The Educational Leader’s Guide to Improvement Science: Data, Design and Cases for Reflection is a collection of edited chapters illustrating applied organizational problem-solving using methods of Improvement Science in educational leadership. Early chapters introduce Improvement Science, along with an overview, rationale, and challenges for exploring this emerging field. The reader is led through a logical sequence of inquiry, presented with cases of educational dilemma matched with principles of improvement science and provided examples of research methodology applied in context. Because Improvement Science research is so quickly becoming a signature pedagogy and core subject area of inquiry in the field of educational leadership, the literature is scant in its coverage of improvement science models; it is the purpose of this publication to fill the void by providing concrete examples, through case studies, of instances where improvement research methods and analyses can be embedded to enhance and strengthen efforts at organizational improvement. This text concentrates on the elements faculty, students, and administrators need; specific models where improvement science frameworks enhance the reliability and validity of improvement or quality enhancement efforts.
Table of Contents:
Foreword
SECTION ONE – The Science of Improvement Science
Chapter 1 – ConsideringImprovement Science in Educational Leadership by Robert Crow
Chapter 2 – Tools forToday's Educational Leaders: The Basic Tool Box by Dean T. Spaulding &Brandi Nicole Hinnant-Crawford
Chapter3 - PracticalMeasurement in Improvement Science –by Brandi Nicole Hinnant-Crawford
SECTION TWO – Contextualizing Improvement Science inHigher Education
Chapter 4 - Crossing theStreams: Improvement Science, Educational Development and Systems Theory inHigher Education by Amy B. Chan Hilton & Laura Cruz
Chapter5 - Navigating theImprovement Journey with an Equity Compass by Manuelito Biag
Chapter 6 – The UCEA'sProgram Design Network: Roles and Opportunities for Professional Learning UsingImprovement Science by Kathleen M.W. Cunningham, Michelle D. Young, David Eddy Spicer
Chapter 7 - DevelopingStewards of the Practice: Understanding the Role of Improvement Sciencein EdD Programs by Jill A. Perry & Debbie Zambo
Chapter8 - Preparing SchoolLeaders to Effectively Lead School Improvement Efforts: Improvement Scienceby Deborah S. Peterson & Susan P. Carlile
Chapter 9 – LeveragingImprovement Science to Include Culture Shift by Richard J. Corman
Chapter 10 - Redesign ofthe Licensure Field-Based Experience Using Improvement Science by Susan P.Carlile & Deborah S. Peterson
Chapter11- UnravellingGateway Course Complexity by Brandon Smith
Chapter12 – Learning toImprove While Improving Assessment of Family Medicine Residents on an OB/GYNRotation by Brook Hubner, Cecil Robinson & Michael Lawson
SECTION THREE - Contextualizing Improvement Science in K-12Education
Chapter13 - Growth andGrading: Overcoming "Grades Don't Matter" in Middle School by CassandraThonstad
Chapter 14 - UsingImprovement Science in Professional Learning Communities: From Theory toPractice by Ryan Carpenter & Deborah S. Peterson
Chapter15 - ImplementingProfessional Learning Communities: Improvement Required by JacquelineHawkins, Gary Henry, Kristi Santi & Keith Butcher
Chapter 16 – Applying thePlan-Do-Study-Act Framework to Building a Social-Emotional Student SupportFramework by KenFacin & Patrick Dailey
Chapter17 - Conclusion –Dean T. Spaulding &Brandi Nicole Hinnant-Crawford
About the Author :
Robert Crow is an Assistant Professor of Educational Research at Western Carolina University.
Brandi Nicole Hinnant-Crawford is an Assistant Professor of Educational Research at Western Carolina University.
Dean T. Spaulding is the Vice President and Director of Grant Writng and Program Evaluation with Z Score Inc. He is also former chair of the Teaching Evaluation SIG for the American Evaluation Association. Dr. Spaulding is one of the authors of Methods in Educational Research: From Theory to Practice, Jossey-Bass Wiley, and the author of Program Evaluation in Practice: Core Concepts and Examples for Discussion and Analysis. He is also the co-author of Action Research for School Leaders, Instructional Coaches and the Instructional Leadership Team and What Does Your School Data Team Sound Like? Strategies to Improve the Conversation Around Data.
Review :
"Educators spend a great deal of time having to think about and justify their actions related to continuous improvement initiatives within their programs and district. Often, these introspective investigations occur without the theoretical or foundational supports necessary to help guide these inquiries, leaving the participants grappling at artifacts and data, with no cohesive way to utilize that content for continuous improvement. The Educational Leader's Guide to Improvement Science: Data, Design and Cases for Reflection edited by Robert Crow, Brandi Nicole Hinnant-Crawford, and Dean T. Spaulding will provide an indispensable resource for practitioners and researchers as they address the effective utilization of data to guide their improvement science initiatives. This readable and useful text provides informational support for novice as well as expert improvement scientists as they learn and apply the terms and concepts related to the field. A generous utilization of figures and graphs provide effective visuals that make the relationships between concepts more approachable and understandable. Cases situated around realistic educational contexts provide opportunities for the reader to interrogate the topics in a meaningful fashion, thus leading to new understandings of the way improvement science can be utilized within their individual programs." (Full review can be found in the August 2020 issue of School Administrator.)--School Administrator magazine, August 2020
"Though other books and publications exist that present and discuss improvement science (many of which are cited throughout the series), the Improvement Science in Education series exhibits the most comprehensive coverage of improvement science currently available. Crow, Hinnant-Crawford, and Spaulding have curated a collection of books that showcases the breadth and depth of improvement science appealing to a variety of audiences, regardless of backgrounds, expertise, and readiness levels. . . Certainly, improvement science is a challenging undertaking, but this series empowers those ready and willing to try."--Review by Christopher Benedetti for Impacting Education: Journal on Transforming Professional Practice, Vol. 8 No. 3 (2023)
"Across educational sectors, we strive to make our make our curricula rigorous and relevant for students; The Educational Leader's Guide to Improvement Science challenges educational leaders to be rigorous in our analysis of problems and relevant as we implement context-specific solutions. While introducing improvement science as a methodology, The Guide gives leaders a handbook of tools with examples for authentic utilization. Additionally, the contributors illustrate the applicability of the method in micro and macro settings, making it a useful tool for everyone from aspiring leaders to CEOs. It is evident that improvement science methodology has the great potential for accelerating improvement, and those serious about transforming education should read this book."--Sharon L. Contreras, PhD, Superintendent, Guilford County Schools
