Champions for Change: Two Essential Roles for an Effective Improvement Team
Two key roles are necessary for effective equity centered improvement work. First, a champion to advance the work and, second, a data lead who is integrated into the improvement team as a thought partner who was able to connect measures and practice.
Our conversations as our team now that we have an exceptional data person has been really squashing assumptions.
Bianca Severino, Senior Director of Student Services, Noble Network of Charter Schools
The Power and Characteristics of an Improvement Champion
Continuous improvement within complex systems such as charter management organizations (CMOs) requires a team working together toward a common goal. Systems Change to Support Students with Disabilities [PDF, 12 pages] summarizes our key lessons learned for identifying the right team. Get Ready, Stay Ready: Will and Capacity Checks Along the Improvement Journey [PDF, 15 pages] describes the will, skills, and capacity needed within the team throughout the improvement journey, including project launch and expansion.
Key Considerations
This brief describes two critical roles within the team:
An improvement lead: An effective leader of the improvement team needs sufficient time to lead the team, influence within the network, some physical presence at the school sites, and participatory leadership skills.
Data lead: An effective data lead provides insights about how to measure changes in practice and outcomes and how to collect and analyze necessary data. The data lead ensures that the team routinely uses data to check whether changes enacted with teachers and students are in fact leading to improvements.
Explore More Findings
Topic 1
Systems Change to Support Students with DisabilitiesExplore Topic 1
Topic 2
Centering Students with Disabilities to Create Powerful ChangeExplore Topic 2
Topic 4
Continuous Quality Commitment: Iterative Learning Cycles to Meet System ChallengesExplore Topic 4
Topic 5
Get Ready, Stay Ready: Will and Capacity Checks Along the Improvement JourneyExplore Topic 5Stay Informed about Research Updates
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