Calls for “continuous improvement” commonly arise in discussions about school improvement in the K-12 education system. But educators have various definitions of continuous improvement, and few know what continuous improvement looks like in practice.
To advance this conversation, a new brief from WestEd helps to define continuous improvement both in theory and in practice, and explores:
- To what degree policymakers and practitioners are engaged in continuous improvement efforts
- How policymakers and practitioners define continuous improvement
- The barriers and gaps in support for continuous improvement work
In addition, the brief identifies several distinguishing characteristics of continuous improvement organizations based on a review of research, includes findings from interviews with education leaders, and concludes with a discussion of next steps.
Although this brief was designed for use by California policymakers and educators, its findings apply equally well to any state.
To red the brief, see https://www.wested.org/resources/continuous-improvement-in-practice/
