We ask so much of teachers, from customizing learning to being that trusted adult some children don’t have at home to advocating for individual children. And yet we also still ask them to start from square one at the beginning of every school year, gathering data about their students so they can serve them best.
The added challenge is that many of our teachers aren’t skilled in digging into data and using it effectively. Why aren’t school districts and states creating resources for our teachers so they can focus on the art of teaching? The technology is there, but we’re not using it wisely.
This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Dr. Matthew Courtney, an educator, researcher, and policy maker who helps to build more capacity in teachers and leaders through deep analyses of learning. Matthew is also an experienced advocate who shares with us how educators can put on their own advocate hats without getting burned out.
I feel so strongly about Matthew’s work that I’ve asked him to join us on our next EdActive Collective meeting in September so our members can further their own important advocacy work.
Be sure to tune in.
Dr. Matthew Courtney specializes in using data and research to support schools and teachers as they work to improve teaching and learning. As an educator, researcher, and policy maker, he focuses his efforts on building capacity in teachers and leaders to perform deep analyses of learning. When educators are faced with persistent problems of practice, he shows them how to tap into the existing research literature to solve their problem and to apply research methodologies to rigorously test their solutions. Dr. Courtney is dedicated to helping the education profession fully self actualize into an evidence-based profession that relies on deep thinking, collaboration, and a joint commitment towards advancing scientific knowledge of teaching and learning in the field.
