In Measuring to Improve, Paul G. LeMahieu, Paul Cobb, and contributors introduce educational practitioners, administrators, and policymakers to the foundational elements of practical measurement to support continuous improvement efforts in K–12 schools. They begin by defining practical measurement as data collection and analysis that is relevant to practice, useful to practitioners, and designed to guide and even be integrated into practice. LeMahieu and Cobb discuss the importance of practical measurement as it relates to and informs the core principles of improvement science.

The case studies in Measuring to Improve illustrate practical measurement in action across a variety of contexts and improvement efforts in districts throughout the United States. The outcomes of these research-practice partnerships show how solutions to issues—including increasing high school graduation rates, improving college entrance rates, redesigning mathematics instruction, enhancing student literacy and writing skills, and redressing systemic inequities—can be informed by practical measurement.

Together, these chapters provide guidance for practitioners in incorporating practical measurement as a key element of their improvement efforts, as well as for researchers who serve as analytic partners in supporting these efforts.

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Practical Measurement for Improvement

Learning to Improve: How America’s Schools Can Get Better at Getting Better

Improvement in Action: Advancing Quality in America’s Schools