Continuous School Improvement Research Articles

Exploring the Relationships Among Innovation, Collaboration, and School Change in a Mixed Methods

Continuous school improvement efforts require schools to prepare, organize, and lead change. This study examined how a school created a context for change by implementing an innovation to improve teaching practices, school culture, and student learning outcomes. Implementing innovation requires school leaders to understand the process of change to successfully sustain school improvement efforts. The purpose of this research study was to assess the effectiveness that an innovative hybrid schedule had on improving student learning outcomes and school culture. This mixed-method research study used data generated by the AdvancEd®’s Stakeholder Feedback Survey, the ACT Aspire® Student Achievement Tests, and teacher interviews.
 The analysis of this study’s data indicated several factors that facilitated change through the implementation of the innovative hybrid schedule. The researcher discovered these overall factors related to the benefits of students changing classes, teachers becoming content specialists, collaboration through PLCs and vertical planning. Additionally, the results revealed that significant change occurred in school culture based on the AdvancEd®’s Stakeholder Feedback Survey. Additionally, student learning outcomes measured by ACT Aspire® Reading and Mathematics Student Achievement Tests showed a statistically significant improvement in both reading and math. 

An exploration of the influence of school context, ethos and culture on teacher career-stage professional learning

School ethos and culture, and their influence on teacher career-stage learning, are integral yet often overlooked components of school-based professional development planning. An in-depth study was conducted over two years within and across three independent schools in Sydney, Australia utilising a collegial methodology centred on principles of action research and focused on continuous school improvement. It revealed how specific school contexts have a substantial and differential impact on teacher learning across all career stages from neophyte to principal. Each school’s ethos and culture were seen to produce a distinctive teacher learning culture that subsequently influenced whole-school planning for, and participation in, teacher professional development. Teacher growth, well-being and job satisfaction were integrally related to ethos and culture and further influenced by the specific characteristics of the career stage of the teachers and school executive involved. The study gave further insights as to how the nature of teacher learning changes according to career stage. It was evident from the study that, for teachers, the school that they are in has a sizable impact on the nature of their professional learning and how they develop differentially at each stage of their career path trajectories.

The ‘look-ahead’ professional development model: a professional development model for implementing new curriculum with a focus on instructional strategies

Professional development is an important part of creating a culture of continuous school improvement to maximize student learning. Rarely do we measure the impact of professional development on teacher learning, implementation and student outcomes. This study describes a professional development strategy for elementary teachers to promote curriculum implementation and instructional strategies of student discourse and reasoning in one Connecticut school district. The study also includes assessment of teacher implementation of the strategies and student learning outcomes. Data sources include teacher surveys, classroom observations and student achievement data. Findings indicate that the professional development model was effective in increasing teachers’ understanding and implementation of instructional strategies which promote student discourse and reasoning. Analysis of teacher feedback suggests an improved learning environment for students. Students were more independent, demonstrated their reasoning more frequently and were more willing to take academic risks. However, these effects were not consistently linked to improvement in standardized achievement tests. This study responds to a need identified in the literature for more robust evaluations of professional development that include analysis of teacher implementation and student outcomes. The observation and survey instruments as well as the professional development model itself could be used in other districts.

Reimagining Accountability in K-12 Education: A Behavioral Science Perspective

The primary lever American policymakers have used to improve school performance is “accountability” in the form of high-stakes testing. But the behavioral literature, overlooked in the education policy debate, shows that accountability exists in a variety of forms that evoke different psychological mechanisms and can have positive or negative effects. Examining the psychological/behavioral literature alongside the education literature, we identify four forms of accountability relevant to K-12 schooling: outcome-based (high-stakes testing), rule-based, market-based, and professional accountability. Promoting continuous improvement in schools is likely to require multiple forms of accountability that not only offer rewards and sanctions but also increase the transparency of educational practice and provide mechanisms for improving practice. This suggests that professional accountability — which has historically been underutilized in schools — merits particular attention.

Professional learning community process in the United States: conceptualization of the process and district support for schools

As the Professional Learning Community (PLC) process becomes embedded within schools, the level of district support has a direct impact on whether schools have the ability to re-culture and sustain highly effective collaborative practices. The purpose of this article is to share a professional learning community conceptual framework from the US, and to highlight recent findings relating to district level support for the PLC process in schools. The professional learning community conceptual model is organized around five dimensions: shared and supportive leadership, shared values and vision, collaborative learning and application, shared personal practice, and supportive conditions. The overarching question guiding this qualitative research study is: How do school district personnel (central office staff) support schools in the professional learning community process? Findings reveal the importance of transformative and proactive district involvement, and the use of transparency, trust, accountability, and autonomy in school re-culturing. It was also found that developing leadership capacity, embedding professional development, and focusing the culture on student success were critically important. As districts provide support for the PLC dimensions and themes, school leaders will have a foundation of curricular strategies, collaborative skills, and necessary resources to serve teachers and students through continuous school improvement.

A Model of Continuous Improvement in High Schools: A Process for Research, Innovation Design, Implementation, and Scale

This article describes a model for continuous improvement that guides the work of the National Center on Scaling Up Effective Schools, or NCSU. NCSU is a research and development center funded by the Institute for Education Sciences, the research arm of the United States Department of Education. At the core of the Center's work is an innovative process to bring to scale practices that have been shown to improve student achievement in high schools in Broward County, Florida, and Fort Worth, Texas. To do so, the Center's model of improvement relies on three core principles. First, a prototype is built to reflect the core elements of programs or practices that have been shown to be effective locally. Second, rapid-cycle testing is used to allow the prototype to be revised in ways that adapt it to a particular school context. Third, a researcher–practitioner partnership is employed that strives to both take advantage of and build local ownership and expertise. In so doing, the continuous improvement model addresses well-known challenges faced by those attempting to scale up educational innovations, challenges such as building teacher buy-in and attending to the organizational context in which innovations are to be enacted.

We modify each other’s lessons: the role of literacy work circles in developing professional community

To address teacher isolation in schools, more reform leaders are finding hope in establishing professional communities as a way to promote continuous school improvement. This case study presents one approach for developing teacher professional community: a teacher work circle. Using the characteristics of professional community created by Kruse, Louis, and Bryk, this case study describes a sixth-grade, middle school, teacher work circle addressing the problem of students reading in the content areas. This case suggests that the work circle approach may productively support professional community among teachers focused on instruction. This paper discusses implications for professional development and further supporting a social infrastructure of teaching colleagues.

Creating communities of professionalism: addressing cultural and structural barriers

Purpose– The goal of this narrative synthesis is twofold. The purpose of this paper is to understand the barriers and constraints that hinder or prevent the growth of professional community. The author also want to form an empirical understanding of how educators can be successful in meeting these challenges. In both cases, the author wish to grow this knowledge in the complexity of schooling and the rapids of continuous school improvement. The conceptual architecture for the review is a mixture of research on change and implementation, school improvement, and community.Design/methodology/approach– The paper can best be described as an integrative review or a narrative synthesis – an interpretation of the literature (Vescioet al., 2008), a method that is especially useful when combing qualitative and quantitative research findings. The author follow guidance from Hallinger in explaining the construction of the paper. The goal is to explore the broadest landscape possible to distill knowledge and understanding on the one hand and provide usable material on the other. In the words of Battistich, the aim is “to develop integrative explanatory concepts that provide people with a useful framework for considering action under particular circumstances.”Findings– The paper concludes that there are dynamic cultural and well-entrenched structural barriers that make the realization of professional community problematic. Some of these elements are visible. Many others are deeply buried in the meta-narrative of school improvement. The author also finds that absent direct attention to these conditions, efforts to nurture professional community in schools will be seriously handicapped.Research limitations/implications– Narrative syntheses offer the hope of deep understanding of domains of school improvement. They permit the inclusion of findings garnered from an array of methodologies. At the same time, this mode of investigation lacks the precision associated with more structured methods of knowledge accumulation. Even when done well, it places considerable responsibility on investigators in making sense of findings.Originality/value– By examining research from a wide area of domains, the author is able to construct a comprehensive map of the world of bringing professional community to life in schools for researches, policy actors, developers, and practitioners.

Is It a Myth that the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) Promotes Continuous Improvement? A Diagnosis Approach

This study sought to investigate how IQMS contributes towards a culture of continuous improvement in schools. The qualitative study design uses semi-structured in-depth interviews in which educator...

The Re-Invention of the Integrated Quality Management System towards a Culture of Continuous Improvement

The first aim of this article was to understand how IQMS practices and systems promote continuous improvement in South African schools. The second was to propose a framework for the re-invention of the IQMS. The research derives from a study concluded in four public primary schools in the Buffalo City Metropolitan area. School principals, members of the school management team (SMT) and teachers were chosen as the focus of the study. The design was a case study and an interview schedule was used to gather information. The findings revealed that (1) IQMS is understood and practiced as an external intervention, resulting in tension between policy, continuous development and improvement in schools. It appears not to have been internalized as an integrated management system; (2) the participants were ambivalent about the IQMS practices as enablers and not as barriers of continuous improvement. Finally, the external and internal quality assurance practices seemed to have been under managerial and imperatives of compliance and accountability. Given the above findings it can be concluded that if continuous improvement is to be achieved through the IQMS strategy, there is a need to re-invent it such that, embedded in its system and structures is a culture of continuous improvement. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n16p419

Mission, vision, values, and goals: An exploration of key organizational statements and daily practice in schools

This article reports findings from a study of graduate level, educational leadership students’ familiarity with shared mission, vision, values, and goals statements and the perceived impact these concepts have on their practice as leaders and teachers in schools. The study is primarily qualitative and uses content analysis of responses to open-ended questions. Researchers adopted a limited quantitative analysis technique, however, in order to report frequency of responses to survey questions. We used the literature base regarding strategic planning and school improvement as conceptual frameworks to guide the analysis. Findings revealed that educational leadership students had limited ability to recall the content of key organizational statements. Further, respondents reported that these key organizational statements had only minimal impact on their daily practice. Implications are presented for university preparation programs designed to equip school leaders to effect meaningful school improvement and organizational change centered on development of shared mission and vision for improvement. This research confirms similar findings reported by Watkins and McCaw (Natl Forum Educ Adm Superv J 24(3):71–91, 2007) and adds to the research by exploring respondents’ reports of the impact of mission, vision, values, and goals statements on their daily practice. It further extends the discussion by presenting a content analysis of key organizational statements, comparing mission, vision, values, and goals statements to models of strategic planning and planning for continuous school improvement from the organizational improvement literature.

Incorporating a Continuous Quality Improvement Process into Pharmacy Accreditation for Well-Established Programs

Incorporating a Continuous Quality Improvement Process into Pharmacy Accreditation for Well-Established Programs

Systems Thinking Tools for Improving Evidence-based Practice: A Cross-Case Analysis of Two High School Leadership Teams

Teachers and administrators have access to large volumes of data but research suggests that they lack the skills to use data effectively for continuous school improvement. This study involved a cross-case analysis of two high school leadership teams' early stages of evidence-based practice development; differing forms of external support were present in each school. The conceptual framework guiding the study integrates literature related to communities of practice, effective professional development, evidence-based practice, systems thinking, and dialogue. Findings suggest the value of data rooms, professional development focused on individual data interpretation skills, collective dialogue skills, and systems thinking skills for developing a community of evidence-based practice.

I can see clearly now:Teacher leadersInvoking Reaction

A clear focus on capacity building is needed to sustain continuous school improvement and to manage change effectively. A recent research project conducted in schools that had adopted the IDEAS process for school revitalisation in an Australian education system has resulted in the development of a framework of capacity-building dynamics. The Invoking Reaction capacity-building dynamic allows for the creation of new knowledge to be critiqued through an ever-widening circle of internal and external networking, asserting advocacy for both ongoing school revitalisation and the power of the teaching profession. Networking, advocacy and organisational critique are the constructs of the Invoking Reaction dynamic: all of major importance in schools that have created significant new knowledge and wish to consolidate that new knowledge into the long-term future. This paper provides contextual detail supporting the research for the capacity building model and the Invoking Reaction dynamic in particular. It also provides questions to consider around the sharing and refining concept of the Invoking Reaction dynamic. This is an invitation for teacher leaders and aspiring leaders to develop clear pictures of what their school might achieve through networking, advocacy and organisational critique to consolidate newly created knowledge into the long-term future (Crowther et al., 2010).

Navigating the Challenges of Helping Teachers Use Data to Inform Educational Decisions

In this paper we present a model of collaborative evaluation that has been used to engage teachers in data-based decision making for improving teaching and learning in mathematics and science. We examine three external challenges that threaten the process of continuous school improvement; namely, making sense of data, policy changes, and curriculum changes. In addition, we describe how the collaborative evaluation model facilitated progress beyond these challenges. Keywords: data-based decision making, evaluation, mathematics education, science education

Continuous improvement in schools: Understanding the practice

Abstract This article investigates conceptually and practically what it means for schools to engage in the practice of continuous improvement. The analysis draws upon prior research and discussion to predict core elements of the practice of continuous improvement in schools. The predictions are then applied to a case study of continuous improvement efforts in a Pakistani secondary school that was involved in a 10-year school–university school improvement partnership. The article concludes with a set of eight empirically based propositions about the practice of continuous improvement schools.

Holding NCLB accountable: achieving accountability, equity & school reform

Acknowledgments About the Editor About the Contributors Introduction Part I. NCLB and Accountability 1. The Pending Reauthorization of NCLB: An Opportunity to Rethink the Basic Strategy - Daniel Koretz 2. Toward a More Effective Definition of Adequate Yearly Progress - Robert L. Linn 3. Beyond Standardization in School Accountability - Mindy L. Kornhaber 4. Promises and Pitfalls: Implications of No Child Left Behind for Defining, Assessing, and Serving English Language Learners - Michael J. Kieffer, Nonie K. Lesaux, Catherine E. Snow Part II. Evidence on How NCLB Is Working 5. Tracking Achievement Gaps and Assessing the Impact of NCLB on the Gaps: An In-Depth Look Into National and State Reading and Math Outcome Trends - Jaekyung Lee 6. Evidence on Education Under NCLB (and How Florida Boosted NAEP Scores and Reduced the Race Gap) - Walter M. Haney Part III. State Capacity to Implement NCLB 7. Interstate Inequality in Educational Opportunity - Goodwin Liu 8. Massive Responsibilities and Limited Resources: The State Response - Gail L. Sunderman, Gary Orfield 9. Low-Performing Schools Programs and State Capacity Requirements: Meeting the NCLB Educational Goals - Heinrich Mintrop Part IV. NCLB: Impact on School Reform and Effects on Minority Students and Schools 10. No Child Left Behind and High School Reform - Linda Darling-Hammond 11. No Child Left Behind and Continuous School Improvement - Willis D. Hawley 12. No Child Left Behind and Reforming the Nation's Lowest-Performing High Schools: Help, Hindrance, or Unrealized Potential? - Robert Balfanz, Nettie Legters 13. Reforming High Schools to Reduce Dropout Rates - Russell W. Rumberger Conclusion - Gail L. Sunderman Index

The Development of Pre-Primary Services in Hong Kong: Quality Review as a Lever of Continuous School Improvement

Abstract At present, early childhood education is not part of the universal and compulsory system of education in Hong Kong. All pre-primary services are run by non-profit-making institutions or private independent bodies in Hong Kong. The operation of pre-primary services is largely market driven. According to the organic system model, the development of pre-primary services in Hong Kong had gone through a period of stable development with self-managing institutions which have placed an emphasis on internal effectiveness in the early stages. Since 1997, the services have undergone changes that have been brought forth by the education reforms which hinted upon the interface effectiveness between the pre-primary services operators and the government. Taking effect from 2007, the pre-primary institutions experienced a period of enhanced development under the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme. This period stressed the importance of intraface effectiveness among the key stakeholders—parents, professionals and government. Upon the implementation of the education voucher scheme, a Quality Review system was poised to ensure the deliver of standards-based quality pre-primary services with a clear vision and sense of mission, performance indicators, as well as intended and expected outcomes. The Quality Review aimed to adopt a two-pronged approach based on internal quality assurances undertaken by School Self-evaluations and external school reviews. It can be argued that this represents the best way to improve standards through the collaborative efforts of pre-primary institutions and the government. All pre-primary institutions under the Scheme should be accountable to their stakeholders by optimizing the school data by perfecting their planning cycle through on-going process of self-evaluation, while the government should monitor the state of education at both the national and district levels. The Quality Review is the lever of change that has a direct bearing on the quality performance of pre-primary institutions, children’s learning and leadership issues at both the school and system levels.

International School Health Network: an informal network for advocacy and knowledge exchange

In Canada, researchers, policy-makers and non-governmental organisations have re-conceptualized the school setting as being an ecological entity, linked to parallel ecologies of the homes and the community it serves. The school, public health and other systems that seek to deliver programs in that setting are open, loosely coupled and bureaucratic. This reconceived view of the school as a setting for health promotion leads to an emphasis on building organizational, system, professional and community capacity. One of the most effective ways of building such capacities when resources are scarce is to invest in a variety of formal and informal networks that can sustain themselves with little or no external resources. A number of recognised researchers from the health and education sectors have emphasized this systems-based approach and the need to build supportive, small-scale networks or learning communities. In recent health promotion research, networking at various levels, across sectors and within communities is viewed as a key strategy within new, more effective health promotion strategies. In education, the notion of networking for educational change has been described as "learning communities" for continuous school improvement. The authors suggest that this strategy of networking be used at the international level to address several global challenges: There is no single, convenient way to obtain basic information about the status and nature of national and state/provincial school health programs around the world. There is no global research agenda in school health promotion, despite the obvious value of sharing such research and knowledge. There is no global mechanism to facilitate the development of common or shared tools for surveillance of child/youth health and monitoring of school health policies and programs, despite the excellent work being done in individual countries and by the European Network of Health Promoting Schools. There is no international mechanism with a focus on school health that brings together the following stakeholders: educational organisations with public health organisations; researchers with government officials and practitioners; those who work in Spanish, English, French and other languages; issue-specific networks with health generalists. An invitation is given to government officials, researchers and national school health associations to join an informal International School Health Network (ISHN) (soon available at: www.internationalschoolhealt.org). Discussions about the formation of the ISHN have been held with a number of participants at several international meetings and have culminated in a fledgling network that will focus on electronic and web-based exchanges of information, developing a global school health research agenda, exchanging effective materials and tools, informing policy-makers about effective practices, policies and programs. This network would build on and not duplicate the work of existing networks and include participation from WHO, OECD, UNESCO, the IUHPE and the World Bank. The next large meeting of the ISHN will occur at the IUHPE 2007 Conference in Vancouver, Canada (www.iuhpe conference.org). Before then the ISHN will organise several on-line projects and teleconferences. For more information, contact dmccall@jcsh-cces.ca.

Five Keys to Unlock Continuous School Improvement

(2002). Five Keys to Unlock Continuous School Improvement. Kappa Delta Pi Record: Vol. 38, No. 2, pp. 89-92.