"Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted." - Albert Einstein
In a new laptop program, it's tempting to try to measure anything that will stand still long enough to be measured. You are spending a lot of money under extra scrutiny, and you want to SHOW that you know what you are doing.
I've written before about some of the ways to help schools through this change process with measurable data. This recent post from the Generation YES blog, Say the change you want to see describes a visioning exercise that helps uncover the hidden hopes and dreams that accompany any major change like a 1:1 implementation.
While we may write in our grant narratives that we expect x% improvement in test scores and y% decrease in textbook costs, we really hope that 1:1 changes more than these bottom line digits. In secret, we hope that students and teachers fundamentally change what school means. How can you articulate that, much less measure it?
And yet, it's imperative.
Because often, the stated objectives in an implementation plan don’t paint the full picture. There are unspoken wishes, hopes and desires that go along with the hard statistics. The problem is that if you don’t explore these hidden wishes, you can’t plan for them, articulate them, or share the vision. Sometimes these are harder to measure or they sound “soft” and messy. But many times these unspoken outcomes are the most powerful of all. Surprisingly, you may find that they are widely shared, but people feel that they aren’t important or scientific.
You shouldn’t be embarrassed to say them out loud. It’s not silly to hope that the work you do changes children’s lives. If you put those goals in writing, you can plan for them, and more importantly, figure out how to measure them.
You can read about this visioning exercise in my longer blog post, but the bottom line is that you have to envision what success means, including all the hidden goals, and then measure those factors. Sounds simple? Not so fast.
If a goal is to have happier students or more satisfied teachers, how will you know? Somebody better ask them. How will you show it? Somebody better shoot some video and collect some quotes. Plan for that now! Is one of your goals community involvement? Better ask them too! Plan some surveys both before and after the laptops roll out. If you want to say there is an improvement, you have to measure before, after, and maybe in between. And don't just gather data, gather stories.
And ask what you really want to know; don’t let naysayers drain the life out of it. Some people think dry and colorless means authoritative. Hold your ground when somebody rolls their eyes when you say you want to ask students if they like school better or if the laptops change the way the learn. Qualitative data is not a dirty word!
Ask for the change you want to see.
Sylvia Martinez
President, Generation YES
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