Building a Data Culture at AISG

At the American International School of Guangzhou (AISG) in southern China, building a data culture is a goal shared across both campuses, serving more than 1,000 students from pre-K through high school. Embedding a data-driven culture of teaching and learning tops the list of the school’s six strategic goals..

It has taken time for the school’s commitment to data to take hold. AISG leaders can identify key decisions that have accelerated and sustained the school’s data journey, which could benefit other schools on similar paths.



Starting with a Goal

Deputy Director Jamie Robb says the journey began about five years ago with an end goal in mind. “We wanted to have data at classroom teachers’ fingertips,” he recalls, "so that they could see trends and make better-informed decisions to support student learning.”

Like most schools, AISG is not short of data. “We’re data rich,” Robb says, but until the information was organized and accessible, “we were not able to do deep dives—or even decide what we wanted to do deep dives on.”

Although the Covid pandemic slowed the data journey temporarily, post-Covid years have seen steady progress.

Recruiting Champions

AISG renewed its commitment to building a data culture when it hired a Learning Technology and Data Coordinator in 2023. Tim Evans brings a background in technology integration, giving him what he describes as “a lens for looking at how technology can support teaching and learning.” He spent his first months getting familiar with the school, “learning what was in place and looking for opportunities for growth or improvement,” he recalls.

Evans is also a key point of contact with the Learning Analytics Collaborative (LAC), ensuring that data uploaded to the school’s LAC platform is clean, accessible, and timely. That creates efficiencies for busy staff, “who don’t lose time looking for data,” says Robb. Evans also chooses which engines and visualizations to include and how to customize them to meet the school’s needs.

During his second year at AISG, Evans reached out to professional learning communities to recruit “digital champions” from across the faculty. Champions provide an informal network to raise questions from teachers and share resources back to colleagues. “We want to have teachers supporting teachers,” Evans explains, rather than creating a top-down structure for data and technology use.

Using data to improve teaching and learning takes time and practice. Evans pays attention to what he calls “aha! moments,” when teachers can see how data adds value in the classroom. In a recent discussion with a group of elementary teachers, they used a simple discussion protocol and data visualization to analyze external assessment scores. “They could see the purpose,” Evans says, and began sharing ideas for follow-up.

In addition to bringing data into just-in-time discussions, faculty also take part in data days scheduled throughout the year to inform planning and reflection.

Teacher buy-in doesn’t happen automatically. “Teachers need time to explore for this to become the norm,” Evans says. When introducing data tools to teachers, he makes sure that the information is accessible and up to date. The system needs to work smoothly so that no one is frustrated. “You’ve got to get it right,” he says, or busy teachers will lose interest.

As a next step in building the culture, Evans is working with digital champions to develop a schoolwide protocol for looking at data, ensuring a common vocabulary and shared purpose throughout the school. Involving teachers on protocol design “builds empowerment,” Evans says. “It says this is what we, as a community, feel is important. It meets our needs.”  

Data in Action

When data discussions work well, participants emerge with deeper insights and a plan of action for follow-up.

Ralph Emmerink arrived at AISG in the fall of 2022 as a social studies teacher. He soon realized that “data was more on the forefront here” than in his previous international schools. “Like most teachers, I was used to data meaning: look at grades to see who’s underperforming, who’s overperforming, and how do we differentiate.”

He saw how data could be used more strategically when he and fellow social studies teachers looked closely at students’ reflective thinking. Qualitative data, based on teachers’ observations and conversations with students, revealed that most students did not reflect deeply. They tended to describe what they did rather than analyzing what they had learned or how they could grow. “We wanted to really hone in on that,” Emmerink recalls, and introduce classroom practices to deepen reflection.

Now in his third year at AISG, Emmerink has taken on a new role as Middle Years Programme (MYP) coordinator. Data is part of regular conversations with colleagues, “not daily but at least weekly.” He sees teacher buy-in increase if the purpose—the why of using data—is clearly communicated. “If we're doing this, how does it help us? Are we using data to improve our own teaching? Will this help students become better at what they're doing? What are some key takeaways?”

Conversations include both quantitative and qualitative data and encompass both academic and non-academic metrics. “Data tells a lot of stories,” Emmerink notes.

One such story is about students’ sense of belonging. When Panorama surveys revealed a decline in students’ sense of belonging post-Covid, AISG leadership recognized that as a concern. “We want to build that sense of community back up,” Evans explains. In response, more social events, games, and other after-school activities have been added to the calendar. Teachers are brainstorming ways to give students more agency in the classroom. Social and emotional learning is getting more attention during advisory times.

Staff will watch for evidence of improvement in follow-up surveys, as well as in conversations with students “We hope to see that we are growing in that sense of belonging,” Evans says.

Advice to Share

Jamie Robb encourages schools that are just beginning their data journeys to start with a shared purpose. “What do you want to use data for? What is your why? Involve many people from your team in that discussion.”

With purpose in mind, then reach out to other schools, including members of LAC. “Find out how they are using data. What has been difficult for them? What’s working well? That will help you determine if this is a good fit for your school,” Robb says.

Questions to Consider

How might AISG’s data journey inform your school’s growth in use of data? Here are questions to consider:

• Does your school have a shared purpose—your why—for building a data culture? Who has been involved in the conversation to define that purpose?
• How might your school benefit from having a data coordinator?
• Have you considered identifying “data champions” among your faculty? How might you leverage their insights to increase staff buy-in for using data?
• Do your teachers see a “value add” of using data to improve teaching and learning?