What happens when a middle school teacher takes on the challenge of fixing one of education’s biggest headaches? Chris Hull knew the issue wasn’t a lack of data, but the chaos of having it scattered everywhere with no easy way to act on it. That challenge led him to co-found Otus, a platform designed to simplify the data puzzle and give schools a clear view of student growth. On the Innovation Meets Leadership podcast, Chris shared how unifying student information, from grades and assessments to attendance and behavior, can free educators from data overload and allow them to focus on providing a meaningful learning experience for their students.
When Chris first turned to technology as a middle school teacher, he thought it would make teaching easier. Instead, he quickly realized it multiplied the amount of information he managed.
“I thought the device was going to make teaching easier. It was going to make learning easier. But instead, when you add technology into a situation, it actually just amplifies or multiplies what already exists. And what already exists in education is a ton of information. All of a sudden, you added technology, and the amount of information we got just exploded.”
That flood of data became the spark for Otus. Rather than leaving critical information scattered in notebooks, clipboards, or siloed platforms, Chris wanted a way to bring it all into one place. A unified student profile means teachers and leaders aren’t buried under paperwork. They have a clear, actionable view of student growth.
Unifying data not only makes information easier to find, but it also gives educators the ability to see what’s happening early enough to act. When schools can view student performance, attendance, behavior, and assessments together, they don’t just see problems; they see patterns. That makes it possible to tailor support to the right students at the right time.
“You’re able to really differentiate different groups, because those groups matter. What one kid needs or one group of kids needs is not going to be effective for everyone. Being able to spot earlier trends, earlier intervention, and warning signs is also key. Another one we’ve really helped to look historically at is ‘has something worked.’ We should be able to use data to know ‘this is what’s working and this is what’s not.’”
For school leaders, this means less guesswork and more confidence that interventions are targeted and effective. It shifts the role of data from overwhelming to actionable, helping districts ensure no student slips through the cracks.
For Chris and Otus, AI isn’t about replacing teachers. It’s about giving them back valuable time and making data more usable. Teachers shouldn’t have to master pivot tables or coding just to get insights about their students.
“Data literacy is something that not every teacher has, and I don’t think it should be an essential skill. Should a kindergarten teacher need to know how to do all these things? Or really, do they need to be able to connect to kindergarten students?”
By layering AI on top of unified student data, Otus makes it possible to ask plain-language questions and instantly see trends. Whether preparing for a parent-teacher conference or evaluating subgroup performance, leaders and teachers can move past the technical hurdles and get right to the insights. The result is faster answers, clearer decisions, and more energy devoted to teaching and learning.