Engaging in improvement work can feel like it takes up a lot of time for school district leads. Why is that and how much time is too much time? Proving Ground examines these questions.
Practice-Side
EQUITY-CENTERED AND VISION-ALIGNED RESEARCH: STRATEGIES OF A DISTRICT RESEARCH OFFICE TO BUILD BETTER RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS
How can RPPs can offer a path forward in research rooted in school needs and balanced inquiry? Two district research leaders share their perspectives and experiences, shining a spotlight on the meaning and value of RPP work from this vantage point.
CALL TO ACTION: RESTRUCTURING TRADITIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCES TO PROMOTE DIGNITY-AFFIRMING SPACES
A problematic encounter during a conference poster presentation on disrupting power structures in RPPs inspired this op-ed, which calls for a more critically conscious approach to structuring research conferences.
HOW DISTRICTS PERCEIVE IMPROVEMENT SUPPORTS
In this series, Proving Ground has shared how it is supporting partners in their continuous improvement efforts. But how well are Proving Ground’s services helping increase partners’ capacity to improve – even after direct support has ended? David Hersh shares results from a recent self-evaluation.
EXAMINING TEACHER RETENTION AND TEACHER EVALUATION WITH NNERPP MEMBERS
Especially in the current environment where the challenges teachers experience on a day-to-day basis are particularly salient and leading to serious retention problems due to burnout and turnover, research on teacher retention and teacher evaluation can inform efforts to support teachers. We examine what four RPPs have found when investigating teacher retention and potential inequities in teacher evaluation.
IMPROVING IMPROVEMENT: LESSONS LEARNED FROM WORKING WITH PARTNERS DURING COVID-19 CRISIS
David Hersh and Jennifer Ash continue our new quarterly series on the work of two continuous improvement networks, this time sharing lessons from working with partners amid the unprecedented disruptions brought about by COVID-19.
WHAT ARE THE DIMENSIONS OF DISTRICT CAPACITY THAT ENABLE EFFECTIVE EVIDENCE-BASED DECISION-MAKING?
With partnerships often advocating for and working towards supporting evidence-based decision-making, Norma Ming highlights the need for a better understanding of ‘research use capacity’ and the full scope of roles, processes, and evidence types involved in practitioners’ effective use and generation of evidence.
