5 Ways to Use Data as a School Leader

When I first became a school leader, I thought one place where I could excel in the job would be by becoming a “data expert.” Every time I was given spreadsheets— attendance, test scores, behavior incidents, survey results, grades—I believed it was my responsibility to analyze every cell. I color-coded charts and re-created spreadsheets. I thought I was doing exactly what was needed to be a high-performing, data-driven, educational leader. In reality, I was exhausted, burying myself in Google Sheets and spending less time in classrooms with teachers and students.

The shift came when I learned a simple truth: Not all data is created equal. Schools generate mountains of information, but only a handful of metrics directly drive improvement. Once I identified and focused on those vital few, the fog lifted. I could make faster, smarter decisions; share clear goals with staff; and reclaim precious time for meaningful leadership.

I now see data not as a burden, but as a compass. It helps us check our direction, make mid-course corrections, and celebrate progress along the way.

Here are five tried-and-true best-practice strategies that can help leaders use data with confidence and without the overwhelm.

1. Prioritize Key Indicators

It’s tempting to track everything, but clarity fuels improvement. Results come when you understand that focusing on visible learning outcomes (i.e., attendance, engagement, and progress monitoring) creates stronger feedback loops for both teachers and leaders.

In my experience, these are some valuable indicators to narrow focus to:

• Student attendance (because engagement begins with showing up)
• Reading growth (our primary academic priority)
• Discipline referrals (a barometer of school climate)

Our leadership team (composed of the principal, the superintendent, curriculum leaders, and myself, the special education leader) established the vision of these key areas of focus. Then the data team (made up of basic skills teachers, Tier 2 supporters, small group instructors, learning disabilities teacher-consultant, principals, and curriculum leaders) met to review and analyze information. When these data points became our shared focus, conversations shifted. Instead of getting lost in 20 different charts, we asked sharper, more meaningful questions: Are more students here every day? Are they making progress in reading? Do they feel safe and supported? By narrowing our lens, we gained clarity, and with clarity came action.

Try tomorrow: As a leadership team, identify three to five metrics directly tied to your school improvement plan. Share them with staff, and post them in a visible location. The goal isn’t to ignore other data, but to keep the spotlight on what matters most. Focused data is valuable data.

2. Use Simple, Visual Dashboards

Numbers don’t inspire action; stories and visuals do. In fact, most educators are more likely to use data when it is timely, visual, and easy to interpret.

Instead of sending staff a 40-page report, try to create a simple dashboard. There are third-party vendors that help support making this an easier endeavor. Even without them, it’s possible for districts to develop charts and graphs that help tell a story of progress. With highly familiar programs such as Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel, building graphs and other visual representations of data is simple and straightforward. At a glance, anyone could see progress toward our goals. This reduced frustration, built trust, and shifted the focus from “finding” data to acting on it.

Try tomorrow: Start small. Identify a data set, and use a Google Sheet to develop a straightforward dashboard. Aim for clarity, not complexity.

3. Schedule Brief, Predictable Check-Ins

Quite simply, endless data meetings are a morale killer. Instead, we moved to short, focused, regularly scheduled check-ins. Each meeting could follow a simple agenda:

• Review trends in your three priority areas.
• Celebrate wins.
• Identify one adjustment to try before the next check-in.

This rhythm gave staff breathing room to focus on teaching while ensuring that we didn’t drift off course. The predictability not only reduced teacher anxiety, but also gave ample time for meaningful student growth and measured progress.

Similarly, this structure of regularly scheduled, focused data review emphasizes effective data use and conversations rather than the marathon data sessions that would occur when meetings were not a regularly occurring event.

Try tomorrow: Put recurring 30-to-45-minute data meetings on the calendar, six weeks apart. Keep the agenda tight and centered on your key indicators.

4. Pair Numbers with Stories

Quantitative data tells us what is happening, but it often loses out on the why. To avoid misleading conclusions, we paired our dashboard numbers with qualitative insights: teacher observations, student surveys, and family feedback.

A recent example comes from my review of a previous year’s multilingual learner ACCESS for ELLs (Assessing Comprehension in English State-to-State for English Language Learners) scores. At first glance, the data was concerning: Fewer students had exited the program compared with prior years. On the surface, the numbers suggested a setback, but they didn’t tell the whole story. By digging into the narrative behind the data, we uncovered the real insights.

In conversations with teachers, we learned that many of the students tested had only just entered the program during that school year, making it unrealistic to expect them to exit so quickly. At the same time, while fewer students graduated from the program, a significant number showed marked growth compared with the year before—a finding that pointed to meaningful progress rather than decline.

This example displays the importance of looking beyond surface-level numbers and combining quantitative data with contextual, qualitative insights.

Try tomorrow: After reviewing a key data point, ask staff to share one observation, one student perspective, or one family insight that adds context. Over time, this builds a habit of “humanizing the numbers.”

5. Share the Responsibility

One of my earliest mistakes was trying to handle all of the data myself. Not only was it unsustainable, but it unintentionally sent the message that working with data was the leader’s job alone, and not everyone’s responsibility.

Assign team members an area of responsibility to monitor across the team-established priority indicators. For instance, you can designate an assistant principal to track discipline referrals, a literacy coach to track reading growth, and a counselor to track attendance patterns. Have each member bring updates to regular check-ins so the work is shared and progress is consistently reviewed.

This distributed model builds ownership and capacity. Staff feel invested because they help interpret and respond to the data. Shared leadership helps establish a collective mindset and a belief that together, we can impact outcomes.

Try tomorrow: Assign one person to each key metric. Rotate roles quarterly to build staff confidence and distribute expertise.

Shifting the Mindset

Perhaps the biggest shift I experienced with data wasn’t in the tools I used, but in the mindset I adopted. I started looking at data not as a score to report, but rather as a conversation starter for growth. Instead of expecting flawless results, I focused on using each data point to guide the next step forward.

Data will never capture everything that matters in a school, and it shouldn’t try to. When leaders use it strategically and collaboratively, it shifts from a burden to a bridge. It begins guiding decisions, shaping instruction, and driving meaningful improvement, and the payoff is undeniable.