Cara Porter

I joined the Learning Analytics program to change how we look at student data. Instead of using scores to judge teachers after the fact, I want to use real time data to help kids right away. I’m excited to build the technical skills to make school data human-centered and equitable.

 EDUCATOR TRANSFORMING CLASSROOM DATA INTO ACTION

Cara Porter  is a third-grade teacher who uses real-time data to drive daily classroom instruction. Instead of relying on delayed state test scores, she uses frequent, low-stakes assessments to identify exactly which skills need to be retaught. She leverages these diagnostic metrics to form dynamic, ever-changing small groups, ensuring that every minute of instructional time is strategically tailored to where a student currently stands. Beyond the elementary level, her professional background includes joining developmental milestones and behavioral frameworks for learners aged eighteen months to fifteen years, as well as collaborating with multidisciplinary teams on IEP progress monitoring.

MAKING DATA HUMAN, ORGANIZED, AND STUDENT – LED

Cara Porter is passionate about organizing confusing spreadsheets into friendly, visual roadmaps for educators and students. She uses frequent assessment metrics to build dynamic small-group instruction, constantly adjusting groups as students master new skills. Crucially, she shares this data directly with her third graders, promoting student autonomy and confidence by helping them track their own growth. By turning overwhelming data into a transparent classroom tool, she advocates for marginalized learners. Ultimately, she aims to transition into a District Data Strategist role to keep leadership policies firmly connected to these lived, human classroom realities.