Learning and Practicing School Improvement: Summary of 2018-19 Research in the CORE Districts

Abstract

Continuous improvement is being embraced in California as the path for improving student outcomes. In 2018-19, Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) researchers undertook a third year of study of the "CORE Districts"' continuous improvement work. This brief summarizes the main lessons presented in four reports stemming from that research, which respectively highlight what we learned from the continuous improvement work overall, and what can be learned from exemplary practices in two districts and one school profiled in case studies. The results suggest that the field should provide better opportunities for educators to learn continuous improvement and focus more on supporting the organizational conditions (e.g., adult learning needs, leadership practices, structures and processes, and culture) that allow organizations to sustain improvement over time. [For related reports, see "Leadership that Supports Continuous Improvement: The Case of Ayer Elementary" (ED600428), "Bridging the Knowing-Doing Gap for Continuous Improvement: The Case of Long Beach Unified School District" (ED600427), "A Student-Centered Culture of Improvement: The Case of Garden Grove Unified School District" (ED600436), and "Learning and Practicing Continuous Improvement: Lessons from the CORE Districts" (ED600438).]