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Continuous improvement in the public school context: Understanding how educators respond to plan–do–study–act cycles

Journal of Educational Change volume 18, pages 465–494 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

The last 5 years have witnessed growing support amongst government institutions and educational foundations for applying continuous improvement research (CIR) in school settings. CIR responds to the challenge of implementing effective educational innovations at scale by working with practitioners in local contexts to understand “what works, for whom, and under what conditions.” CIR works to achieve system improvement through the use of plan–do–study–act (PDSA) cycles, which are multiple tests of small changes. This comparative case study of two urban school districts examined how innovation design teams took up PDSA in their work to improve high school student outcomes, and their perceptions of PDSA as an approach to innovation development, adaptation, and implementation. Findings revealed both possibilities and challenges for implementing PDSA. Nearly all participants reported the value in PDSA, and participants pointed to connections to previous experiences and PDSA training as helping to build capacity. However, we found mixed levels of enthusiasm for actually conducting PDSA cycles, and capacity constraints regarding time and data collection.

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Fig. 1

(Adapted from Langley et al. 2009)

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Acknowledgements

The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305E100030 to Vanderbilt University. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ASCD, 1703 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria, VA, 22311, USA

    Ariel Tichnor-Wagner

  2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    John Wachen & Lora Cohen-Vogel

  3. Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA

    Marisa Cannata

Authors
  1. Ariel Tichnor-Wagner
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  2. John Wachen
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  3. Marisa Cannata
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  4. Lora Cohen-Vogel
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ariel Tichnor-Wagner.

Appendix: Sample form from PDSA facilitation guide

Appendix: Sample form from PDSA facilitation guide

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Tichnor-Wagner, A., Wachen, J., Cannata, M. et al. Continuous improvement in the public school context: Understanding how educators respond to plan–do–study–act cycles. J Educ Change 18, 465–494 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-017-9301-4

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Keywords

  • School improvement
  • Continuous improvement research
  • School districts