Stop Believing These Five Data Myths

More data doesn't always mean better decisions. Sometimes it just means analysis paralysis while the moment to act passes you by.

Someone in middle school told us there were “math people” (are some people made out of algebraic symbols?!?) and “English people.” Ever since then, you’ve been ingesting a steady stream of data myths. So, as a public service, today we are busting the five biggest data myths.

Myth #1: Not everyone is a “math person”

This piece of outdated garbage needs to go the way of the dodo. Did you read Shalinee Sharma’s book on this yet? Math is just another way to represent language. You need to ditch the toxic notion that some people just get math and some people don’t. If you’re paying your taxes correctly enough to stay out of trouble, you’re a numbers person. After all, the Roman empire ruled much of the world with less grasp of mathematics than today’s kindergartners need! Roman numerals are significantly less complicated than the concept of zero as a placeholder in the number “10”, yet our five year olds confidently write the number ten as such, a concept that would have baffled much of the pre-renaissance world. We’re all numbers people, we just express it differently. 

Myth #2: More data means better decisions

Ever heard of analysis paralysis? Sometimes we think we can’t make a decision until we know everything, a la Laplace’s Demon. Alas, we don’t have perfect information, and we’re never going to have it. More data might sometimes make better decisions, but those come at the cost of action. If you make the right decision too late, it doesn’t do you any good. Instead, make peace with good enough decisions made quickly enough for meaningful action to occur. 

Myth #3: Dashboards replace management

Data gets a bad rap as a bogeyman. In Jennifer Pahlka’s Recoding America, she laments that data is being used as a weapon to discipline people (“cudgel")  rather than a decision making tool (“compass”). If you haven’t yet read her book, please go read it. She’s hit the nail on the head. Data can be incredibly useful to guide actions, but too often people are afraid of the data because they fear being punished because of it. But, this view isn’t helpful. Stop thinking about data in the good/bad binary. Let’s pivot instead to my favorite framework “good” and “learning from it.” Dashboards are there to help us course correct, but great managers are there to motivate and hold us accountable. When you outsource that very human management to the dashboard, you get to a place where people are scared of data. 

Myth #4: Every metric matters the same

This myth is probably the most pervasive: when you see a bunch of indicators, you give equal weight to each of them. This is a bad idea because this is going to fracture your attention. You cannot weight all factors equally; you’ll need to ignore some metrics in favor of the ones that really matter. For example, let’s say you have a student with passing grades and no disciplinary issues. Is this student on track to graduate? No idea, because you need to know her truancy rates in order to know the answer. In fact, by 6th grade the leading indicator of a student dropping out is chronic absences. Some metrics matter a lot, like absences and literacy skills. But some metrics are vanity metrics in that they look good on the surface but don’t have anything underneath to show they matter. Let’s ditch the vanity metrics and hone in on what makes a difference.

Myth #5: Automation is only for large organizations

Many times our smallest districts and education organizations, often rural, often under-resourced, are doing the most things manually. This is such a misallocation of resources. Our small districts have the least manpower to spare for manual processes, and they need to be at the forefront of automating procedures and data collections. While our smaller districts sometimes don’t have the same manpower and time to spend on researching technology, I can confidently state that our districts of every size are benefitting from automations like the Cohort Achievement Tracker. Whether you’re using AI to help with RTI, like in our recent Data-Driven Dispatch, or utilizing dashboards to quickly flag off-track students, you don’t need a minimum number of students to create an automation. Everyone deserves to get time back from frustrating, manual processes. 

Final Thoughts and How to Take Action

Want to save more time and better utilize your data for student success? We invite you to view our video tour of the CAT or sign up for a free one-on-one tour here. What are you looking to do with your data collection and analysis? How are you preventing data silos? Join the conversation on social media and share.

About Instructional Data Solutions: Our mission is to remove barriers to enable education organizations to focus on what matters most. We assist school systems and education organizations of all sizes by collecting, analyzing, and clearly communicating data. We are committed to empowering educators through comprehensive data analytics and tailored support. Additionally, we provide dedicated support for operational needs, process improvement, and special projects, offering customized solutions to enhance effectiveness and success. Our solutions bridge the gap between data collection and instructional improvement in PK-12 settings.