Beyond the Spreadsheet: What the Data Doesn’t Show

In schools, we’ve been trained to look at dashboards, spreadsheets, and data walls. And rightly so numbers tell part of the story. But what happens when the most meaningful insights aren’t in the cells of a spreadsheet, but in the tone of a teacher’s voice, the energy of a hallway, or the side conversations during a staff meeting?

Leadership requires us to understand both the head and the heart. It’s not just about test scores, attendance percentages, or behavior referrals. It’s about reading the room, sensing morale shifts, and listening to what’s said in between the lines.

Quick Fact

According to a 2023 report by the RAND Corporation, teacher morale and perception of school leadership have a stronger correlation to staff retention than compensation or workload. Heart data matters and it drives real outcomes.

The Unseen Indicators

No data report will tell you that your staff is burnt out. No pie chart will highlight that a student is carrying emotional weight too heavy to bear. And there is no graph that can capture the warmth of a student greeting a security officer like family. This is the realm of “heart data” qualitative insights drawn from observation, emotion, and empathy.

As leaders, we must look beyond the spreadsheet to get a complete picture.

Triangulating Heart Data and Head Data

Here are a few ways leaders can intentionally blend both:

1. Walk the Halls Daily

Not just for supervision. Listen to tones, look at faces. Take note of who is energized, who is disconnected, and who might need encouragement.

2. Use Empathy Interviews

Ask simple but powerful questions: How are you really doing? What’s been weighing on you lately? What’s one thing you wish leaders understood better?

3. Analyze Tone, Not Just Talk

In meetings and emails, tone often signals more than words. Is your staff's engagement curious or compliant? Are questions being asked to clarify or to challenge?

4. Track Morale Like a Metric

Create a simple pulse check every month where staff can anonymously share how they feel, what’s working, and where they need support.

5. Practice “Message Walkthroughs”

After you deliver a message or lead a meeting, ask a few trusted staff members: How did that land? What did people hear versus what I meant?

6. Anchor in Your Vision

At Leonard Middle School, we lead with our vision to Educate, Empower, and Equip every student and we do it with communication, clarity, and consistency. That means being transparent about our data and also being attuned to the emotional undercurrents of our community.

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."

— Albert Einstein

Real World Snapshot

During my tenure leading a turnaround campus, the data showed we were on the rise. growth in scores, improved metrics, a clear upward trend. But something felt off. The energy had shifted. I started making it a point to walk the halls not just to observe instruction, but to read the emotional temperature.

One day, a trusted teacher pulled me aside and said, “Dr. Mouton, we’re moving the needle, but I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this pace.”

That moment hit hard. I had been tracking progress through spreadsheets, but I realized I was missing the people behind the progress. The data told one story, but the culture was writing another. From then on, I committed to leading with both the head and the heart.

Final Thought & Call to Action

The most effective school leaders are not just number crunchers—they are people readers. Yes, analyze the data, but also trust your gut when the building feels off. Lead with empathy. Make space for conversation. Ask the second question. When you combine head data with heart data, you create a culture where people feel seen, heard, and valued.

This week, pause before you run your next report. Walk the campus. Check the temperature, not the thermostat. And remember: leadership is a human endeavor first.

Three Reflective Leadership Questions

1. What non-verbal signals have I overlooked this week that could tell me more than a spreadsheet?

2. How do I create regular opportunities to hear the "unspoken" voices of my staff and students?

3. What systems can I implement to ensure I’m measuring both performance and wellbeing?