Day in the Life: Q&A with Product Manager Joshua Terchek

How would you describe your role on the Product team?  

One of my favorite books is The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. In it, the main character, Lyra, uses a magical golden compass — an alethiometer — that reveals the truth when she asks the right questions. It helps her understand the world around her and guides her decisions throughout her journey. 

This means I need to ask a lot of questions to uncover the “why” behind decisions. Unlike Lyra, there’s no magic tool — asking the right questions is difficult, and interpreting the answers can be even more challenging. But I’m lucky — the Rally team, Education Analytics (EA) colleagues, and our partners help me make sense of it all so we can get to the right destination — together.   

What interested you in working at EA?  

I was drawn to EA because of my strong belief in the promise of education as the great equalizer. Throughout my life, I’ve been deeply committed to advancing equity and using my privilege, knowledge, and skills to help build a more just and inclusive world. 

This commitment has guided my career decisions, leading me to work exclusively with mission-driven educational organizations, including Case Westerns Reserve University, DigitalC, Lakeland Community College, and Cleveland Municipal School District. 

EA’s goals are deeply aligned with my own values and aspirations. Here, I feel genuinely empowered to apply my experience and abilities toward work that meaningfully advances educational equity. I am proud to be part of a team that is not only data-driven, but also relentlessly focused on ensuring that all students, regardless of background, have the opportunity to thrive. 

We know that every day is different, but what would a typical day at EA look like for you?  

My day typically starts with reviewing Jira to understand the status of our current work, prioritize upcoming work, and document new features and development. I regularly check in with the team — both informally throughout the day and during structured meetings — to stay aligned, surface obstacles, and share context. Asking questions is a key part of my process; whether it’s clarifying technical constraints, surfacing user feedback, or aligning on design intent, I see inquiry as essential to creating thoughtful, usable features. 

I also play a key role in helping to prioritize tasks, balancing immediate needs with long-term goals. This involves coordination from product and design to engineering and implementation teams, ensuring we’re always delivering the highest-value work in a timely manner. 

I often write user stories and acceptance criteria that guide the development of Rally. When I write those, I focus on clearly articulating user needs, defining success criteria, and collaborating closely with other members of the Product team  to ensure that what we build is impactful, achievable, and aligned with real-world educator needs. 

Through this mix of strategic planning and day-to-day collaboration, I help ensure Rally is continuously evolving to better serve educators and students. 

What skills do you possess that you find helpful in your role?  

One of the biggest skills I rely on in my role is knowing how to ask the right questions. My doctoral training in sociology really helped me develop that muscle — not just in terms of curiosity, but in learning how to think in systems. I’m always looking at how things connect, what the ripple effects are, and how we can get to the root of a challenge. 

But asking good questions only gets you so far — you also have to really listen. That’s where empathy comes in. I think empathy is one of the most important skills I bring to the table. It helps me connect with users and better understand their needs and pain points, but it’s just as important when working with my team. I try to be aware of where people are coming from, what they might need, and how I can support them. 

At the end of the day, asking thoughtful questions and leading with empathy helps me build better products and better relationships. 

What is the most rewarding aspect of your role?  

Without a doubt, the most rewarding part of my role is the people I get to work with — both within my immediate team and the broader EA staff and leadership. I’ve never worked at an organization where so many people are not only incredibly capable and thoughtful, but also deeply mission-driven. It’s inspiring to collaborate with folks who care so much about doing meaningful work, and who bring both heart and rigor to everything they do. Being part of a community like that makes the work feel purposeful and energizing every day. 

What is your favorite project that you’ve worked on at EA?  

One of my favorite projects was helping bring Podium to life, back when I was in my previous role before moving over to Rally. Podium was our first real attempt at building a dashboard for district and school leaders, and it was exciting to be part of that from the very beginning. 

The first version focused on attendance and chronic absence — something schools everywhere are struggling with. What made the project so meaningful was how closely we got to work with our partners in South Carolina and with Attendance Works. We weren’t just building something in a vacuum — we were using data to tackle a real problem, in collaboration with people who really care about making things better for kids. That kind of partnership and impact made the work incredibly rewarding. 

If you had to choose a different team to work on at EA, which team would you pick and why?  

I think I’d go with the software engineering team. I’m always so impressed by how they take the things we write in user stories and wireframes, sometimes just rough ideas, and turn them into real, working tools that people use. It’s kind of amazing. 

I’ve always had a soft spot for really well-designed software. When it feels seamless and intuitive, you know a ton of thought went into it — even if most people don’t see all that behind-the-scenes work. I’d love the chance to learn more about that side of the work and be closer to the process of actually building what we imagine. 

What changes do you anticipate in your field in the next year?  

That’s a big one. Like many other fields, I think education will continue to feel the growing impact of AI — especially large language models. There’s a lot of potential there. These tools could help expand access to learning, personalize support for students, and even reduce some of the administrative burden educators face. In that way, AI could be a powerful force for democratizing education. 

But it’s definitely a mixed bag. There are real risks, especially if these technologies start to overshadow or undervalue the deeply human role that educators play. Teaching isn’t just about delivering content — it’s about connection, care, and trust. As these tools become more widespread, we’ll need to be really thoughtful about how we use them in ways that support, rather than replace, the work of teachers and school staff. 

What is something you enjoy doing in your free time?  

I really love eating, which naturally led me to loving cooking, too. These days, cooking is something I genuinely enjoy, especially when I’m making meals for other people. After a long day, there’s something really grounding about preparing dinner for my partner and our two kids. It’s calming, satisfying, and a nice way to shift gears. 

I also love cooking for big groups — there’s just something fun about feeding a bunch of people and seeing them enjoy the food you made. 

The funny thing is, I didn’t always enjoy cooking. That changed after I read Ruhlman’s 20 by Michael Ruhlman. It totally shifted the way I think about cooking  — and even how I approach work. The concept of mise en place (everything in its place) stuck with me. It’s not just about prepping ingredients, it’s become a mindset for how I plan, stay organized, and tackle big projects. Cooking has become this unexpected, meaningful part of my life. 

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?  

I didn’t have a clear idea growing up, nothing ever really stuck. But I can tell you the exact moment I figured it out. 

It was May 4th, 1998, in Room 309 of Clarke Hall at Case Western Reserve University. I was sitting in my Intro to Sociology class. That day, our professor, Jerry Lewis, gave us a choice: we could learn about soccer hooligans or the Kent State massacre. Dr Lewis was an expert in both, but an eyewitness to the events Kent State. We chose Kent State. 

What followed was one of the most powerful lectures I’ve ever experienced. He walked us through the events, the history, the social context — everything that led up to that moment in time. He wasn’t just teaching; he was reliving it. You could feel how much it meant to him. At points, he was in tears. A lot of us were too. 

That class changed me. I knew then and there that I wanted to be a sociologist. I wanted to understand people more deeply, how we interact, what shapes our behavior, and how history and systems influence the lives we lead. That moment gave me a sense of purpose I hadn’t felt before. I still consider myself a sociologist and feel that I use much of what I have learned in that discipline to this day.  

What is something that you would tell your younger self about your career? 

I’d tell my younger self that things have a way of working out — even if the path doesn’t always look clear in the moment. 

I remember when I picked my major and told my dad. He was supportive, but I could tell he was worried. It didn’t seem like the most “practical” choice, and honestly, I didn’t have a clear job title in mind either. 

Since then, my career path has had plenty of twists and turns. But through all of it, I’ve tried to stay true to who I am and what matters to me — working in mission-driven spaces, using my skills to make a difference, and staying curious about the world. Looking back, I wouldn’t trade that for a more linear or predictable path. It’s all led me to here.