One of the significant promises of big data in education is to predict and prevent student failure. Of course we want to see learners succeed and data can help us with that as well, however, catching students before they get lost or even drop out is essential. Some visionaries see technology as driving learning through increasingly intelligent prompts, assessments of learning, and directing learners to ever more complex and advanced concepts… all driven by models for learning driven by student generated data. More recently many educational leaders have a more holistic view of data and recognize that while we need to educate the whole child, we need to also look at information about the whole child to diagnose and address learning deficiencies and help students on a path where they can be successful. Beyond their inherent interest in helping children, educators and the institutions in which they work are being held accountable to show learner progress. In this show we will explore the many different kinds of data that can be used to monitor student progress, identify those who require assistance, and the systems that make sense of those data to support educators and parents in driving student success.Guests at the table:Barbara Clements,  Consultant at ESP Solutions GroupDan Ginsberg, VP Global Product Strategy at PearsonBill Meade, Data Science Director at Neal AnalyticsTo keep up to date, subscribe to the show at  edtabletalk.orgIdeas for future show topics? Tweet us @edtabletalk.