Continuing and Expanding Action Research Learning

Cedar Rapids Community Schools

October, 2004

Dr. Susan Leddick

Everything’s Up-to-Date in Cedar Rapids!

Working at classroom,

building, and

district levels

2004-05

What the District Is Doing

• Teaching teams of teachers and administrators to use the tools and processes of Action Research in order to make improvements in all three levels of the district system.

• Emphasizing deployment of school improvement plans – carrying out strategies that have significant impact on student achievement.

• Expanding impact through the Baldrige framework.

Why Action Research?

• Compatible with adult learning theory

• Compatible with Iowa Professional Development Model

• Combines learning and improving• Works at any system level, in any

setting• Research-based; data-driven;

system-focused

Why Baldrige?

• Agreed-upon definition of excellence across sectors

• An integrator

• Increases scope of leadership view

• Puts PDSA into perspective

Our Year in Brief – Three P’s

• Purposes– Apply previous knowledge and skills in

action research (PDSA) to deployment of the 2004 CSIP

– Increase impact of AR by learning and applying the Baldrige framework as an integrator

• Preparation– 3 training sessions, with support between

• Presentation (in Baldrige Format)– All-district sharing session in April

Alignment: The Starting Point

GOALS GOALS

Application

• Reflections from last year – what were key learnings for your team?

• Expanding the Mental Model of System Improvement …the Baldrige Framework

An Organizer and Integrator

Organizing for Deployment

StrategyTeams + =

Leadership Work: The School Profile

• Purpose of the profile• How it will be used• The content• The support documents

Profile 2005-06 SIP

Assignment for December 8

Organize and launch AR teams at your school

Help the teams to complete the background information on

their team projects do flow chart on key process collect, graph, and analyze baseline data

Complete part one of the organizational profile for your school