Organizing for Continuous Improvement in Education

Abstract

In education, the organization of continuous improvement refers to the structure of social relations between subgroups and institutions working to integrate quality improvement into the daily lives of individuals within the PreK-16 education system. On its own, the term social organization generally refers to patterns of relationships both among and between individuals and groups that persist over time, are interrelated, and affect the operations of the entity as well as the actions of its individual members. In a broad sense, organizations engaged in continuous improvement draw from two theories of organizational learning: Englebart’s stratified model of organizational improvement and Argyris’s single- and double-loop learning. These organizations engage in improvement work with regularity, infusing it into the day-to-day activities of members, and situating problems of practice as the naturally occurring outputs of a system as its currently designed. This article provides an overview of the research on the social organization of continuous improvement in education, highlighting selections that inform how the structures through which people interact enhance or inhibit organizational learning. Organized into nine sections, the article begins with a general overview with key selections from organizational studies and closely related fields that inform today’s understanding of improvement-focused organizations. The second section covers early, seminal texts that apply ideas about organizational learning to educational systems. Next are sections related to the organizational forms in which improvement work in education is occurring: research-practice partnerships; research alliances; networked improvement communities; designed-based research collaboratives; interagency restructuring; and individual schools as improvement organizations. The final section focuses on what’s known about how to lead organizations engaged in continuous improvement. The citations, though not exhaustive, provide a comprehensive overview of the topic and provide an entry point for those looking build or study improvement-focused organizations in education. Citations have been included because of their significance in the field and the lessons they hold for their readers.

Interweaving resilience: leadership of continuous improvement partnerships and Mary Parker Follett's theory of relational process

“…Collaborative, continuous improvement partnerships are an emerging form of educational infrastructure for integrating quality improvement approaches into the everyday practices of educators in elementary and secondary education (Cohen-Vogel et al. , 2019).…”

“…Collaborative, continuous improvement partnerships Collaborative, continuous improvement partnerships are an emerging form of educational infrastructure for integrating quality improvement approaches into the everyday practices of educators in elementary and secondary education (Cohen-Vogel et al, 2019). The term "continuous improvement" as applied to education has gained greatest currency in the U.S. context (Bryk et al, 2015;Mintrop, 2016;Smylie, 2010); although related types of approaches to improvement certainly exist outside of the U.S. (e.g.…”