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The Positive Deviance Improvement Approach in Education: A Case Study of School and District Application

Item

Title
The Positive Deviance Improvement Approach in Education: A Case Study of School and District Application
Abstract/Description
The Positive Deviance improvement approach provides a way to learn from the most successful educators within a school or district and is just beginning to emerge in K-12 education. The existing literature on Positive Deviance lacks consistency and relies on a limited number of education-based applications. This study examines the ways and extent that a district uses the Positive Deviance improvement approach to improve outcomes for students. A qualitative single case study provides a deep understanding of the use of the Positive Deviance improvement approach, focused on one district and an elementary school within the district. Data were analyzed using Pascale et al.'s (2010) Positive Deviance methodology and Bryk et al.'s (2015) six principles of improvement as defined by the Carnegie Center for the Advancement of Teaching. Six main themes are explored: developing a networked improvement community, defining a problem to be solved, determining the existence of positive deviants, discovering the successful but uncommon practices used by positive deviants, designing an intervention to bring those practices to scale, and supporting elements. The findings provide an increasingly clear picture of how a school or district can begin to use the Positive Deviance improvement approach to learn from their internal experts and bring their successful strategies to scale.
Author/creator
Blochowiak, Casey M.
Date
2021
Institution
The University of Wisconsin - Madison
Committee
Hillman, Nicholas
Ghousseini, Hala
King, Bruce
Miller, Peter
Salzman, Tina
Resource status/form
en Thesis/Dissertation
Scholarship genre
en Empirical
Keywords
Positive Deviance improvement approach
Open access/full-text available
en No
Peer reviewed
en No
ISBN
9798516061394
URL
Official Dissertation Webpage (via ProQuest Dissertations Website)
Citation
Blochowiak, C. M. (2021). The Positive Deviance Improvement Approach in Education: A Case Study of School and District Application [Ph.D., The University of Wisconsin - Madison]. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations/docview/2546615590/abstract/2085CCFDCBD341CDPQ/11
Rights
Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works.
Type
Ph.D.
Item sets
IRE Theses and Dissertations
Dissertation

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