Data Collection for your Leadership Project
During the weekly coaching call for aspiring leaders, a teacher said they weren't sure what data to collect from the new initiative they were rolling out. Here is what I told them.
Collect data that connects with the Why
There is a reason you are implementing a change or improvement. That is the basis of every leadership story. You don't go changing things if they aren't broken. Nobody has time to do that in schools.
The question being asked here is "Why are you implementing this strategy?" and "How do you know it's currently a problem?"
Each project you lead has a reason for existing. Do your due diligence to ensure the problem is the problem.
If the reason for this project is to get staff collaborating, well how do you know they aren't now? Ask in a survey how often, in the last term, they observed another staff member teaching? As your project goes on, this data will improve.
If the goal is to have teachers implement a new strategy, collect info on what they did before hand and what they did after. You can ask about frequency of using the strategy. You could be able to see it in their planning documents.
If the reason is to improve student achievement, what was their achievement level initially and then after. If the goal is a very broad goal, like improve students reading ability, get narrow on the specific aspect of reading you are targeting so you only measure this. We know that intensive intervention on specific skills often translates to growth in other areas. But for your data collection it is powerful to go narrow so that you are showing the efficiency of the strategy you implemented.
Collect data that begins with the end in mind.
After considering what the problem your leadership project is solving, connect with the what the other results COULD be.
What would sound amazing in interview? What would someone part of this project be raving about to their other teacher friends?
Think about outcomes that are a non intentional outcome from doing something different.
If teachers are becoming more confident in implementing a strategy, could that mean kids are more engaged? So behaviour referrals would reduce.
If students improve in one skill, would you see a shift in their LOA as well?
If staff are collaborating more, could the collaboration in other areas increase as well? I've seen the implementation of Quality Teaching Rounds improve the 'open door' policy in classroom that not only improved pedagogy but also increased staff sharing resources more readily. This then reduced their individual workload and increased their work/life balance, which then reduced frequency of staff absences. Not to say you need to go to that level of depth but it is interested to look for the ripple effect you are having on the school.
If you were shouting from the roof tops, "Look at what we were able to do", what would you be telling them?
Consider collecting data about this. Although this is not the main focus of the project, it can sometimes be a surprise when you can measure these other impacts your project is having.
Collect data that explores staff, student, and community impact
I've hinted at this already by the examples I've given above but let's make it more specific.
Collect data on the impact your projects on many different levels.
As aspiring leaders, our goal is to impact teachers. This is one level of impact you can measure.
This will then lead to student outcomes improving. Another level of impact.
Another next level of impact on the school community. This is a broad category so let me give some examples.
- Parents - their engagement in school events, their knowledge, skills and support at home or on the school grounds, the frequency and quality of their communication.
- External providers - Community groups, Opportunities for students to engage in experiences outside the school gate, excursions and incursions.
- Other Support Systems - Specialists, wellbeing support, Guidance officers, Chaplaincy,
- Networking - connecting with other schools, other leaders in similar roles to you, memberships.
In conclusion
What data should you collect for your leadership project?
You'll need data that:
- Connects with the Why.
- Begins with the end in mind.
- Explores staff, student, and community impact
If you're an aspiring leader with the goal of gaining experiences to get your first leadership role, check out Accelerate or book a call with me to gain clarity on the next steps on your leadership journey.