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Weaving and stacking: How school districts craft coherence towards continuous improvement

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Abstract

Using qualitative case study methods, we examine how educators describe continuous improvement and craft coherence for implementation. We find that educators attempted to build system-wide improvement capabilities, taking into consideration theories of action for continuous improvement and managing change given the realities of their local contexts. We identify educators’ orientations for crafting coherence as a mechanism by which they attempt to integrate improvement strategies to their local contexts. Two bridging approaches to crafting coherence were found: weaving and stacking. By using the notion of developing coherence as craft, we extend the field’s understanding of how leaders attempt to create shared meaning and practice throughout educational systems that are complex and dynamic. We discuss the implications for research and practice.

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Notes

  1. A pseudonym.

  2. Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles are used across improvement science approaches, and typically consist of a way to test change ideas.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the many individuals who contributed to this paper. First, we thank all the participants who graciously gave us their time and shared their insights with us. We also thank Heather Hough and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions. We are also grateful to the sponsors of this research at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the funding organizations.

Funding

Funding was provided by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, (Grant No. OPP1190002).

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Correspondence to Vicki Park.

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Table 5 Coding definitions

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Park, V., Kennedy, K.E., Gallagher, H.A. et al. Weaving and stacking: How school districts craft coherence towards continuous improvement. J Educ Change 24, 919–942 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-022-09471-5

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