Once you have developed a deep understanding of your CCMR problem of practice, it is time to begin contemplating solutions. You can use a variety of approaches to identify and implement potential solutions. You might choose to use only one of the approaches described below or you might choose to combine multiple approaches to address the CCMR problem of practice in your district.
Regardless of the approaches that you employ, keep the following three improvement questions in mind during your journey (dive deeper with the Improvement Science in Education course):
What specifically are we trying to accomplish?
What changes might we introduce and why?
How will we know that a change is an improvement?
Identify strategies or change ideas
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Solutions that emerge as district and campus staff analyze data related to the problem of practice.
Interviews with district or campus staff who have expertise related to the problem of practice.
Interviews with people who are impacted by the problem of practice (e.g., students or teachers).
Conversations with other districts who have tackled similar problems of practice. The Understanding CCMR section of this website will feature strategies--that are related to each of the CCMR indicators--some strategies that pilot districts have implemented. (Note: the Understanding CCMR section will be a work in progress during the spring of 2021).
Surveys or focus groups with students or staff to generate innovative ideas.
Strategies that have been tested by researchers, with results reported in the academic literature.
Strategies or change ideas that are featured in reports/resources published by federally-funded organizations or non-profit organizations that focus on the problem of practice. Examples could include:
Education Strategy Group’s report on eight of the most predictive indicators of postsecondary preparation, retention, and success
College & Career Readiness & Success Center’s brief on early warning systems
Network for College Success’s Freshman On-Track Toolkit
Jobs for the Future resources related to early college high schools
What Works Clearinghouse practice guide about dropout prevention in high schools
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View the Regional Education Laboratory Northeast and Islands video below that describes how to build on the fishbone root cause analysis to develop a driver diagram.
Reference the driver diagram created by the school team in the video and use the template to complete your own driver diagram.
View a driver diagram created by Denver Public Schools. Their aim is that all Black and Latinx students in the district will be prepared for college and careers.
More detail about how to develop driver diagrams--including a step-by-step protocol--is available in chapter 2 of the NYC DoE Improvement Science handbook (pp. 41-71).
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Use the PDSA template created for the Texas Network for School Improvement to plan your PDSA cycle.
View a completed PDSA example.
More detail about implementing PDSA cycles--including a step-by-step protocol--is available in chapter 3 of the NYC DoE Improvement Science handbook (pp. 73-105).
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Related
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resources
A continuous improvement toolkit, created by the Regional Education Laboratory Northeast and Islands, contains useful tools and information related to fishbone diagrams, driver diagrams, and PDSA cycles.
Improvement Science in Education: a free, online, self-paced course offered by the University of Michigan and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Read Learning to Improve: How America’s Schools Can Get Better at Getting Better.