Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings Jr. is a Howard University assistant professor, EdD Program Coordinator for the university’s Educational Leadership and Policy Studies program, and a former K-12 teacher, principal, and superintendent. He was named the 2022-23 Region IV Superintendent of the Year in Virginia and the 2018 Joseph E. Hill Superintendent of the Year by the National Alliance of Black School Educators.
Dr. Hutchings co-authored the book Getting Into Good Trouble at School: A Guide to Building an Antiracist School System, which includes positive, equitable alternatives to typical disciplinary practices as part of a unique model for actively dismantling institutional racism and implementing policies that benefit the entire school community. He is also the founder and CEO of two educational consulting firms, Revolutionary Ed and Hutchings and Associates.
Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings Jr. has spent his entire career advocating for educators to go beyond assumptions about their students. He believes comprehensive data is a key component of an antiracist approach to K-12 education—because when teachers have a full picture of each student, they can better support the individual child without superficial labels.
From his first teaching position on, Hutchings has been faced with the challenge of moving from assumption to understanding. “I still remember my first day at River Oaks Elementary School in Prince William County. I was standing in front of all the students other teachers did not want,” he recalled. “Because the school year had already started, they got to choose who left their room.”
He remembers thinking, I'm responsible for all of these fifth graders. And I don't even know what to do with them. But, he said, “In that moment, I took my responsibility very seriously. I knew I was up for the challenge. And all of my students passed their state exam with me as a first-year teacher.”
At the time, he did not yet recognize the characteristics he was able to draw upon. Later, as a superintendent, he defined them as VIP:
Today, Hutchings instills these three characteristics in future educators. “My consulting and my role as a professor definitely allow me to develop leaders that understand the technical side of leadership and the human side,” he said. “Sometimes you have to get past discussing governance and systems thinking and equity and communication and instead talk about their perceptions of young people, what they care about in this world, and how they can be selfless individuals.”
Hutchings’ first career choice was forensic pathology; his original college major was pre-med. His affinity for math and science continues to manifest itself in the way he looks at students, schools, and systems.
“What I appreciate about Otus is the ability to unify data,” he said. “Assessments, progress monitoring, insights—they are all in one place so educators can make informed decisions about student support.”
In Hutchings’ view, Otus helps educators ask better questions:
“That's how data really becomes a tool for equity instead of compliance,” he said. “Otus gets you out of a compliance mentality and into the mindset of using data analytics to impact student achievement and well-being.”
Hutchings believes having a holistic picture of students is also critical for district leaders. “From an anti-racist perspective, comprehensive data allows districts to identify patterns, opportunity gaps, and disproportionality. They can see who has access to advanced coursework, who has attendance concerns, and what interventions are ineffective.”
Above all, he said, “Data should not be used to label students. It should be used to develop students and to better support them.”
At Howard University, Hutchings serves as assistant professor as well as the EdD program coordinator for the School of Education’s Educational Leadership and Policy Studies program. “We are not just trying to prepare managers of school systems,” he explained. “We are preparing transformative leaders who view schools through the lenses of equity, policy, ethics, and social justice.”
As a former superintendent, Hutchings has a unique ability to bridge theory and practice with his students. “We challenge them to think critically about how systems impact children, particularly in our historically marginalized communities,” he said. Class conversations include everything from board dynamics to community engagement to crisis leadership. Hutchings makes a point to tell students about some of the decisions and situations he would have handled differently.
“I'm especially proud of helping to build pipelines for Black and Brown educational leaders, because representation does matter,” he said. “Being in this role allows me to give them the good, the bad, and the ugly, so they can be prepared to step into these roles and for their work to be sustainable and impactful for young people, regardless of what the young people look like.”
Hutchings views AI as an opportunity for school leaders and educators to improve efficiency, provide personalization, analyze trends faster, reduce administrative burden, support lesson planning, and many other tasks that help users reclaim their time.
However, he cautions, AI can be biased if the platform has not included different perspectives within the inputs. “I'm seeing a lot of our historically most marginalized communities not embracing AI, and I keep saying, ‘If you don't embrace AI, AI won't have your voice.’”
Hutchings believes Otus is doing great work in leveraging AI to help educators synthesize student performance data and identify actionable next steps for individual children, classes, schools, and districts. “We just have to make sure diverse perspectives provide input so our AI platforms do not recommend biased solutions,” he said.
He is optimistic whenever he sees school leaders refuse to lower expectations. “I am also encouraged to see districts having honest conversations about opportunity gaps, student belonging, mental health, literacy, and access,” he said. “Our younger educators and leaders are asking deeper questions around topics like identity and culture. They are talking about systems. They want schools where students are not just surviving, they are thriving. I believe data is helping to move this conversation forward.”