Building Sustainable Systems in Schools with Patrick Mongrain

In this episode, Jethro Jones welcomes Patrick Mongrain, a middle school teacher, instructional coach, and restorative justice specialist, to discuss building sustainable systems in education. Patrick shares his “Moneyball” approach—leveraging data and analytics to improve classroom instruction and teacher support. He emphasizes the importance of moving beyond quick fixes and initiative fatigue by focusing on eight key practices that create hope and clarity for educators.

• Moneyball - Billy Bean developed a system of analytics to make a better system. 
• Judging people based on unimportant data and perceptions. 
• Applying a similar approach to how we teach. 
• Spending time in different areas that see what great things are happening all over the place. 
• Stop throwing shiny objects at the problem. 
• The Key Performance Indicators: 
  • Class Routine
  • Community Data
  • Corrective Feedback
  • Informed Supervision
  • Opportunities To Respond
  • Positive Feedback
  • Positive Feedback Range
  • Student To Teacher Time
  • Teaching Expectation
• Systems = hope
• Knowing what to do next gives people hope. That’s how systems create hope. 
• 2% of teachers need to be evaluated, 98% of teachers need to be coached. 
• Evaluation as a hoop to jump through. 
• Teachers are so incredible, having an evaluation system that is so complex makes it difficult. 
• Repeating is not the same as creating. 
• Two injustices against teachers - evaluations 
• Evaluation systems seem intentionally overwhelming.
• Initiative Fatigue
• Trust Based Observations 
• Edchanger Pro app - Make observations like a 
• How to be a transformative principal? Relationships - taking the time to connect with them. Self-care is working in a system that you feel confident in. 

About Patrick Mongrain

Patrick Mongrain is a certified teacher currently serving in a TOSA role. He taught middle school history and leadership for 10 years and has spent another 10 years as a district-level instructional coach and restorative justice specialist. In his current position within the professional learning department, he divides his time evenly between teaching in classrooms, supporting school leaders in building systems, and working on district wide improvement. Patrick believes teachers are incredible, and to truly support them, we must move beyond quick fixes and do the hard work of building and sustaining systems. In this spirit, he has created a coherent instructional framework that applies a “Moneyball” approach, leveraging data and analytics on key performance indicators. He’s written a book Theory Can Only Take You So Far and developed a data collection app called Edchanger Pro that brings this system to life.

Contact: 

E-mail: [email protected]

Webpage: https://www.youtube.com/@EdChanger and www.EdChanger.com

App: EdChanger Pro: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/edchanger-pro/id6741165826 

LinkedIn: Patrick Mongrain

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation.

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.