Special Interest Groups (SIGs) provide a forum within AERA for the involvement of individuals drawn together by a common interest in a field of study, teaching, or research when the existing divisional structure may not directly facilitate such activity. The Association provides SIGs program time at the Annual Meeting, publicity, scheduling, staff support, viability, and the prestige of AERA affiliation.
We are pleased to offer five webinars intended to familiarize you with the concept of a Networked Improvement Community, and each of the four important components and elements of a successful NIC. An introductory 30-minute webinar will feature one or two experts from out team providing key background information about the focal challenges of building a NIC. A facilitated discussion forum will continue for two weeks after the video is posted to this site. At the end of the two weeks, another live webinar with the same expert will be featured. This follow-up webinar will focus on the topics that have arisen through the online forum, as well as questions that are asked live during the webinar.
Tichnor-Wagner, A., Wachen, J., Cannata, M., & Cohen-Vogel, L. (2017). Continuous Improvement in the Public School Context: Understanding How Educators Respond to Plan–Do–Study–Act Cycles. Journal of Educational Change, 18(4), 465–494. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-017-9301-4
Tichnor-Wagner, A., Allen, D., Socol, A., Cohen-Vogel, L., Rutledge, S., & Xing, Q. W. (2018). Studying Implementation Within a Continuous-Improvement Process: What Happens When We Design With Adaptations in Mind? Teachers College Record, 120(5), 1–52.
Peurach, D. J., & Neumerski, C. M. (2015). Mixing Metaphors: Building Infrastructure for Large Scale School Turnaround. Journal of Educational Change, 16(4), 379–420. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-015-9259-z
Bryk, A. S., Sebring, P. B., Allensworth, E., Easton, J. Q., & Luppescu, S. (2010). Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago. University of Chicago Press.
Hannan, M., Russell, J. L., Takahashi, S., & Park, S. (2015). Using Improvement Science to Better Support Beginning Teachers: The Case of the Building a Teaching Effectiveness Network. Journal of Teacher Education, 66(5), 494–508. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487115602126
Gomez, L. M., Russell, J. L., Bryk, A. S., LeMahieu, P. G., & Mejia, E. M. (2016). The Right Network for the Right Problem. Phi Delta Kappan, 98(3), 8–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031721716677256
Proger, A., Bhatt, M., Cirks, V., & Gurke, D. (2017). Establishing and Sustaining Networked Improvement Communities: Lessons From Michigan and Minnesota (REL 2017-264; What’s Happening). Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/Products/Publication/3853
Rubin, M., Patrick, S. K., & Goldring, E. B. (2017). Dilemmas of Prescriptive Practices and Perceived Alignment in Program Implementation. Peabody Journal of Education, 92(5), 609–626. https://doi.org/10.1080/0161956X.2017.1368646
Rutledge, S. A., Brown, S., & Petrova, K. (2017). Scaling Personalization: Exploring the Implementation of an Academic and Social-Emotional Innovation in High Schools. Peabody Journal of Education, 92(5), 627–648. https://doi.org/10.1080/0161956X.2017.1368650
Anderson, S., & Kumari, R. (2009). Continuous Improvement in Schools: Understanding the Practice. International Journal of Educational Development, 29(3), 281–292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2008.02.006
Cravens, X., & Drake, T. (2017). From Shanghai to Tennessee: Developing Instructional Leadership Through Teacher Peer Excellence Groups. International Journal for Lesson and Learning Studies, 6(4), 348–364. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLLS-12-2016-0062
Lewis, C. C., Perry, R. R., & Hurd, J. (2009). Improving Mathematics Instruction Through Lesson Study: A Theoretical Model and North American Case. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 12(4), 285–304. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-009-9102-7
Edgecombe, N., Cormier, M. S., Bickerstaff, S., & Barragan, M. (2013). Strengthening Developmental Education Reforms: Evidence on Implementation Efforts From the Scaling Innovation Project (Working Paper No. 6; pp. 1–48). Community College Research Center.
Fernandez, C., & Yoshida, M. (2004). Lesson Study: A Japanese Approach To Improving Mathematics Teaching and Learning. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410610867
Brown, C., Taylor, C., & Ponambalum, L. (2016). Using Design-Based Research to Improve the Lesson Study Approach to Professional Development in Camden (London). London Review of Education. https://doi.org/10.18546/LRE.14.2.02
Doig, B., & Groves, S. (2011). Japanese Lesson Study: Teacher Professional Development through Communities of Inquiry. Mathematics Teacher Education and Development, 13(1), Article 1.
Fujii, T. (2014). Implementing Japanese Lesson Study in Foreign Countries: Misconceptions Revealed. Mathematics Teacher Education and Development, 16(1), Article 1.
Hallinger, P., & Heck, R. H. (1996). Reassessing the Principal’s Role in School Effectiveness: A Review of Empirical Research, 1980-1995. Educational Administration Quarterly, 32(1), 5–44. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X96032001002
Hiebert, J., & Stigler, J. W. (2017). Teaching Versus Teachers as a Lever for Change: Comparing a Japanese and a U.S. Perspective on Improving Instruction. Educational Researcher, 46(4), 169–176. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X17711899
Redding, C., Cannata, M., & Miller, J. M. (2018). System Learning in an Urban School District: A Case Study of Intra-District Learning. Journal of Educational Change, 19(1), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-017-9310-3
Scanlan, M., Kim, M., Burns, M. B., & Vuilleumier, C. (2016). Poco a Poco: Leadership Practices Supporting Productive Communities of Practice in Schools Serving the New Mainstream. Educational Administration Quarterly, 52(1), 3–44. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X15615390
Woodland, R. H., & Mazur, R. (2019). Examining Capacity for “Cross-Pollination” in a Rural School District: A Social Network Analysis Case Study. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 47(5), 815–836. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143217751077
Phillips, M., Yamashiro, K., Farrukh, A., Lim, C., Hayes, K., Wagner, N., White, J., & Chen, H. (2015). Using Research to Improve College Readiness: A Research Partnership Between the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles Education Research Institute. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR), 20(1–2), 141–168. https://doi.org/10.1080/10824669.2014.990562
Sutherland, S. (2004). Creating a Culture of Data Use for Continuous Improvement: A Case Study of an Edison Project School. The American Journal of Evaluation, 25(3), 277–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ameval.2004.05.009
Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The Impact of Enhancing Students’ Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405–432. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x
Iver, M. A. M., Sheldon, S., Epstein, J., Rice, E., Iver, D. M., & Simmons, A. (2018). Engaging Families in the High School Transition: Initial Findings From a Continuous Improvement Initiative. School Community Journal, 28(1), 37–66.
Thayer, A. J., Cook, C. R., Fiat, A. E., Bartlett-Chase, M. N., & Kember, J. M. (2018). Wise Feedback as a Timely Intervention for At-Risk Students Transitioning Into High School. School Psychology Review, 47(3), 275–290. https://doi.org/10.17105/SPR-2017-0021.V47-3
Amirullah, A. H. (2018). Lesson Study: An Approach to Increase the Competency of Out-of-Field Mathematics Teacher in Building the Students Conceptual Understanding in Learning Mathematics. Journal of Educational Sciences, 2(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.31258/jes.2.2.p.1-13
Beaudoin, C. R., Johnston, P. C., Jones, L. B., & Waggett, R. J. (2013). University Support of Secondary STEM Teachers Through Professional Development. Education, 133(3), 330–340.
Lewis, C., & Perry, R. (2017). Lesson Study to Scale Up Research-Based Knowledge: A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Fractions Learning. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 48(3), 261–299. https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc.48.3.0261
Lozano, M. (2017). Learning in Practice: Exploring the Use of Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycles to Support Professional Learning [Ph.D., UCLA]. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3mn1j51b
This chapter reports mainly the mathematics research lessons component of a two-year intervention project (2006 and 2007) funded by the Centre for Research in Pedagogy and Practice (CRPP). The project team worked closely with a government school to implement Lesson Study as a teacher-directed form of instructional improvement. The chapter introduces the conceptual framework of cultural-historic activity theory and Wenger's community of practice and how they guide our intervention. It then examines the continuous improvement processes and teacher learning through three cases of mathematics research lessons conducted in three Lesson Study cycles. The topics cover long division, area and perimeter, and equivalent fractions in Primary 3 and 4. As the cases highlight, Lesson Study has become not only a powerful tool to bring together knowledge from diverse communities but also a rich site for the induction and mentoring of novice teachers. Researchers' learning from the implementation is equally powerful.
Marsh, J. A., & Farrell, C. C. (2015). How Leaders Can Support Teachers with Data-Driven Decision Making: A Framework for Understanding Capacity Building. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 43(2), 269–289. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143214537229
Schnellert, L. M., Butler, D. L., & Higginson, S. K. (2008). Co-Constructors of Data, Co-Constructors of Meaning: Teacher Professional Development in an Age of Accountability. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(3), 725–750. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2007.04.001
Wayman, J. C. (2005). Involving Teachers in Data-Driven Decision Making: Using Computer Data Systems to Support Teacher Inquiry and Reflection. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR), 10(3), 295–308. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327671espr1003_5
Weller, L. D., & Weller, S. J. (1998). Raising Test Scores through the Continuous Improvement Model. The Clearing House, 71(3), 159–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098659809599351
