Sessions
The 2023 Carnegie Summit consists of improvement content and stories from every region and nearly every state, small and large schools and districts, technical support organizations, and features teachers, administrators, coaches, and improvers of all kinds. Over 100 sessions have been created by and for the improvement community for the 2023 Carnegie Summit and will fall into one of four tracks listed below.
In addition–and special this year–are sessions devoted to the 10th Anniversary. These interactive sessions listed below feature leaders throughout the improvement community and are designed to help us reflect back on a decade of growth and impact and look ahead as a community.
10th Anniversary
Democratizing Evidence: A Catalyst for Equity-Centered Research and Development
75-min | Livestreamed
The future of learning in a post-Carnegie-unit era brings the promise of the next great era of innovation in education. To ensure the waves of change are aimed at social justice aspirations, local research and development infrastructures will need to be democratized. Researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and community stakeholders should… more
Driving Improvements in Student Transportation Services
75-min | Livestreamed
While classroom focused improvement efforts are a critical lever for obtaining improved student outcomes, the management practices of the central office also play an important role. Central office processes and policies, such as those that impact student transportation, have the potential to accelerate positive change or bring it to a… more
DC+XQ: Notes from the District and School Design Journeys
75-min | In-Person
XQ’s DCPS partners go deep with real-time lessons from two high schools that are fully immersed in the ambitious work of school redesign. Hear from teachers, students, and school and district leaders about the bold visions they’re pursuing, the progress they’ve made, and the work ahead. Get inspired to catalyze, and even lead, high… more
How Improvement Principles In-Action Can Transform a Public Education System
75-min | In-Person
This session highlights lessons drawn from a new Carnegie Foundation book, How a City Learned to Improve Its Schools. In 1987 Chicago was among the most troubled school systems in America. In 2017 it ranked among the most improved. We describe how a broad swath of Chicagoans committed to equity work, sustained that effort… more
How to Buck Burnout: A Two-Pronged Approach to Improving Educator Well-being
75-min | In-Person
Burnout and attrition are rampant. However, few districts are taking meaningful steps to address these pressing problems. To buck burnout, we must act on two levels. First, we need to equip educators with strategies proven to increase well-being. Second, we need to position school systems to understand and act on data regarding… more
The Rest Is History: Advancing A More Nuanced Narrative of Improvement’s Origins and Evolution
75-min | Livestreamed
Many educators have used improvement tools without learning the history and philosophy behind the science. We will present a brief history of quality improvement, beginning in the early 20th century and tracing its path from Post-World War II Japan to its application in American industry, healthcare and now, education, exploring… more
Learning from YPAR: Engaging high school students in joint leadership roles to re-shape school systems
75-min | In-Person
Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) is one avenue for Transformational Secondary School Learning. Student voice is oftentimes missing when enacting institutional change seeking to alleviate educational inequities. In this session, we demonstrate how high school student teams from two projects 1) a National Science Foundation… more
Reclaiming the History of Equitable Improvement
75-min | Livestreamed
People often say that the connections between equity and improvement are being newly established. Others question if improvement is compatible with liberatory aims because it traces its lineage to manufacturing and businesses concerned with the bottom line– instead of people. This session asks educators to consider an alternative… more
Our Cargo Container: Formalizing and Professionalizing Equity-based Improvement Science
One of the challenges of any promising reform is that it gets poorly implemented, poorly targeted, and when these lesser versions don’t get results it hurts the entire effort. Shouldn’t the next step in the work be to formalize exactly what Equity-driven Improvement Science is and what it isn’t and to provide a process by which… more
Moving to a future that supports equity-focused improvement
Imagine a future in which education systems support and sustain equity-focused improvement activity. How are those systems operating differently than they do today? In this session, we will explore ways that professional learning, the relationship between research and practice, and who generates the questions driving improvement agendas… more
Movement for the Movement
This workshop is based on engaging the cultural technologies of our ancestors – joy and resilience building tools of movement and art making: Salsa, hip hop, line dancing, partner dancing and processions to name a few. For generations, social dance practices have rooted our families and communities in boldly taking up space… more
Voices of Improvers
The Carnegie Summit began as an opportunity to bring together a community and create a space where fellow travelers share insights with others who are dedicated to learning to improve. For the past ten years, the Summit was designed to be a convening of movement makers. As we head into the second decade of Summit, together… more
Improvement Science in Practice
Creating CI Systems and Routines to Drive Outcomes at Scale in NYC
75-min I Livestreamed
This session will provide participants with insights into how New Visions has created systems and routines around a continuous improvement strategy to drive change both in a core network of 80 schools and across the NY district. Building strong and durable systems has been the focus of New Visions’ school improvement work and has led to… more
Empathy Interviews: How to Do Them and Why They’re Important
75-min | In-Person
One of the six core principles of improvement is to “make the work problem-specific and user-centered.” The empathy interview done right provides an opportunity for understanding the user’s perspective and operationalizing an equity lens. In this session, participants will understand the importance of defining a clear purpose for empathy… more
Equitable Scaling of Deeper Learning: A Root-Cause Analysis and Actions that Follow
75-min I Livestreamed
This interactive session shares a research-practice partnership’s work to scale Deeper Learning Practices in the Broward County, FL, Public Schools. Participants will hear about the RPP’s strategy and how it led to a root-cause analysis of the reasons that spread of Deeper Learning may not be happening as fast or as deeply as it otherwise might… more
A Systems Approach to User-Centered Iterative Design of Culturally Relevant Performance Tasks
75-min | Livestreamed
A 2019 Spotlight Honoree will briefly describe its Improvement Network journey in 100+ high-need LAUSD and NYC schools that included weekly PDSA cycles with teacher users and literacy coaches, the study of variation (and occasional outright failure) that pivoted the organization from PD-only to its current comprehensive instructional… more
Virginia Leads Innovation Network and the Profile of a Virginia Graduate: District Teams Make It Real!
60-min | In-Person
Come learn about the Virginia Leads Innovation Network, diverse cohorts of innovation teams from 85+ districts since 2018. Our network’s mission? To ensure all learners participate in pathways to life success during their Pk-12 experience. Teams commit to a year-long continuum of practice, challenging current-state thinking and developing… more
Lowering the Barrier to Entry: Demystifying, Decolonizing, and Democratizing Improvement Science in Service of Equity
60-min | In-Person
Starting from the premise that a focus on equity is feeble without tools to make good on the vision and mission, and that improvement science is amoral without a focus on equity, this interactive workshop engages equity champions who want to employ techniques of improvement science, and improvers who want to be more explicitly focused on equity… more
Practical Measurement for Equity and Justice in Mathematics: Challenges and Possibilities
75-min | Livestreamed
In this session, we will discuss the potential for and challenges inherent in using practical measurement to advance equity and justice in mathematics teaching and learning. First, we will provide an overview of various facets of working toward equity and justice in mathematics classrooms, highlight corresponding practical measures, and indicate areas… more
Narrow Your Focus: Using Data to Pinpoint Inequities and Drive Improvements
75-min | In-Person
Data are only as powerful as the improvements they inspire, and too much data can lead to inaction or distraction. In this session, participants will explore how to facilitate networked improvement by honing in on high-leverage data with an eye toward equity. Over time, the RISE Network has embraced a “less is more” approach to providing partners… more
Failing to Improve: Lessons Learned from a Decade of Doing
75-min | In-Person
As a field of education, we tend to only talk about the success of our work. We tout our accomplishments, improvements in outcomes, and new systems that are producing better results. The failures are quietly dismissed, swept to the side, and many times forgotten. The persistent struggle to learn and failed attempts to improve are not celebrated or even shared… more
Transforming a District for Excellence: Equity and Innovation in Action
60-min | Livestreamed
Join transformational leaders from Battle Creek Public Schools in a metacognitive look at using improvement science to launch three innovation programs in their district to remove equity barriers, improve the student experience, and reverse the out-migration of students. Explore lessons learned, the impact of their work, and how they plan to continue… more
Using Practical, Curriculum-Aligned Measures of Growth in Improvement Science
75-min | Livestreamed
Improvement efforts focused on curricular outcomes require measures that are aligned to curriculum and responsive to change. This seems straightforward but can be difficult in practice. Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) has developed a host of practical, curriculum-aligned measures that are well suited for use in improvement science. We discuss… more
The Future of High School: Early College High Schools and Continuous Improvement
75-min | In-Person
Imagine a world where every high school student graduates with college credits, workplace certifications, or even an associate degree. That is the world that we are trying to build at Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy, an Early College high school. Within this vision, we have a serious problem of practice: increasing the number of male Black and Latino… more
Tackling Student Engagement as We Learn and Empower Each Other in School-Based Continuous Improvement
60-min | Livestreamed
Join four leaders partnering from Jefferson County, AL, School District in their improvement journey, as they share their stories of shifting from a pandemic to addressing the socio-emotional needs of their students as the return to learning created new and urgent challenges. Learn how two Title 1 schools, Erwin MS and Minor MS, networked together… more
Accelerating Impact: Strategies & Supports for Coaching Improvement Work
60-min | In-Person
Coaching improvement teams plays a powerful role in developing and sustaining equitable improvement work. Join this session to build your understanding of coaching, learn about the skills needed to be an effective improvement coach, and practice tools that you can apply while coaching improvement teams, supporting them to deepen their learning… more
An Improvement Science Journey to Grading for Equity
60-min | In-Person
This session will show how learning and success can come from an improvement test that was initially thought to be a failure. After seeing disappointing results, we pivoted from improvement tests using the formative assessment cycle to improvement tests on equitable grading practices and systems, using Feldman’s Grading for Equity as a guide… more
Keeping Students at the Center in Improvement Work
75-min | In-Person
We all know that culture eats strategy for breakfast. How can we embed structures that support schools in building truly student-centered cultures? When students are included in improvement work it supports us in centering their experience and developing an asset-based-lens approach to improvement work, removing biases that can crop up when we… more
Improving Chronic Absenteeism: An Invitation to Well-being and Learning
75-min | In-Person
In this session, staff from UCLA Community School, a k-12 public school, will share their journey and their learnings in using Improvement Science principles to improve chronic absenteeism. They will share how engaging stakeholders who do not historically have a voice in decision-making like the office staff and the supervision aides accelerated… more
Getting to the Root to Get Going
75-min | In-Person
Do you ever feel overwhelmed and unsure where to start? Often when we try to solve problems, we spend most of our time addressing the symptoms, rather than the underlying causes. As a result, we can expend tons of energy trying different things, but make little progress toward more equitable outcomes and engaging learning environments. There is… more
Improving Student Outcomes and Rectifying Inequities Using Improvement Science in Two Central California Districts
75-min | In-Person
Improving student outcomes for graduation rate, chronic absenteeism, and academics galvanized two districts to begin improvement science journeys. This session will provide the accountability contexts for both districts, demonstrate how their improvement science journeys improved student outcomes, and highlight the importance of leaders as… more
Measuring the Effectiveness of Improvement Coaching in Addressing Literacy and Systemic Inequities
75-min | In-Person
The Fresno County Superintendent of Schools’ Differentiated Assistance team and Tulare County Office of Education’s Readership Grant co-leads share their improvement science journeys in districts addressing system inequities and literacy gaps. Participants will hear how these two teams measure the effectiveness of improvement coaching across… more
System Alignment for Success: The Dallas ISD/IFL Secondary Literacy Network for School Improvement
75-min | In-Person
When key role groups in a school district work in alignment, instructional improvements are effective and maintained across time. We will share a vision for high-quality just and equitable literacy instruction aligned to district goals with clear support roles for key district administrators. This work led to consistent improvements in teacher practice and… more
Developing Equitable Programs for Students with Disabilities Guided by the Driver Diagram
75-min | In-Person
In this teacher-led session, STRIVE Prep Charter Schools, with funding support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, share how they harnessed the power of one enthusiastic teacher to improve outcomes and elevate the voices of students with disabilities. STRIVE Prep’s Continuous Improvement team relied on a collaborative process of revising the… more
Building student success systems: How the GRAD Partnership is changing on-track work together
In 2021, nine organizations formed The GRAD Partnership to make high-quality student success systems the new normal nationwide. Each organization has proven success with helping schools improve on-track rates through support and research. In this interactive session, participants will learn how the GRAD Partnership… more
Building Bridges, Building the Field: The Improvement Scholars Network
The Improvement Scholars Network is a community of professors, researchers, technical assistance providers, and educational professionals in the US and around the world who are collaborating to build bridges within and between higher education and K-12 public education, all with the aim of building the field of improvement… more
Improving Together: Elevating Voices of Educators in The Learning Professional
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched the Networks for School Improvement (NSI) portfolio in 2018 to improve outcomes for Black and Latino students and students experiencing poverty by supporting intermediaries to build networks that implement structures and routines that empower practitioners to test evidence-based… more
Improving Together: Elevating Voices of Educators in The Learning Professional
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched the Networks for School Improvement (NSI) portfolio in 2018 to improve outcomes for Black and Latino students and students experiencing poverty by supporting intermediaries to build networks that implement structures and routines that empower practitioners to test evidence-based… more
Joyful Yet Practical Professional Development to Accelerate Students’ Active Math Learning
Explore three themes that we’ve learned about improvement science to move through roadblocks and advance math instruction and student learning. Professional learning → teacher instruction → student learning. Consider these themes in your own context and how they address knowledge, beliefs, and instructional… more
Cases of Leading Continuous Improvement in Chile: Improving Attendance in Preschool and Strengthening Leadership in High School
This panel will present two experiences in quality improvement in education in Chile that aim to transform educational leadership to improve students’ experience and outcomes. The first paper reports the results of a quasi-experimental evaluation of a Learning Network that supports school-based teams to use data to inform… more
Leadership for Improvement
Oh, the Places You’ll Go with Improvement Science…From Wishes to Well-being!
75-min | In-Person
How does a county office of education go from well-being aspirations to real results? We found improvement science and a brave aim statement made all the difference. Learn how we went from a well-being wish, to failing forward, then finally to measurable well-being wins. Takeaways include examples of using improvement science to measure well-being… more
Working Without Fear: Cascading Continuous Improvement from the Boardroom to the Classroom
60-min | In-Person
It is tempting to press “pause” on change during challenging times such as the recent pandemic. However, continuous improvement work carries a sense of urgency that should not be paused, ever. This session is the journey from an inclusive new strategic plan begun as the pandemic hit in 2020, to leader skill development (“always behaviors” to… more
Leaders Sustaining a Culture of Literacy and Equity Through Data-Informed Instructional Practice
60-min | In-Person
Hear about Tahoe Truckee Unified School District’s leadership journey toward sustaining a culture of equity focused on literacy improvement. Their collective effort to apply improvement science was strategically planned after deeply studying data from multiple assessments. Progress monitoring and continuous data analysis was critical to gauging… more
Don’t Let Them Fall through the Cracks: Implementing an Early Warning System in High School
75-min | In-Person
When Fallbrook’s Superintendent Ilsa Garza-Gonzalez began her tenure in 2019, she said, “Not on my watch” to Latino students’ substandard outcomes in her district. Since that date three years ago, despite the interference of the pandemic, an early-warning indicator system has been implemented to ensure students are not only placed in the correct… more
Students as Improvement Leaders: Flipping the Script
75-min | In-Person
How might networks center the experiences of youth in the improvement process by cultivating relationships with students that are meaningful and not transactional? Learn about Eskolta’s Youth Advisory Board, rooted in principles of youth participatory action research, in which students from alternative high schools in our Eskolta Network… more
Leveling Up for Equitable Access toCollege Readiness
60-min | In-Person
Greendale Schools will share its journey from tracked academic classes to honors and AP access for all students. The process began with observing the significant disparities in standardized test results by race and economic status. By analyzing the system responsible for those outcomes, the district engaged in a multiyear effort to raise the floor. The results… more
From the Principal’s Desk: Embedding Improvement Cycles School-wide for Results
75-min | Livestreamed
Learn with skilled principals engaged in leading continuous improvement across their schools, classroom by classroom. In this session, school leaders from multiple districts will share their lessons learned from engaging teachers and educators in their schools to undertake disciplined inquiry around specific problems of practice, aligned to areas for… more
Supporting Leaders’ Learning of the Foundations of Improvement Science: An Interactive Workshop
75-min | In-Person
This interactive workshop engages participants with designing learning experiences for educational leaders rooted in the recently published Foundational Handbook on Improvement Research in Education. The Handbook offers diverse conceptual and analytic frameworks along with practical examples of improvement research. Presenters design… more
Leadership for Transformation: Using Identity to Improve Practices, Processes, and Outcomes
60-min | In-Person
We will tell the story of how the UChicago Network for College Success Postsecondary Team builds leadership and capacity of school counselors and college/career coaches in Chicago Public High Schools to embrace and utilize improvement science to transform student experience and ultimately postsecondary outcomes. Our story includes how the team… more
Ready to Implement! Conditions of Success for High-Quality Materials Implementation
60-min | In-Person
This session will provide an overview of processes, tips, and best practices from high-quality instructional materials implementation and continuous improvement, highlighting our work alongside Guilford County Schools and Monterey Peninsula Unified School District. In this session, we will discuss how to connect the adoption of high-quality… more
Building Teacher Leadership Capacity for Improvement: How We Leveraged District and School Collaboration to Get Better at Getting Better
75-min | In-Person
Presenters will share the successes and failures involved in creating and implementing continuous improvement through the psychology of change framework, as well as building teacher and school leadership capacity within an elementary school. Participants will engage in a collaborative workshop with a teacher, a school-based specialist, a principal, and a… more
Improvement Thinking in Unanticipated Challenges! Using Improvement Science to Systematically Improve in the Midst of Community-wide Challenges
60-min | In-Person
This session reflects the Mayfield Independent School District’s journey to improve a system that was producing less-than-acceptable outcomes for the students as determined by district and state literacy assessment results. Facilitated by the Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC), the district engaged in continuous improvement in close collaboration… more
Align Leadership, Sustain Improvement, and Increase Student Outcomes by Going Back to the Basics
60-min | Livestreamed
How do you maximize eight years of learning and improvement efforts across a large, urban district while facing a global pandemic, educational injustice, and a change in district leadership? The answer is quite simple: Go back to the basics and remember your ABCs. By grounding our work in academics, behavior, and culture, Cincinnati Public Schools… more
The Journey to R.E.A.L. Joy: From Compliance to Continuous Improvement through Radical Alignment in the Omaha Public Schools
60-min | Livestreamed
Just one month prior to the pandemic, the Omaha Public Schools adopted a new Strategic Plan of Action, and with it, the organizational values of Results, Equity, Accountability, Leadership, and Joy (R.E.A.L. Joy.) OPS then moved into a period of crisis management, survival, and service. In 2020, the Division of Accountability & School Improvement… more
District Transformation through Values-Driven Leadership
75-min | In-Person
This session tells the story of Hemet Unified School District’s transformation journey. Over the last seven years superintendent Christi Barrett has led the district on a remarkable transformation journey built around the values of equity and continuous improvement. Through this process she has built strong, trusting relationships with her… more
Executive Leader Panel: Building the Capacity to Live and Scale Improvement for Impact
60-min | Livestreamed
Ensuring equity and access are core to our aims. Barriers live within our systems. Improvement is the engine needed to problem-solve across teams. Learning from our daily-work how to remove barriers and scale improvements across organizations. This panel is made up of county executive leaders who are actively engaged in tackling this… more
Strategic Learning for Equity & Improvement: An Adaptive Framework for Improvement Efforts
60-min | In-Person
Improvement science can empower educators to develop and improve systems that support all students to thrive. However, conducting improvement science through Networked Improvement Communities (NICs)—a time and resource-intensive endeavor—is not always feasible. In conditions where we do not have the structures and resources to build a… more
Empowering Teacher Leaders to Drive Continuous Improvement
75-min | In-Person
What does it look like for teachers to start, internalize, and drive continuous improvement in their school? In this session, attendees will hear how a Bronx school and Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy in Chicago empowered teacher leaders to lead the charge in the work of improvement. Learn about the successes, challenges, and lessons in their continuous… more
How Districts Learn to Improve: Integrating improvement into the Fabric of School Systems
75-min | Livestreamed
How do district leadership teams collectively live the principles of continuous improvement and operationalize improvement work across their organizations from the boardroom to the classroom? In this session, hear how three school districts — Baltimore City Public Schools, Oxford School District, and Avondale Elementary School District… more
Making Everyone an Improver: How District Leaders are Inspiring Everyone to Improve, Including Students
75-min | Livestreamed
Hear about the journeys of the Estacada School District and the Tea Area School District leadership and how they cascaded improvement work across all levels of their districts, empowering everyone from the boardroom to the classroom to be improvers. This session provides a roadmap to the why, what, and how the districts spread and scaled… more
Centering Student Voices in Improvement in Service of Equity
75-min | Livestreamed
How do we center students in our continuous improvement work in meaningful, feasible, and sustainable ways? In this session, participants will learn from two organizations how they centered student voice throughout their improvement work utilizing a range of empathy tools to capture the perspectives of their learners. In this work, these leaders… more
Improving America’s Schools Together: How District-University Partnerships and Continuous Improvement Can Transform Education
iLEAD is a growing national network of district-university partnerships seeking to support local education agencies (LEAs) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) in their use of continuous improvement methods to develop leaders and educators to address persistent problems of practice. In this session, iLEAD members will… more
Improvement Networks in Practice
Managing Change as an Improvement Hub
75-min | Livestreamed
Launching an improvement network requires hub adaptivity in creating the conditions for school partners to make sense of data, problem-solve together, and try new ideas. While the relationships coaches build with each school can be a powerful lever in providing the just-right support for schools, managing change across the network often needs… more
The Western Regional Educator Network: Leading with Empathy and Centering Equity
75-min | In-Person
This session will describe network building using “human-centered” continuous improvement methods. Human-Centered Improvement prioritizes the lived experience of the people at the center of the Problem of Practice (PoP). This session presents protocols, routines, and tools that elevate the voices of those on the margins, as well as… more
Networked Improvement Focused on Middle Grades On-Track
60-min | In-Person
Over the past two years, the To&Through Project developed an early warning indicator system for elementary and middle schools in Chicago. The To&Through Middle Grades Network, a group of 14 elementary and middle schools in Chicago, piloted the “on-track” metric with its schools and ultimately integrated the metric into its aim statement… more
C3 Mobility: Launching a Student-Led Improvement Community
75-min | In-Person
Session participants will hear how members of the CARPE College Access Network launched the C3 Mobility Decentralized Autonomous Organization. C3 takes a simple —yet surprisingly uncommon — approach to the challenge of supporting students to make a successful college transition: We nurture a student-led improvement community… more
Measuring for Improvement: Schools, Networks and Hubs
75-min | Livestreamed
Focusing on both processes and outcomes, Schools That Lead has developed a set of measures to better assess the health of their member schools, their improvement network, and their work as hub leaders. These measures include both qualitative and quantitative tools, ranging from the extent to which schools have achieved the aim (reducing the percentage… more
Early Findings and Ongoing Work: Supporting Students Positioned Furthest from Opportunity
60-min | In-Person
Black and/or Latinx students with disabilities experiencing poverty are one of the most under-researched and under-served student populations in US public education. The Networked Improvement Community for Students with Disabilities unites ten public school organizations across the United States focused on improving… more
Centering Student Voice to Accelerate Network Learning
75-min | In-Person
Partners in School Innovation is a hub for the ESA Transformation Network, focused on increasing the portion of MLL (multilingual learners), Latinx, and SED (socio-economically disadvantaged) students who are successfully on track in 8th grade and ready to succeed in high school. In 2020-2021, the network hub enrolled school teams in a shared… more
Centering Teacher Leaders for Equitable Network Sustainability
60-min | Livestreamed
Teacher Continuous Improvement Leaders (TCILs) in the Brooklyn South Network for School Improvement are key to the success of the network, both in terms of leading school-team work and informing hub-level decisions. In this session, we will discuss how Bank Street’s engagement structure strategically includes TCILs to create a responsive feedback… more
Structuring Change and Empowering Mathematics Teacher Voice in a Statewide Network
60-min | In-Person
The Mountaineer Mathematics Master Teachers (M3T) project is a statewide NIC in West Virginia aimed toward increasing the number of students engaged in “doing mathematics” in meaningful ways and to support teacher agency and leadership in those improvement efforts. In this session, we will engage participants in a range of tools and routines… more
Actionable Knowledge for Educators: Streamlining Learning Consolidation and Dissemination
60-min | Livestreamed
This session will focus on sharing and developing best practices for taking the raw output from improvement communities testing, finding the “good stuff”, packaging it, and sharing it back to benefit the wider field. It will trace the development of two change packages from two different networks, aims, and purposes through a series of distinct phases… more
Moving from Theory to Action: Accelerating Consolidation and Spread
75-min | In-Person
In this session, the New Tech Network College Access Network will present early results in student outcomes based on three years of work on several key primary drivers of college access. We will share evidence of improvement in FAFSA, TASFA, and CADAA completion and college application rates, and examine one of the key network structures… more
Integrating Improvement Principles into Instructional Coaching
60-min | In-Person
In the Baltimore City Public School System, Blueprint Literacy Coaches are crucial to strengthening teachers’ pedagogy around literacy. Each of the 39 coaches supports a single school, but their work is coordinated as part of BSLIC, the Baltimore Secondary Literacy Improvement Community, which has used improvement science to… more
What’s Your Improvement Story? Leveraging Knowledge Management and Measurement Systems to Share the Impact of Focusing on Student Identity
60-min | In-Person
The Teaching Matters Network for School Improvement is a community of middle schools working together to ensure that all students are prepared for high school and beyond, through the integration of culturally responsive and sustaining practices and continuous improvement methods. In this interactive session, we will share the processes… more
Advancing Equity in AP During COVID: A “Blue Ocean Strategy” for Network Innovation
60-min | Livestreamed
After robust planning for an NSI to improve equity of access and outcomes in AP courses, COVID-19 hit. Demand for equitable approaches increased while supply of network member time and bandwidth understandably decreased. As a hub, Mass Insight revamped with a “Blue Ocean Strategy”: downplaying some features of a traditional NSI… more
Transforming Students’ Literacy Trajectories in the Secondary Grades
75-min | In-Person
Baltimore City Public Schools’ Secondary Literacy Improvement Community (BSLIC) is a community of school practitioners, district staff, and leaders, working cross-functionally to improve secondary literacy instruction and alignment across the system. Through this effort, BSLIC has developed fluency protocols that can be integrated into… more
Improvement Science in Public Higher Education Systems: The NASH Improvement Community Model
60-min | In-Person
In 2022, the National Association of System Heads developed and launched a new model of applying Improvement Science methodology to the public higher education context in ‘NASH Improvement Communities’ (NICs). The NIC model was applied to three key topics: transfer, curricular flexibility, and student success interventions… more
“What about yo’ friends?”: How a focus on peer relationships impacted students’ sense of belonging and 3.0+ GPA attainment
75-min | Livestreamed
When adults in schools develop relationships with students, they often focus on how much a student likes them individually. However, The Network for College Success asked educators to intentionally build relationships between students in and out of classrooms as the propellant for increased GPAs during the 9th-grade year. In this session, we will… more
Creating Strong Ecosystems that Support Student Well-Being
75-min | Livestreamed
The Colorado Education Initiative leads Youth Connections, a network of 13 districts that are working to provide a culture and climate that meets students’ and adults’ social, emotional, and academic needs. An initiative in Berkeley County, West Virginia, brings together leaders in six schools, local first responders, and local mental health providers… more
Improving Student Literacy Experiences and Outcomes in Philadelphia by Leveraging Professional Learning Communities
The Acceleration Network, a cohort of 15 historically low-performing schools in the School District of Philadelphia, is using continuous improvement to improve student literacy experiences and outcomes. Our network has defined equitable literacy instruction through a set of core values that center student engagement with grade-level… more
MidTown Learning Community: How a Network Approach Supports Student Achievement
MidTown Learning Community, part of Hamilton County Schools in Chattanooga, TN, supports 7 schools; 4 elementary, 2 middle, & 1 high school. Members of the MidTown Leadership Team will share the story of how a networked approach accelerated learning & led to progress in improvement measures. The team will share… more
East Cleveland City School District: Using Improvement Network Principles to Become The Model Urban School District
In December 2021, the Ohio Department of Education approved “The Road to Revitalization,” a comprehensive, three year improvement plan for the East Cleveland CSD. The plan leverages state oversight, moving away from traditional KPIs to metrics that are selected, and will ultimately show improvement, for small urban districts. By utilizing… more
Improvement Network Development: Lessons from the Field
What are the distinguishing features of a networked improvement community (NIC), and how can network leaders strategically manage network development? In this session we introduce a framework for conceptualizing network health and development, and explore what we are learning when we track dimensions of network development in large sample of networks for school improvement currently operating… more
Methods of Improvement Science and Networks
Centering Equity Throughout the Improvement Journey (Repeated Session)
75-min | In-Person
To make meaningful progress on long-standing inequities within our systems, improvers need to be intentional about integrating equity practices within our improvement efforts. In this session, we will discuss how improvers might take an equity lens while applying the diverse tools and methods of improvement science throughout an… more
Centering Equity Throughout the Improvement Journey (Repeated Session)
75-min | In-Person
To make meaningful progress on long-standing inequities within our systems, improvers need to be intentional about integrating equity practices within our improvement efforts. In this session, we will discuss how improvers might take an equity lens while applying the diverse tools and methods of improvement science throughout an… more
Measurement for Improvement
75-min | In-Person
When we hear the word measurement in education, we often think of accountability systems or research paradigms. But in the improvement community, measurement is key for learning. In this session, participants will get an overview of how to use measurement in improvement science and an introduction to what measures are useful in an… more
Basics of PDSA Cycles
In this session, participants will be introduced to the basics of Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles and how they feature within improvement efforts. PDSA cycles are a key engine for learning about changes, but they are not the only form of disciplined inquiry that supports developing and iterating working theories of improvement. Participants will learn… more
Psychology of Change in Improvement
75-min | In-Person
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) defines the psychology of change as “the science and art of human behavior as it relates to transformation.” In addition to applying the technical skills of improvement science, it is equally important to understand how to navigate the adaptive challenges associated with the human side of change… more
Leading the Transformation of Education Systems to Continuously Improve
75-min | In-Person
Executive leaders play a vital role in creating the conditions for their organizations to develop the capacity for system-wide continuous improvement. The Carnegie Foundation’s publication Transforming Educational Systems Toward Continuous Improvement: A Reflection Guide for K–12 Leaders describes three domains of leadership for system-wide… more
Coaching for Improvement
75-min | In-Person
Organizations using improvement science to guide their change efforts often look to improvement coaches for support. Coaching is essential to build individual and team capabilities and to support progress towards an improvement goal, but there are few resources to guide this nuanced work in practice. This session will share categories of… more
Tools and Processes to Launch Your Improvement Journey
75-min | In-Person
When we collaborate with others to achieve a common aim, we bring to bear diverse knowledge, experiences, and expertise. These efforts are rarely linear from beginning to end, but more like learning journeys with starts and stops along the way. In this session, we will illustrate some improvement tools and protocols to promote a shared understanding of… more
Developing Hub Capability to Organize, Lead, and Learn
75-min | In-Person
Networked improvement communities bring together diverse stakeholders who are committed to solving complex problems together. The hub of a NIC is its central “learning organization” that leads and organizes that effort. This session will define the key areas of work that a hub must engage in to manage a successful NIC. Participants will learn… more
The Engine for Improvement: Coaching PDSA Cycles
75-min | In-Person
The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle is the engine for learning in networked improvement work, and improvement coaches play an important role in ensuring that the learning from these inquiry cycles benefits the network. In this session, participants will learn about models and approaches to improvement coaching, with a focus on how… more
Spreading and Scaling Successful Changes
75-min | In-Person
Spreading and scaling successful changes within or across systems requires attention to multiple dimensions. How are spread and scale different? What systems considerations are at stake when implementing new or improved practices? How can we leverage improvement methods? This interactive session will explore these questions in… more
Leveraging Research for Improvement Work
60-min | In-Person
Research offers an important starting point for understanding workable approaches for implementing improvements while identifying appropriate sources for investigating complex problems. In this interactive session, participants will explore and engage in activities that help turn their problem statements into researchable questions; guide their reviews… more
Making Network Health Visible: A Theory-based Survey and Reporting Platform
60-min | In-Person
Organizing as networks accelerates the learning and impact of improvement work. But what constitutes a well-organized, healthy network? The Improvement Network Development Framework theorizes that network health has 6 domains. This session introduces the framework and spotlights the Network Health Survey (NHS) and Reporting Platform… more
Learning form Variation: A Case-Based Approach
60-min | In-Person
This session will present several case examples, starting with an exploration of questions relevant for improvement with answers that can be derived by an understanding of variation in existing data collected by the system. Data collected, routines utilized for analysis, and discoveries will all be explored, as will potential directions for improvement… more
High Reliability Organizations
75-min | In-Person
High-reliability organizations (HROs) avoid serious accidents or catastrophic failures in domains in which accidents are often the norm and management of risk factors. These kinds of organizations exist in many industries, including the healthcare and education systems. In this session, participants will learn about the key tenets that guide… more
Sponsor Breakfasts
Mapping the Ecosystem of Improvement in Education: An Invitation to Help Inform the Future
At this 10th anniversary Carnegie Summit, the field of improvement in education is at an important inflection point. Interest in improvement-based work is strong, but how do grow the field in way that reliably increase equity and opportunity? During this Gates-sponsored breakfast session, you will hear about the Carnegie Foundation’s… more
Core Professional Learning: Collaborative, Meaningful, and Relevant Experiences That Accelerate Impact on Student Learning
Imagine your students are empowered, think critically and creatively, and have voice and agency in the classroom. Now consider the professional learning teachers need to make instructional changes. Educators’ learning experiences should mirror the experiences we want for our students. Educators need a space to engage in collaborative… more
Supercharging High School Learning with the XQ Competencies
Teachers and students from the recent XQ Competency Pilot share what they’ve learned about an exciting new way to expand teaching and learning beyond existing standards. See what they’ve made, and hear their behind-the-scenes stories, as they showcase learning experiences, or LXs, that demonstrate a new architecture that could replace… more