To "humanize" data, we must remember that in schools, we are ultimately working for humans: our students. As we organize our classrooms and schools to serve them, we know that our students carry all of the complexities, emotions, and backgrounds that life has to offer. Therefore, to understand how to support our students and help them grow, they must be more than a collection of literacy and a math scores. Of course, we all want them to be literate and numerate, and we do not need to separate that from their humanity and emotional health. In schools, all students need to feel valued, appreciated, and recognized as members of a community. When they feel valued as a member of the school community, they are more likely to work with us to perform at their best.
To draw a comparison with football in honor of the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory, I’d like to compare head coach Doug Pederson to the previous coach, Chip Kelly. Chip Kelly was known as a data-driven coach guided by “sports science.” He had players track the amount of sleep they had at night and submit urine samples, which ultimately led to personalized smoothies corresponding to this data input. All of this was for the players to perform better.
Now, all of this “personalized smoothie” business may in fact be beneficial. However, when the process of sports science (or any “data driven” initiative) overshadows the humanity of the players, performance will not advance. Chip was notorious for being detached and aloof. He did not have a positive relationship with his team.
In contrast, when Doug Pederson entered as head coach, he prioritized relationships and the building of a positive culture in the locker room. He created a team that wanted to play for each other and for him. Many players referenced the fact that he had been a journeyman player in the NFL and therefore knew what they go through as men in the league. He understood the pressure to perform and the many distractions players face. To that end, he would frequently treat the players to ice cream after film sessions. If you don’t believe me, just watch:
Now, I am not trying to suggest that Doug Pederson was somehow “anti-data.” As a coach, he was still deeply focused on data to develop game plans and offensive strategy. However, he balanced all of the attention to data, strategy, and hard work that is involved with coaching a team with his relationships with the players to promote a sense of community that was critical to the team’s success. He never lost sight of his team as a group of humans...who probably enjoy ice cream.
As teachers and administrators, the humanity of our students and the sense of community in our schools should never be displaced because of standardized testing data. It is important to note that this is not an “either-or” problem. We can strategically address the student achievement of our schools while we build community and validate our students’ humanity...perhaps, with some ice cream.
