Social network analysis (SNA) is a research method that, when applied to improvement science, can help leaders understand the strength of relationships within their organization. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a lasting impact on organizational norms, and it has interrupted relationship building efforts. This paper documents a case study of the…

The Alhambra Elementary School District in Phoenix, Arizona, uses the Standards for Professional Learning to shape and guide their planning and professional learning design, and embeds them in meetings and learning opportunities for district-level directors, specialists, and coaches to ensure they integrate them throughout their work across the…

The article aims to develop a theory of biographical knowledge and practices of aesthetic articulation. Thus, it examines the aesthetic practices of young people beyond their verbal utterances. Using seven video case studies, it demonstrates the extent to which biographical knowledge is articulated in aesthetic practices -- drawing, dancing,…

The evaluation of teaching quality and practice is increasingly important in higher education and usually done via student surveys (quantitative data) alone. Much less attention is given to teachers' self-evaluations of teaching practice (qualitative data). This emphasis on quantitative over qualitative data can result in incomplete and biased…

This case provides opportunities for school leaders, including coaches, to examine ways to lead learning and build teacher capacity. Told from the perspective of a newly hired elementary instructional coach in a suburban district experiencing rapid growth, the intent of this case study is to explore how leaders and coaches can work together to…

Reflection in action research is a complicated matter because of the many domains of reflection and most significantly, the lack of understanding of these domains of reflection in action research and how these are supported. In this paper, we propose a framework based on four domains of reflection, namely, scientific, artistic, moral and technical…

Course evaluation instruments (CEIs) are widespread, influential components of faculty professional development and evaluation processes. Given their importance to continuous instructional improvement and their weight in promotion, tenure, and other evaluation processes, it is critical that business schools and higher education institutions more…

The approach to motivational interviewing discussed in this book will be useful to student affairs professionals and academic advisors working in a variety of higher education positions. It begins in Chapter 1 by providing a description and a brief history of MI, noting some of its connections to counseling and social psychology. Chapter 2…

The importance, and associated challenges, of faculty ownership and engagement in the assurance of learning (AoL) process are well documented in the literature. The authors demonstrate how schools can further their AoL objectives by encouraging and subsequently supporting organic, faculty-led initiatives. Specifically, we present a case study of a…

In physics, idealized models are often used to simplify complex situations. The motivation of the idealization is to make the real complex system tractable by adopting certain simplifications. In this treatment some unnecessary, negligible aspects are stripped away (so-called Aristotelian idealization), or some deliberate distortions are involved…

The story of the Institute for Health Professions at Cambria Heights illustrates the positive impact of using performance assessments rather than relying on the state Regents exams.

As state governments seek to improve the performance of institutions of K-12 and higher education, they often adopt educational policies that have similar names but different characteristics across states and with variations over time within states. Yet quantitative analyses generally examine the absence or presence of an educational policy…

This article describes the strategies employed to make a university-wide commitment to student success, persistence, and graduation rates. The shift in culture has made student success everybody's business, and there has been a high level of buy-in to the enterprise. The predictive tools that have been developed have given focus to serving those…

Educational assessments provide data that give policymakers a "snapshot" of how students are performing and serve as a means of holding teachers, schools, and districts accountable. Many contend, however, that assessments could do more to promote deeper learning in K-12 environments. One interesting possibility is the use of…

The Domain Five Observation Instrument (DFOI) is a competency-based observation instrument recommended for sport leaders or researchers who wish to evaluate coaches' instructional behaviors. The DFOI includes 10 behavior categories and four timed categories that encompass 34 observable instructional benchmarks outlined in domain five of the…