvement efforts (including how to identify what data to gather and review, using data visualization and data dashboards, developing a cadence of data analysis, and strategies for leveraging data in school-wide decisions)
Participants will reflect on and evaluate their school’s current approach to gathering and evaluating academic data
Joshua Smith is the Executive Director and founder of Galvanized Education Partners, which works with schools, districts, and CMOs to support school improvement and capacity-building.
Prior to launching Galvanized ED, Josh served as Associate Dean of Instructional Leadership Programs with Relay GSE, supporting the design of professional learning for Relay’s National Principal Academy Fellowship (NPAF) and providing coaching and professional development to school- and system-leaders throughout Colorado. From 2012 to 2017, Josh served as Chief Academic Officer and Chief Schools Officer for a network of 11 schools spanning grades K through 12. He was the founding Principal of West Denver Prep’s Harvey Park Campus (opened as part of district-led turnaround effort in 2009), leading the school to achieve the highest academic growth of any middle school in Colorado and earning the status of #1 (of approximately 160 schools) on Denver Public School’s School Performance Framework. Josh began his career in education as a TFA 2001 Corps Member and 8th grade Social Studies teacher in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, where he was recognized as Campus Teacher of the Year and Wal-Mart Community Teacher of the Year in 2004. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a master’s degree from Georgetown University. He lives with his wife and two kiddos (Diego, 12, and Charly, 9) in Denver, Colorado.