From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

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A Washington Post report found that 33% of U.S. students now have chronic absenteeism — and half of students who miss just 2 to 4 days in September will miss more than a month by year’s end. Meanwhile, AJ Juliani just led 150 school leaders through building their own AI-powered data dashboards — no coding required. Data is everywhere in our schools, but are we actually using it to see our students? In this episode of Cool Cat Teacher Talk, I sat down with three remarkable educators who are redefining what data driven schools look like — and proving that the most data-driven schools are actually the most human schools.

You’ll hear from AJ Juliani on how educators are building custom AI tools that replace expensive vendor software, Victoria Setaro on the game-changing difference between “cold data” and “warm data,” and Dr. Deborah Dennie — a NASSP 2026 National Principal of the Year finalist — on what a decade of data-driven leadership looks like when it’s done with heart. Whether you’re driving to school, grading papers, or unwinding after a long day, this episode is for you.

A.J. Juliani is the Director of Technology and Innovation for Centennial School District. As a former English teacher, football coach, and K-12 Technology Staff Developer, A.J. has worked towards innovative learning experiences for students in various roles. A.J. is also an award-winning blogger, speaker, and author of multiple books including the best-selling LAUNCH: Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and Bring out the Maker in Every Student and the newly released “Empower: What Happens When Students Own Their Learning.”

Website: ajjuliani.com • X: @ajjuliani • Instagram: @ajjuliani • LinkedIn: @ajjuliani

Victoria Setaro is currently an instructional lead focused on data analytics and professional development for Ulster BOCES in New York State. She has been a school and district leader in public education for over 20 years. Experiences such as assistant principal, classroom teacher, technology integrator, district special education liaison, and professional development specialist have provided Victoria incredible insight on how to best support teaching and learning. Current areas of interest and speciality include data visualization, humanization of data analytics, and inspiring educators to take risks and fall in love with the process of teaching and learning.

X: @victoria_Setaro

Deborah Dennie, EdD, has served as the principal of Leonardtown Middle School in St. Mary’s County, MD, for 10 years, providing steady, visionary leadership grounded in high expectations and genuine care. During her tenure, she has strengthened instructional practice through data-driven decision-making, elevated student accountability, and cultivated a culture of continuous professional growth among educators. Widely recognized as a mentor and advocate, she empowers staff to pursue leadership opportunities and expand their professional capacity, contributing to improved teaching and learning outcomes schoolwide while prioritizing the emotional and physical well-being of students and staff. She ensures instructional time is purposeful, distractions are minimized, and collaborative planning is both funded and prioritized. This shared focus has resulted in rising proficiency, greater equity in classrooms, and stronger student readiness for high school and beyond. Dr. Dennie is a NASSP 2026 Middle Level National Principal of the Year finalist.

LinkedIn: Dr. Deborah Dennie

Cold data refers to quantitative numbers: test scores, attendance rates, demographics, and grade percentages. Warm data is the human story behind those numbers — the reasons why a student is absent, why a high-achieving student secretly hates a particular subject, or why a family struggles to get their child to school. Cold data tells you WHAT is happening; warm data tells you WHY. Both types are essential for making meaningful changes in data driven schools.

AJ Juliani’s cohort of 150 school leaders used Claude Code to build custom AI data dashboards through conversation — no programming required. The AI acts as an interviewer, asking educators questions about their specific needs, then builds a first version of the dashboard. Educators refine it through ongoing dialogue — a process called “vibe coding.” The AI asks you questions to understand your purpose, rather than requiring you to write detailed code.

According to AJ Juliani, schools should: (1) de-identify all student data before uploading — replace names with labels and remove addresses and identifying information; (2) use browser-only processing so files are never saved to servers; (3) ensure all communication is HTTPS-encrypted; and (4) only work with vendors who provide CSV exports. Building tools in-house gives schools more privacy control than using external vendors.

Chronic absenteeism means missing 10% or more of school days — roughly 18 or more days per year. A Washington Post report found that 33% of U.S. students now experience chronic absenteeism. Research shows that half of students who miss just 2 to 4 days in September will miss more than a month by year’s end. Identifying attendance patterns early and understanding the warm data behind them enables schools to intervene before the problem compounds.

Dr. Deborah Dennie at Leonardtown Middle School tracks attendance, discipline, and school climate data alongside academic data — because all of it is connected. She ties creative incentives to data milestones: classic car shows when discipline data improves, and a Miss Maryland video shout-out when the school hits 94% attendance. Data-driven leadership means using numbers to celebrate people and build culture, not just to measure performance.

Vibe coding is the practice of building software tools through natural conversation with an AI, rather than writing code directly. You describe what you need, the AI asks clarifying questions, and you refine the result through back-and-forth chat. AJ Juliani used this approach to help 150 non-coding educators build custom data dashboards. For educators, vibe coding removes the technical barrier and lets them focus on solving their specific school problem.

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Vicki Davis is an award-winning classroom teacher, IT Director, author, blogger, podcaster, and talk show host based in Albany, Georgia. She has been teaching computer science and digital film since 2002 and blogging at CoolCatTeacher.com since 2005. She is the creator and host of the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast (900+ episodes) and Cool Cat Teacher Talk, a weekly radio, TV, and YouTube show featuring conversations with remarkable educators from around the world.

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The post Data Driven Schools: Driving Learning and Improving Relationships appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

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