Send us Fan Mail

Clarity for learning is one of the highest-leverage instructional practices in the entire research base. When students cannot answer three basic questions about their own learning, what am I learning, why am I learning it, how will I know I've learned it, that is not a student problem. It is a design problem. This episode interrogates what clarity for learning actually means, why "understanding" has been destroying lesson plans for decades, and what the research says teachers and leaders can do about it, starting Monday.

Wanna check our receipts? - browse our research repository here!

https://bit.ly/TDSWIS

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2628912

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Professional learning is one of the most expensive line items in education and one of the most consistently mis-designed. This episode interrogates how PL is delivered, who decides what teachers learn, why leadership must be in the room (and how their presence can backfire), and what adult learning frameworks actually say about how grown people learn. Multiple perspectives included. The research has a side. We'll tell you which one.

Wanna check our receipts? - browse our research repository here!

https://bit.ly/TDSWIS

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2628912

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, we unpack the uncomfortable truth: your lesson, your strategy, and your beautifully curated materials don’t matter if students can’t access the text in front of them. We explore what the data actually says about reading proficiency, why every teacher is a literacy teacher whether they claim it or not, and how inaccessible texts quietly derail rigor, equity, and learning. We break down what strong reading instruction looks like across disciplines and what leaders must do to support it. Because if students can’t read it, they can’t learn it.

Wanna check our receipts? - browse our research repository here!

https://bit.ly/TDSWIS

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2628912

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

This episode digs into the national freak‑out over student phone use and asks whether the data actually supports the panic. We break down how research challenges the idea of “smartphone addiction,” why context matters more than screen‑time totals, and how adults often project their own tech discomfort onto kids. We also unpack Virginia’s new phone legislation, explore what intentional tech use really looks like in classrooms, and remind listeners that the tech is not the lesson, the context is the lesson.

Wanna check our receipts? - browse our research repository here!

https://bit.ly/TDSWIS

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2628912

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

We kick off The Data Said What It Said by examining the research educators love to quote without reading the fine print. “Visible Learning” sounds cute, but when you ignore context, equity, and actual classroom reality? The math stops mathing.

Two mass‑comm‑kids‑turned‑educators break down what the data really says, who it actually applies to, and why misusing research is the quickest way to ruin instruction. It’s sharp, chaotic, millennial‑coded, and very much “wait… did the data actually say that?”

Spoiler: sometimes yes, but only if you understand the context.

Wanna check our receipts? - browse our research repository here!

https://bit.ly/TDSWIS

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2628912

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Get ready!!!!!

The Data Said What It Said is a podcast for educators who are tired of being told “the research says…” without ever being shown the receipts. Hosted by two instructional coaches who love their work and aren’t afraid to have opinions. We dig into the studies, meta‑analyses, and big claims that shape K–12 education. Each episode asks the real questions: What does the data actually say? Who was included? What was left out? What does this look like in practice?

Season 1 tackles everything from Visible Learning critiques to literacy realities, tech myths, clarity in instruction, and the nonsense educators are asked to carry. We break down complex research without jargon, connect it to classroom life, and name the context that often gets ignored.

This show is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are our own and do not reflect the views, policies, or positions of our employer or organization. All stories are generalized, anonymized, and fictionalized to protect privacy.

If the math ain’t mathing, it’s okay to say that out loud.
Welcome to The Data Said What It Said. Episode 1 Coming Friday August 7th!

Support the show