What Is Improvement Science? Do We Need It in Education?

Item

Title

What Is Improvement Science? Do We Need It in Education?

Abstract/Description

The theory and tools of “improvement science” have produced performance improvements in many organizational sectors. This essay describes improvement science and explores its potential and challenges within education. Potential contributions include attention to the knowledge-building and motivational systems within schools, strategies for learning from variations in practice, and focus on improvement (rather than on program adoption). Two examples of improvement science in education are examined: the Community College Pathways Networked Improvement Community and lesson study in Japan. To support improvement science use, we need to recognize the different affordances of experimental and improvement science, the varied types of knowledge that can be generalized, the value of practical measurement, and the feasibility of learning across boundaries.

Author/creator

Lewis, Catherine C.

Date

2015

In publication

Educational Researcher

Volume

44

Issue

1

Pages

54-61

Resource type

Research/Scholarly Media

Scholarship genre

en Theoretical

Keywords

mathematics education

professional development

teacher education/development

organization theory/change

IRE Approach/Concept

Lesson Study

Networked Improvement Community (NIC)

Improvement Science

Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) Cycle

Practical Measures

Featured case/project

Matsuzawa Elementary School Lesson Study

Carnegie Math Pathways (CMP)

Primary national context

Japan

United States

Language

en

Open access/full-text available

en No

Peer reviewed

en Yes

ISSN

0013-189X

DOI

10.3102/0013189X15570388

URL

Publisher Webpage

Grant funding

Institute for Education Services (IES)

National Science Foundation (NSF)

Toyota Foundation

Grant number

IES Grant #R308A960003, R305A070237, and R305A110491

NSF Grant #0207259

Other related resources/entities

The Lesson Study Group

Citation

Lewis, C. (2015). What Is Improvement Science? Do We Need It in Education? Educational Researcher, 44(1), 54–61. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X15570388

Cited in

The Policy Context of United States Educational Innovation and Improvement

Cross-National Research on Continuous Improvement

Critical Perspectives on Educational Innovation and Improvement Science

Equity and Improvement: Engaging Communities in Educational Research

Item sets

Oxford Bibliography: The Policy Context of United States Educational Innovation and Improvement

OB Citations - Cross National Research on Continuous Improvement

OB Citations - Critical Perspectives on Educational Innovation and Improvement Science

OB Citations - Equity and Improvement: Engaging Communities in Educational Research

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