The story behind Evidence Informed Practice.
Helping schools close the gap between looking at data and changing what happens in the classroom, one conversation at a time.
I'm Sam Montanaro, and I've spent my career in education trying to answer one question: how do we help teachers use data in ways that actually change what happens in a classroom?
That question took me from the classroom into data systems, analytics, and leadership, and eventually into senior school leadership roles focused on whole-school improvement through evidence-informed practice.
Along the way, I learned that most schools don't have a data problem. They have a cycle problem. The numbers are there. The meetings happen. The patterns get named. But the loop from insight to action to follow-up almost always leaks somewhere, and when it leaks, nothing in the classroom actually changes.
That's why I built Evidence Informed Practice: to close that gap, with resources, dashboards, and support designed by someone who lives this work every day.
How I help schools close the loop.
Every school I work with is running some version of a data cycle already. PLCs. Inquiry. MTSS. Staff meetings. My job is to make those cycles work properly, by plugging the four places they almost always leak: vague data interpretation, fuzzy actions, no follow-up, and no protected time for the work.
I do that in three ways. Through tools that make your data easier to interpret specifically (dashboards, observation prompts, scaffolds). Through systems that close the loop between insight and action (meeting protocols, follow-up rhythms, action-specificity templates). And through capability-building for your team (courses, diagnostics, and community).
See our approach in detailSpeaking, keynotes, and consulting availability.
I work with a small number of schools each year on consulting engagements. I also speak at education conferences, run keynotes and workshops for leadership teams, and present at PL days.
Whether you want to book a conversation about your school, have me speak at an event, or ask about a full-day or semester-long engagement, the best place to start is the consulting page.
Speaking and keynotes
Conference sessions, whole-staff PL days, and leadership team addresses.
Consulting and bespoke work
Working directly with leadership teams and teaching staff on the cultures, systems, and practices that make data matter.
Want to work together?
Browse the tools, or get in touch about consulting for your school.