Power User Profile: Perry Medina

In 2015, English teacher Perry Medina stood in his classroom at Carteret High School, Joseph Conrad’s “The Heart of Darkness” in his hand. His students expected a breezy read of this slim novella. As the pages turned during the days that followed, their hopes dwindled. The complex allegorical text is rife with underlying meaning. Medina led his reluctant readers through analyses of symbolism, theme, and subtext, helping students find the real meaning.

Seven years later, Medina still works to analyze and discover meaning; however, now instead of lexical choices and metaphor, he’s sifting through assessment data. As principal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Upper Elementary School in Asbury Park, the passionate, charismatic educator is a data maven

“I can’t say I love numbers, but I appreciate them,” Medina said. “When I started my career, the focus was ‘the student scored X percent on this test.’ There was very little to quantifiably pinpoint the precise areas where students were really struggling. That’s how I fell in love with LinkIt. Rather than say to a teacher that a student is deficient, now I can say why.”

It’s not hard to trace the former English teacher’s appreciation for “numbers” and the insight that data can provide. As a high school and college athlete, he was engulfed in a sea of statistics that was used to define performance. (And baseball – for those who play it, watch it, broadcast it, and administer it - is perhaps more enamored by data than any other sport.) Now, as an avid golfer - handicap of 15 but it was as low as 13 - he uses a cutting-edge golf watch that tracks his shots and can analyze more than 100 different metrics.

Whether it’s data from wearable tech about his short game or third grade assessment data about solving problems involving measurement, Medina’s philosophy is the same.

“What we try to do in Asbury Park is focus on what data is most actionable,” he said. “I am really trying to lead an evolution of teacher practice through data. Every teacher has access to data to help students improve. Data expands our consciousness and should influence the steps we take in a day.”

Case in point: Unexpectedly low scores on some standards were recently seen on a LinkIt benchmark, both in ELA and math. Medina dug deeper. An examination of the related questions showed that students used comparatively long periods of time attempting to work out the solutions. One factor, Medina saw, united them all – depth and complexity. Math problems with multiple steps and ELA questions with multiple answers posed distinct challenges for students.

Within days, he had collaborated with the academic leadership team and developed a plan of attack. Activities were redesigned so that students were more engaged in solving challenging, multi-layered questions; teacher-created assessments were also refined to measure student proficiency with problems that require higher-ordered thinking.

“Everyone can look at data, Perry’s focused on utilizing it,” said Hope Walk, MLK’s reading specialist. “He wants to see data-driven lessons plans. He’s really big about activity design and basing your activities on standards and skills that students are lacking. He knows his stuff and has a plethora of knowledge, especially in language arts.”

That ability to fluidly pivot and change pedagogy to meet the academic needs of students is indicative of just how accustomed MLK teachers have become to data-informed instruction. It’s a philosophy and comfort level Medina has worked hard to nurture. 

Students are also accustomed to data, too, though they may have other words for it. You’ll find data on classroom bulletin boards as teachers chart student scores on various assessments, including LinkIt benchmarks, Journeys (ELA) and Into Math. You’ll see teachers privately sharing data with students too, highlighting their strengths, growth, and areas that need improvement. 

Data has become ubiquitous and with it, a growth mindset among students who are aware of where they are as learners and have goals on where they want to be. They have pride in their academic progress and ownership of their own education.

“Perry came to Asbury Park, his first principalship, with the experience of someone who’s been a principal for 15 years,” said Kevin Fahy, chief client officer of LinkIt. “I’ve heard it said that there are three levels of principalship. The basic level is a facilities and personnel manager. The second level, where most principals fall, is an instructional leader who supports teachers and works with them to hone their pedagogy and classroom management practices. The highest level is data leader. Perry is all three.”

Medina's dedication to leveraging data for student growth stands as a testament to his belief in actionable insights. His commitment to evolving pedagogy, fostering a growth mindset, and embracing the power of numbers has transformed his school into a data-informed learning community. For Medina, whether in the classroom or on the golf course, the goal remains the same: continuous improvement, grounded in knowledge and driven by passion.

Client: LinkIt!