PC1. Improvement Science Basics

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching works to build the capability of education leaders and practitioners to apply improvement science in their schools, organizations, and networks to redress inequities in opportunities, engagement, and outcomes.

Improvement science is an approach to making change that combines analytic discipline and practical on-the-ground tools to accelerate progress on pressing educational problems of performance and equity. The methods within improvement science support change agents in deeply understanding problems and their root causes, testing ideas for change, and using data and measurement to inform practice and innovations. Through an improvement science approach and mindset, the “learning by doing” that occurs in individual clinical practice can culminate in robust, practical field knowledge capable of reliably producing quality outcomes across diverse contexts.

This pre-conference course is ideal for participants seeking an overview of the basic tenets, dispositions, and tools of improvement science. It will provide an introduction to the foundational concepts in improvement science, hands-on activities with key improvement tools and social processes, and a case study of how this approach has been applied in education.

After this course, participants will be able to:

• Identify key concepts and principles that underpin the improvement science approach to change
• Understand how aim statements and theories of practice improvement discipline improvement efforts
• Explore how measurement is used in an improvement context
• Describe how change ideas are developed, iteratively tested, and spread to achieve quality results, reliably at scale

Presenters

LaRena Heath, Senior Associate, Networked Improvement Science; Director, Professional Education Offerings, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Tinkhani White, Senior Associate, Networked Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Patrice Dawkins-Jackson, Senior Associate, Networked Improvement Science; Director, Organizational Learning and Development, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Tselot Aklilu, Fellow, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

This course has reached capacity. If you’d like to be put on the waitlist, please complete the waitlist form and we will notify you by email if a spot becomes available. 

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PC2a. Introduction to Improvement Science: A Learning-By-Doing Simulation

Improvement journeys typically progress through phases of problem identification, learning aligned to a theory of change, and the spread and scale of changes that improve results. Improvement science principles and methods can shape these journeys, elevating the expertise of those closest to the problem and bringing discipline to the process of testing changes and gathering evidence about the changes that lead to improvement.  

At the beginning of an improvement effort it can be challenging to visualize a team’s path from initially recognizing a problem to realizing a different result. In this workshop participants will follow a team as it works to improve chronic absenteeism and will be introduced to different improvement science tools and methods that can be used at each stage of work. 

Using a case-based simulation that mixes instructional lessons with guided, hands-on teamwork, participants will advance their understanding of how improvement science can enhance the capacity of classrooms, schools, districts, and other institutions to produce high-quality outcomes reliably for every child across diverse settings. Participants will experience being part of an improvement team at key stages: investigating the problem, articulating a focused aim, identifying changes, and working through Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles to test and learn from those changes. From this interactive session, participants will learn how a multi-month improvement journey can build and take shape. 

Presenters

Marytza Gawlik, Associate, Networked Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Edit Khachatryan, Senior Associate, Networked Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Simone Palmer, Senior Associate, Networked Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Barbara Shreve, Senior Associate; Managing Director, Networked Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

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PC2b. Setting the Stage for an Improvement Journey: Building a Culture of Improvement

Improvement is a team sport in which people are learning to work together toward a common goal. The persistent problems improvers tackle require collective action and learning together to realize progress in addressing inequities. 

In a thriving improvement culture, a community of improvers works to achieve ambitious goals by fostering community empowerment and activating agency. Improvers come to see themselves as part of a shared narrative, taking ownership and pride in being part of the collective effort. They develop fundamental dispositions of improvement that enable them to engage in a safe social learning environment. Improvers feel valued and empowered, and have agency to act and be open about their own learning and vulnerability.

The purpose of this workshop is to understand how a healthy culture of improvement activates and empowers a community towards action. This pre conference workshop is ideal for individuals who are coaching, facilitating, or leading others who seek to build strategies to foster a healthy improvement culture. Those involved in different roles in improvement will also have opportunities to reflect on how they contribute to building a culture of improvement.

After this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand what a culture of improvement is and why it is important
• Recognize the key dispositions of improvers, their own strengths in those dispositions, and ways support them in others
• Activate a community through the power of a shared narrative 
• Identify the conditions needed to cultivate a culture of improvement that is reflective of the norms, values, and context of the community

Presenters

Marytza Gawlik, Associate, Networked Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Edit Khachatryan, Senior Associate, Networked Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Simone Palmer, Senior Associate, Networked Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Barbara Shreve, Senior Associate; Managing Director, Networked Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

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PC3. Using Data for Improvement

Schools have made significant headway in collecting data on student learning in the interest of informing change. But how do we embed data collection and use it in ongoing processes to continuously improve practices and performance? The nature of the data and the processes in which they are used need to be shaped to support continuous quality improvement.

This pre-conference course explores how to develop and use measurement and data to support improvement. Participants will learn to link their improvement ideas to concrete measures in order to understand if and how their system is improving. They will also learn how to use data to examine variation and understand systems, create a system of measures to support improvement plans, and test and evaluate changes as potential improvements. They will also learn about the related resources and routines that underpin effective data use.  

This pre-conference course is ideal for:

• Educators and other district staff employing improvement science methods in their local contexts to address persistent problems of practice
• Teachers, faculty, improvement partners, and researchers involved in networked improvement communities who have some basic knowledge/experience with improvement

After this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand how to use data and  measures to see systems more clearly, understand problems more deeply, and attend to variation in performance.
• Consider what types of measures should be used to constitute a system of measures that can support improvement by determining which change ideas are most effective.
• Understand how to work with partners and within NICs to design, develop, refine, and implement common measures focused on a specific theory of improvement

Presenters

David Sherer, Senior Associate, Evidence & Analytics, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Angel Li, Associate, Evidence & Analytics, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Mai Anh Bui, Analyst, Evidence & Analytics, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

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PC4. Evidence for Improvement: A Framework for Analytic Support of Networked Improvement

Improvers often struggle to confront the complexity involved in working as an improvement network.  Because of this, it can be difficult for leaders to gauge the extent to which the network is making progress towards its aim. Improvement efforts commonly face challenges related to:

1. Developing the analytic capacities required for implementing a theory of improvement
2. Generating and sustaining social learning in a  network
3. Navigating the complex environments in which they are working to scale improvement 

This course assumes a basic prior knowledge of improvement science.  Participants will be introduced to the Evidence for Improvement framework, a set of approaches, techniques, and tools to aid in confronting the inherent complexity of networked improvement.  

The course will also introduce the role of the analytic partner and highlight the specifics of analytic capabilities relevant to network leadership. Participants will experience three hands-on or simulation activities focused on challenges faced by real networks. 

The intended audiences for this course are:

1. Leaders of improvement networks and their analytic partners (either internal analysts or external partners) who would preferably attend as pairs or small teams
2. Staff of philanthropic foundations who are interested in learning more about the analytic needs of improvement networks
3. Evaluators who would like to learn more about how their skills, knowledge, and expertise could be best utilized by an improvement network

After this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the Evidence for Improvement framework
• Identify key approaches, techniques, and tools used by analytic partners and have an introductory understanding of how they are used
• Describe how and why analytics is important to a well-functioning improvement effort
• Articulate the role of analytic partners and how it differs from the role of traditional evaluators

Presenters

Kelly McMahon, Senior Associate, Evidence & Analytics; Director, GRAD Partnership, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Jon Norman, Senior Associate and Managing Director, Evidence & Analytics,  Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Erin Henrick, President, Partner to Improve 

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PC5. Coaching for Improvement

Quality improvement coaching can help improvement teams learn their way into powerful results.  Improvement coaches support teams by supporting the development of an effective team and helping them to ask powerful questions and select the appropriate method to drive the work forward. In this mini-course, participants will learn about how to design and coach key improvement routines. They will work with other coaches to identify different ways to address common struggle points that arise in the coaching of improvement.

This preconference is ideal for: 

• People who are already familiar with improvement science
• People who are that are actively involved in coaching improvement teams in a network or organizational setting

After this course, participants will be able to:

•  Understand the role of an improvement coach and how it is similar or different from other coaching roles in education
• Understand the arc of an improvement project 
• Be able to select an appropriate improvement method or activity to answer a particular question
• Be able to coach key improvement routines 
• Explore common dilemmas that arise on improvement teams and practice identifying responses to these dilemmas

Presenters

Alicia Grunow, Co-Founder and Improvement Specialist, Improvement Collective; Carnegie National Faculty
Sandra Park, Co-Founder and Improvement Specialist, Improvement Collective; Carnegie National Faculty

 

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PC6. Building a Culture of Learning & Improvement

Building organizational culture and skill to transform complex systems to produce more equitable outcomes requires more than technical continuous improvement skills. It requires sustained efforts over time in which improvement is not a separate program or philosophy, but rather a sustained way of working across roles.

This pre-conference course will condense decades of learning from large-scale improvement initiatives to distill ten essential elements to building and sustaining a culture of learning and improvement. While none of these essential elements are sufficient alone, together they provide powerful synergies that scaffold and embed improvement into organizational culture and infrastructure. Presenters will describe common phases of development that organizations go through in their journey to building a sustained culture of improvement.

Participants will reflect on the current state of their improvement efforts, especially in the context of the larger ecosystem of regulatory and quality assurance structures. For each essential element, participants will reflect on their current phase of development and engage in peer-to-peer learning and small-group coaching to address opportunities for growth.

This course is ideal for leaders and improvement practitioners from universities, schools, and school districts. Participants from intermediary organizations or improvement networks will also find this course helpful to develop approaches for coaching organizations. Participants who join as a team can leverage the time together for organizational planning, while solo participants will be grouped with others for peer-to-peer learning.

Whether your organization is early or advanced in its improvement journey, you will learn about essential elements to grow a culture of improvement – from policy and core values to staffing structures and identify your organization’s current phase of development.

After this course, participants will be able to:

• Articulate the relationship between continuous improvement efforts within the larger ecosystem of research and quality assurance
• Describe the essential elements that work synergistically to build and sustain a culture of learning and improvement
• Reflect on their current phase of development for each of these essential elements

Presenters

Karen Zeribi, Founder and Chief Visionary, Shift
Shay Bluemer Miroite, Director of Programs, Shift

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PC7. Introduction to Design Thinking: Designing for Belonging

In this pre-conference course, participants will learn about design thinking through a series of design for belonging exercises.  Participants will use the liberatory design mindsets to feel, see and shape an experiential moment for their own school, organization or practice area.  Using the process participants will plan a design action to take after the conference. The course will include reflection on the intersection of design thinking and improvement science. 

After this course, participants will:

• Immerse in design thinking process
• Understand mindsets of design and how they relate to improvement science
• Explore concrete application of design thinking to design for belonging

Relevant Websites

https://www.liberatorydesign.com
https://www.designforbelonging.com

Presenters

Morgan Vien, Co-Founder, Design for Emergence
Dr. Susie Wise, Designer,  Design for Emergence
René Benavides, Designer, Design for Emergence

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PC8. Leading for Equity: Liberatory Design and Distributed Leadership in Complex Systems

Many education leaders approach system challenges and change initiatives as complicated problems to solve. However, the complexity of equity challenges means that emergent solutions must be found through the dynamic social interactions that occur when diverse people and networks work together. Leaders in complex adaptive systems must be skilled at balancing the technical, relational, and adaptive approaches needed for equitable systems change.

This pre-conference course will highlight the National Equity Project’s Leading for Equity framework and its See, Engage, and Act methods as dynamic approaches to expand equity consciousness, complexity thinking, and liberatory design for problem solving, decision making and contextually appropriate action. Premised on the idea that solutions in complex systems are unknown, leaders learn to apply liberatory design principles—empathy, co-design, problem framing, system probes, prototyping and testing, reflection, and iteration—to find workable solutions to equity challenges. Participants will explore process and planning tools that can match the level of complexity of their problem by considering the similarities, differences, and bounded applicability of methodologies and tools such as the PDSA cycle and the National Equity Project’s Liberatory Design mindsets and modes.

After this course, participants will be able to:

• Develop a greater understanding of the inherent tensions, contradictions, and uncertainty in leading for equity in complex systems
• Use a complex system and an equity lens to assess their system’s challenges and opportunities
• Explore approaches for problem identification and decision making to be simultaneously disruptive and measured in influencing equitable systems change
• Reflect on personal and collective leadership given that the identities, roles, and responsibilities are the foundation for generating ideas about possible next moves in addressing a current equity challenge

Presenters

Victor Cary, Senior Director, National Equity Project
Roxanne Kymaani, System Leader in Residence, National Equity Project
Woo Williams-Zou, Associate, National Equity Project

This course has reached capacity. If you’d like to be put on the waitlist, please complete the waitlist form and we will notify you by email if a spot becomes available. 

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PC9. Leadership for System Transformation: Scaling Improvement into Practice for Impact

Wondering what improvement science looks like in school districts scaling results? This pre-conference course will help connect the dots.

This session will focus on three school districts learning how to hardwire improving systems. Leaders and improvement coaches will guide participants through processes to grow and sustain their leaders, teachers, and students as their improvers. They will demonstrate how to align core processes across the organization and improvement cycles to build coherence and accelerate impact. Their approach is practical and working. These organizations are engaging their students and staff at every level to learn what works, remove barriers, and make informed decisions for real impact.

After this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand how to design a sustainable improvement system from the executive team to the classroom
• Build aligned strategy to community aims, scorecards of key metrics and high-leverage actions that drive improvement at the district, school, and classroom level
• Reflect on progress using a simple, 90-day cycle that supports improvement through agile adjustment to achieve results; role of the board to sustain improvement over time.
• Coach teachers to embed the plan, do, study, and act with students, so that each student knows and advocates for their own progress
• Ensure that improvement is everyone’s job, from superintendent to food service employee, from student to board member

Case Studies Shared and Session Facilitated by:

Ryan Carpenter Superintendent Estacada School District, Oregon
Jennifer Lowery Superintendent Tea Area School District, South Dakota
Sergio Mendoza Superintendent Burton School District, California
Pat Greco, Retired Superintendent School District of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
Kathy Oropallo, Improvement Coach
Sue Lee, Classroom Improvement Coach
Casey Blochowiak, Improvement Coach

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PC10. Partnering with Youth in Improvement

For three years, we’ve brought students to the Summit to share “what matters” to them. Acknowledging that choosing the focus of improvement efforts is a critical part of the improvement process, we’ve asked students to guide our thinking in making these choices. They’ve shared their experiences with the education system and their insights about what needs to be improved. Each time, participants have been deeply impacted and inspired by our student presenters. But there’s been the common complaints: “make it longer!” and “tell us more about how you do this.” In the spirit of improvement and deepened learning, we are excited to extend and transform our session to a workshop format where you can work WITH students. We’ll be modeling practices for partnering with young people on improvement efforts. Come ready to look at your improvement aims and causal systems from different directions.

After this course, participants will be able to:

• Deepen their understanding of what matters to young people  in school improvement
• Strengthen their partnership skills to collaborate and co-design with young people
• Be able to revise their improvement aims and causal system analyses based on the expertise of young people

Presenters

Students, Big Picture Schools in California
Loren Demeroutis, National Director of Communities of Practice, Big Picture Learning

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PC11. Learner-Centered Innovation- Creating the Conditions for Meaningful Change

In the current grammar of schooling, what, how, when, with whom and where students learn is mostly decided by adults. Often, initiatives to introduce learner agency are met with barriers such as beliefs that students aren’t capable, time constraints, policies, etc. In this session, participants will see real examples of what students are capable of, think about the barriers that exist to implementing these initiatives and ideate concrete strategies to break down barriers and unlock learner agency. In this interactive design session, participants will dive into the essential components of learner-centered education and engage in collaborative activities to empathize, ideate, and design learning experiences that will accelerate the shift to effective and empowering learning experiences for all students.

After this course, participants will be able to:

• Deepen their understanding of what matters in school improvement to young people
• Strengthen their partnership skills to collaborate and co-design with young people
• Be able to revise their improvement aims and causal system analyses based on the expertise of young people

Presenters

Dr. Devin Vodicka, Chief Executive Officer, Learner-Centered Collaborative
Dr. Katie Martin, Chief Impact Officer,  Learner-Centered Collaborative

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PC12. What Happens if We Stop Asking “What’s wrong here?” and Start Asking “What’s right, already?”

In this pre-conference course participants will be introduced to an asset-based, community-driven approach to problem-solving: positive deviance. Positive deviance is based on the belief that some of the answers to existing problems don’t need to come from external “experts”; the solutions to these problems have likely already been ‘solved’ by a bright spot within our community. As the ones closest to the problem, we may have relevant solutions that we haven’t taken the time to examine. In positive deviance, communities look for those positive outliers within their communities who are already measurably solving a problem and then scale them within the community. Participants will engage in activities that integrate design thinking skills and mindsets with the positive deviance process, and apply this work directly to an intractable problem impacting their own communities. Participants will plan a design action to take when they return to their site after the conference, and will be provided with a Positive Deviance for Educators Toolkit so they may continue this work within their respective communities.

After this course, participants will be able to:

• Introduce participants to the positive deviance framework
• Participate in hands-on activities to practice mindsets related to asset-based problem-solving
• Identify an intractable problem and develop a path forward in solving it
• Explore the Positive Deviance Toolkit for Educators 

Presenters

sam seidel, Co-Director, K12 Lab Network at Stanford d.school
Jessica Brown, Experience Designer, K12 Lab Network at Stanford d.school
Peter Worth, Designer, PL Worth Learning
Devon Young, Designer, Designing Learning

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