Building, Implementing, and Learning From Improvement Plans

Many school administrators, instructional coaches, and teacher leaders at this time are engaged in designing improvement plans or beginning the implementation of plans that were created earlier to achieve school and/or district goals. This process should be built to guarantee that educator learning is an outcome along with increased student learning. Educator learning is more likely to occur if the improvement plans follows this sequence:

  • Identify the desired outcome in terms of student success.

              Nearly all students in freshman algebra will achieve a passing grade. 

              Fifth grade students will increase executive functioning skills to increase readiness for middle school

  • Identify student learning production behaviors that are most likely to lead to successful learning outcomes.

Algebra students approach math challenges with a growth mindset. “With effort I can master this”

             Fifth grade students consciously practice executive functioning skills.

  • Identify the teacher actions that are most likely to generate the identified student actions.

Algebra teachers will provide experiences with “real life” math problems that illustrate students’ mental math problem-solving abilities.

            Fifth grade teachers will identify, model, and provide feedback as students practice executive functioning skills.

  • Hypotheses should be formed around the desired outcomes and student and teacher actions. These hypotheses drive actions, observations, reflections, and educator learning as the plan is implemented.

If building a growth mindset around learning math is a continuous, conscious focus of freshman Algebra teachers, more students will engage greater focus and effort and increase learning results creating a positive spiral. (The words that teachers use when conferring with students are important.)

If fifth grade teachers plan for the instruction and practice of executive functioning skills, students will develop skills that will increase their success as they enter Middle school.    

“A hypothesis emerges from a set of underlying assumptions. It is an articulation of how those assumptions are expected to play out in a given context. In short, a hypothesis is an intelligent, articulated guess that is the basis for taking action and assessing outcomes. Building a culture of effective hypothesizing can lead to more thoughtful actions and a better understanding of outcomes. Not only will failures be more likely to lead to future successes, but successes will foster future successes.”

Jeanne Ross, “Why Hypotheses Beat Goals”

Leadership Actions

With a hypothesis in place, leadership should examine what leadership actions are needed to begin and support the implementation of the plan. While planning backwards the leadership role is the last piece planned and generally the first to be implemented. Here are some questions to guide leadership’s planning:

  • How confident are we that the identified student success outcome (e.g., passing Algebra, increased executive function) is meaningful and measurable? A connected question: Will we be able to spark teacher passions around the desired student outcome.
  • What do we know and not know about the teacher and student actions that are key to the plan?
  • How will we communicate the purpose and expected outcomes of the plan clearly to teachers and students?
  • What leadership actions (e.g., scheduling, PD, co-planning time) are necessary to launch and sustain the plan?
  • How will we monitor the implementation of teacher practices and student behaviors without being evaluative?
  • How will we gather evidence of student behaviors (e.g., use of EF strategies, persistence in Algebra) to assess impact?
  • What opportunities exist for teachers to reflect together on what’s working and what’s not?

Evidence, Reflection, Modify

The learning for educators that will impact student learning occurs through the ongoing collection of evidence, reflecting on that evidence and then taking action based on what is being discovered. Coaching observations by instructional coaches, administrators, and peers can gather the evidence for reflection.

  • Are the suggested teacher actions observable in planning conversations and classroom observations? If not, what might be necessary for teachers to implement the actions? How are teachers describing their experiences with implementing the teacher actions?
  • If the teachers are implementing the hypothesis actions, how are the students responding? Are the desired student learning production behaviors present? If not what modification of teacher actions might be helpful?
  • Are there initial indicators of student increases in success as students engage in the identified learning behaviors?
  • What have we learned so far? What don’t we know yet?

Ultimately, the success of any improvement plan rests on how the design generates learning among educators. When teachers and leaders engage in testing hypotheses, observing impact, and adjusting practice—especially through the collaborative structures of PLCs and the personalized support of coaching—they model the very learning behaviors we seek to develop in students. Professional Learning Communities can provide the space for shared inquiry, dialogue, and collective reflection, while coaching offers targeted, just-in-time support to deepen practice. Each step—from identifying desired outcomes through reflecting on implementation and impacts—becomes an opportunity for professional growth. By centering educator learning as both a means and an end, schools increase the likelihood that improvement efforts will lead to lasting, meaningful gains in student learning.