Improvement Science in the Field

An “improvement movement” is afoot in education, in the United States and around the world. This movement empowers local teachers, leaders, family members, and community advocates to use rigorous approaches to local innovation to address local educational opportunities, needs, and problems. Improvement Science in the Field gives voice to these local change agents, makes their practice visible to others, and provides novel perspectives on the day-to-day work of advancing new ambitions for students’ learning and development. This volume is sure to inspire and guide others who are embracing the challenge of transformative educational change. -- Donald Peurach, professor, University of Michigan, School of Education
Improvement Science in the Field offers definitive examples of EdD students who have implemented the tools of improvement science to address complex challenges found in their professional practice. Readers of this book will learn in two ways—first, by following the journey of six projects, readers will experience the improvement process alongside and through the eyes of the student investigator. Second, using learning cases readers will engage and grapple with the improvement process through discussions of real-world problems of practice playing out in educational systems. -- Jill Alexa Perry, Professor of Practice, University of Pittsburgh & Executive Director, Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED)
By amplifying the voices and experiences of educators and illuminating how practitioners sought to solve crucial issues (e.g., racial disparities in student discipline, teacher wellness in the Covid-era), the authors open up the black box of improvement science. For instance, the book makes concrete various steps of PDSA cycles and how to analyze and use data obtained via empathy interviews. Additionally, Improvement Science in the Field embeds tools and suggestions for routines that hold much potential for supporting the efforts--plus learning--of teams of practitioners. Ultimately, the testimonies and insights of this book will improve educational systems and practices. -- Sarah Woulfin, associate professor of education, University of Texas at Austin