A Global Perspective on Data-Informed Schools with Tom Kaster - Ep 2
I recently had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Tom Kaster, founder of the Datafied Classroom! And let me tell you, this man has a journey. From aspiring firefighter to corporate life, then teaching, and now data consulting across the globe – his perspective on data in education is incredibly unique.
Tom and I instantly connected over our shared past as high school math teachers and I was excited to hear about his experience teaching internationally. He's lived and taught in places like Trinidad and Tobago, London, Cairo, Delhi, Buenos Aires, and is currently living in Chile. I had to ask if he was a fan of moving, but spoiler alert, he is not (is anyone?).
What really struck me about Tom's story is how he stumbled into the world of data dashboards. Like me, he started creating them because he saw a need. At international schools, students take IB exams (similar to AP, but more holistic) and while the data came back, it was often in overwhelming spreadsheets and PDFs. Even as a math teacher, he just didn't have the time to really dig into it.
Then, two separate people introduced him to the magic of data dashboards – specifically, Looker Studio (a tool I'm also a huge fan of, btw). He started playing around with his school's data, and his coordinator was blown away. Teachers who had been teaching for 15-20 years were finally digging into the data.
We dug into why teachers often feel overwhelmed by data, and it boils down to a few key things:
Time is a precious commodity. Teachers are already stretched thin, and asking them to become data analysis wizards on top of everything else is just not sustainable.
Clunky platforms and tedious steps. Tom and I shared stories of platforms that require multiple steps just to get to the information you need. As I often say, the goal isn't for teachers to master conditional formatting; it's for them to analyze, reflect, and act on the data!
The "40,000-foot view" vs. the "nitty-gritty." Sometimes, leaders are looking at big-picture data, while teachers need to drill down to individual student needs. Looker Studio, in my humble opinion, is a fantastic bridge for this, allowing you to fluidly move between the big picture and the tiny details.
Tom shared a fantastic example of a time when the data revealed something unexpected. Teachers at one of his client schools thought students were struggling on a particular paper for an exam. But the dashboard clearly showed that it was a different paper where students were consistently underperforming. This perfectly illustrates that while our gut feelings are often right, that crucial 10% where they’re not can make all the difference for a student who might otherwise slip through the cracks.
Tom’s work with Datafied Classroom extends beyond just IB data; he also creates affordable, standards-based gradebooks for teachers that focus on multiple metrics and help track student trends. He’s all about providing tools that are intuitive and easy to use, so teachers can focus on the insights rather than the mechanics.
Btw, Tom is one of our amazing speakers at the upcoming Data and Education: A Virtual Summit on June 10th and 11th! He’ll be leading an introductory session on taking your spreadsheet data and turning it into powerful Looker Studio dashboards. If you’ve been wanting to dive into data visualization, this is your chance!
We ended our conversation with a powerful reminder: just start. Don't wait for the perfect time, and don't wait for the perfect data. As his friend Marshall Baker says, "all data is bad data" – meaning it's the best available data. So, take that first step, build momentum, and you’ll be amazed at the impact you can make.
Seriously, this conversation left me so energized! If you're looking to make data less daunting and more dynamic in your school, connect with Tom Kaster on LinkedIn and check out datafiedclassroom.com. And definitely snag your ticket for the Data and Education: A Virtual Summit – you won't want to miss it!
Check out Data in Education: A Virtual Summit - bit.ly/datasummit2025
Learn more about Tom Kaster at www.datafiedclassroom.com
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Connect with Tom Kaster
Email: tom.kaster@datafiedclassroom.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-kaster-datafied/
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563973349106
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDatafiedClassroom
