| How is an effective continuous school improvement process designed and implemented?;Obligatory No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation has created a need for data-driven accountability. Additionally, student achievement data has increased steadily over the past 20 years driving a need for assessment literacy and effective school improvement plans. The purpose of this study was to describe the design and implementation of a district-wide school improvement initiative in the Appleton Areas School District (AASD), Appleton, Wisconsin. Theories and processes from quality improvement and school improvement models served as frameworks for the AASD Continuous School Improvement Process (CSIP).;Methodology chosen to answer the research question was a case study that contained a rich description of the ten step school improvement process, including all of the activities related to each step. The ten step process was conducted throughout a calendar year, and was modeled after Shewhart and Deming's Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle (Walton, 1986), and Juran's Total Quality Management concept (Duran, 2004). The research strategy utilized Yin's Case Study Matrix for Four Design Tests and Tactics (2009, p. 41). Construct validity, external validity, external validity and reliability were assured through the analysis of archival data (e.g. field notes, participant feedback) that had been collected over a three year period of time.;Findings of the study were reported through a description of all activities performed in each of the cycle's ten steps. The researcher reported that a process-driven improvement plan connected to a PDSA cycle, in contrast to isolated or disconnected school improvement activities, tended to reinforce the theory and actions of quality improvement. The researcher also found that in a context of school improvement, the definition of leadership and related skills needed by leaders in a PDSA process were frequently unclear. The lack of clarity suggested a paradigm shift from leadership or management skills to leadership and management skills.;The results indicated that further study of the impact a PDSA process has on school improvement plans would be important to inform future design and implementation models. The results also indicated that the complexity of leaders and leadership in the context of school improvement created opportunities to focus further study on how to create and increase capacity of leaders, and to identify and train for a leadership skill set needed to successfully implement a continuous school improvement model. |
