Driven by Data 2.0: A Practical Guide to Improve Instruction

by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo

The bestselling guide for school leaders―updated in a new edition   Data-driven instruction is the philosophy that schools should focus on two simple how do you know if are students learning? And when they are not, what do you do about it? Driven by Data 2.0 is a practical guide that answers these questions to empower schools to achieve significant gains in student achievement. Rooted in a proven framework that has been implemented in thousands of schools, the book presents what makes schools successful along with tools to put the framework into place to make data work for your If you’re a K – 12 leader, coach, or teacher looking to implement data-driven instruction in your school district, Driven by Data 2.0 has the tools to train your PD materials, videos of exemplar practice and all the resources you need to achieve remarkable results.  

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

Published April 16, 2019

About the author

Paul Bambrick-Santoyo is the Managing Director of Uncommon Schools Newark, which is composed of seven North Star Academy schools. During Bambrick-Santoyo’s eight years at North Star, the schools have seen dramatic gains in student achievement, reaching 90+% proficient on state assessments in almost every category and grade level. As a result, they were recently recognized with the National Blue Ribbon award. Author of Driven by Data: A Practical Guide to Improve Instruction, Bambrick-Santoyo has trained over 2,500 school leaders nationwide in as his work at Uncommon Schools and as the Data-Driven Instruction faculty member for New Leaders for New Schools, a national urban school leadership training program. Prior to joining North Star, he worked for six years in a bilingual school in Mexico City, where he founded the International Baccalaureate program at the middle school level. He earned a B.A. in Social Justice from Duke University (1994) and his M.Ed. in School Administration via New Leaders for New Schools from the City University of New York—Baruch College (2003).

http://uncommonschools.org/bio/1017/p...

Reviews

[Margaret Grabowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t believe it took me so long to read the second edition of this book. After having read the first edition years ago and participating in a lot of PD and daily work aligned to data driven instruction, I thought this book would be a repetition of what I know. However, I picked up a lot of nuggets of wisdom, especially when it comes to leading adult PD, that will strengthen my daily work. I especially appreciate the clearly presenting ideas, real-life examples, and the way the book addresses common challenges and misconceptions. Great read for any educator!

[Jade Gonzaba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely would use these strategies when I am able to run a school.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

To get a sense of how this plays out on the ground, imagine planning a long road trip. Unless you're following in the path of Jack Kerouac, your road trip will include a clear destination, be it a major city, a national park, or a family member's front door. Chances are you wouldn't hit the road without a clear destination--and the pace you'd need to set to reach your destination by the desired time...Education is no different. To teach our students what they need to be successful, we need to clearly define what they must learn and be able to do; set clear progress points they'll need to meet along the way; and keep an eye on other signs that show whether they're learning so we can course-correct sooner rather than later if they aren't. That's the heart of data-driven instruction and the ultimate roadmap to rigor.

Granted, this isn't creative literature, it's professional literature. As such, it's appeal and use is limited to those within the chosen profession--in this case, educational leadership. This book is one in a series hawking the Uncommon Schools leadership style, promising practical advice to school leaders to improve test scores. It uses a plethora of exclamation marks for no discernable reason and repeats a lot: The text will conclude with a pithy slogan or saying to tie the advice together and immediately underneath the exact same sentence will appear in a text box marked "Core Idea."

Is this useful? Yes, and no. Yes: Paul provides insight into the importance of planning assessment practices correctly to improve the quality of teaching and to raise a school's scores. No: Paul avoids the fundamental flaw in his plan: The quality of the assessment items. As he states on the last page of his chapter on Assessment: "One of the single most limiting factors in schools' achievement growth is poor interim assessments mandated by their districts." Basically, the attitude projected is to use the best assessment items which ideally reveal student misunderstanding and provides teacher with quantified insight on what needs to be retaught and even how. It's like giving a NASCAR driver strategies on lane changes and rearview-mirror monitoring and noting, in passing, that everything is rooted on the fact your car can maneuver at high speeds. "What kind of car?" you ask. "I told you already--a fast one with really good steering," he responds.

Data Driven Instruction is only as powerful as the data used to drive instruction, but I find this book never really focuses on whether the data collected is relevant and revelatory. Paul just preaches in circles around the topic: You can make your own assessments! You can buy one! But if you buy one, be careful! They're not always great! Consider making your own, but really good ones! It's inane. Pages and pages of advice hinge on the quality of the assessment items. I want a companion to this book: How to ensure the validity of one's assessment items. But Paul is too excited to bore us with that chore; he prefers to talk about all the principals who followed his advice and rose to the top.

So Ana brought her staff together to issue a powerful call to action. She presented a PowerPoint...

I had to include that sentence because it sums up this book. Who considers a PowerPoint a "call to action"? If you are a school leader who believes you are one PowerPoint away from revolutionizing instruction at your school, class is in session here. It's good advice--just be aware it's not entirely built on a solid foundation.

[Alex Bergland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for masters class. Enjoyed the book and made me think in a new way about various topics.

[Wisdom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

I highly recommend Driven by Data 2.0: A Practical Guide to Improve Instruction. The videos and materials are very helpful.

[Zack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot. I like the see it, name it, do it protocol and learned a lot to apply to my work in my district. Good big picture work on interim assessments and data driven instruction.

[Phoebe Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the format for data analysis that Bambrick outlines.

[Hillary McWhorter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the information in the first chapter was slightly dated, but over all a great resource!

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful for work.

[Mandy Robek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for our building leadership team. Lots of great ideas for guiding the analyzing of data and working with it for 6-8 week cycles.

[Mylie McKissack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ideas to use to drive student achievement.