putting evidence to work: a school’s guide to implementation · the evidence and your school...
TRANSCRIPT
Putting Evidence to Work:
A School’s Guide to Implementation
Stuart Mathers, EEF
Judith Kidd, Bradford Research School
May 2018
• Introduction to the evidence around
implementation
• Implementation in your schools
• Implementation activities
Session outline
Education Endowment Foundation
• The EEF is an independent grant-making charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement.
o Founded in 2011 by the Sutton Trust, in partnership with Impetus PEF.
o Established with a £125m grant from the UK Department for Education.
o Focuses on children aged 3-18.
• In 2014 the EEF’s focus was extended to the early years.
• Since 2011 the EEF has awarded £90 million to fund 153 projects working with over 10,000 schools across England.
Helps teachers and leaders make more informed decisions about what to do (and what to stop doing!) to improve outcomes (“best bets”).
Research evidence supplementsexpertise it does not supplant it.
Why use research and evidence?
Evidence-informed improvement cycle
Implementation Matters
In the US, healthcare workers failure to wash hands
effectively was major cause of death – $billions
• Trial showed 66% reduction in infection rates,
~1500 lives in 18 months.
What’s your experience?
Vision> Shared vision> Shared practice
Think of a project you were involved
with, that despite the best intentions,
lost momentum and faded away.
The Evidence…
• Allow enough time, particularly in the
preparation stage; prioritise appropriately.
• Do fewer things better – stop approaches
that aren’t working.
• Specify a tight area of focus for improvement
Be specific
Pupil-level information, data on staffing, resources, stakeholder perceptions
Don’t start with a solution looking for a problem!
• Identify possible approaches to implement. What has worked in similar contexts?
Guidance Reports, Teaching and Learning Toolkit, Evidence for Impact
• Examine fit and feasibility. Will it work for us?
a. Create a clear, logical, and well-specified plan. Describe:
• the issue you want to address;
• the approach you want to implement – active ingredients of the intervention;
• the changes you hope to see – implementation outcomes (e.g. fidelity, reach)
• who will be affected by these changes and how;
• the implementation activities planned to contribute toward this change - multiple
• the resources required; and
• any external factors that could influence results.
Logic model
Use a range of
activities.
Think about
• sequencing
• timing
• working at different
levels
• using existing
capacity
Precision
Rhythm
Alignment
b. Thoroughly assess the degree to which the school is ready to implement
Implementation readiness = motivation + general
capacity + innovation-specific capacity
Prepare practically
Revise plan.. or rethink decision
c. Practically prepare for delivering the approach
• Create a shared understanding of the implementation process
• Introduce new skills, knowledge, and strategies with explicit up-front training.
Understand the theory and rationale behind a new approach;
Introduce skills, knowledge, and strategies
• Prepare the infrastructure – governance, equipment, administrative support (all notable by
their absence).
• Support staff and solve problems using a flexible leadership approach
Expect push-back - manage expectations and encourage ‘buy-in’
• Reinforce initial training with follow-on support within the school
Coaches/mentors - observation, feedback, modelling, encouragement
Conceptual understanding classroom practice
• Use implementation data to drive faithful adoption and intelligent adaption
People like the latter more than the former!
Introduce new skills, knowledge and strategies with
explicit up-front training (p29)
Follow-on support (coaching/mentoring), within the
school setting, helps apply the skills and knowledge that
are introduced in initial training (p33)
Complement expert coaching and mentoring with
structured peer-to-peer collaboration.
Implement coaching plans in a structured manner.
Ensure there is a rhythm, duration and alignment to
professional development activities (don’t overwater!)
• Plan for sustaining and scaling an innovation from the outset.
• Treat scale-up as a new implementation process.
• Continuously acknowledge, support, and reward good implementation practices.
The evidence and your school
Speed Card sort:
1. Divide the cards into two lists: what makes
good implementation and what doesn’t… (5
mins)
2. Now thinking about your school and plans for
next year, which do you think you need to bear
in mind most/ work on? (5 mins)
1. Think about one thing in school you are trying to
change. Can you describe the active ingredients of the
programme/intervention you are using? (5mins alone)
2. Challenge each other. (5mins in pairs)
Are you sure these are active ingredients and not
implementation activities?
Are these essential? Do you know where to be ‘tight’ and
where to be ‘loose’?
the essential principles and
practices within a programme that
relate to the underlying
mechanism of change.
Active Ingredients
1. What is being expected?
Examples: time commitments, staffing commitments (inc.
leadership), training commitments, follow-on support activities,
intersession activities (e.g. planning), capturing & sharing data
2. What is being supported?
Examples: clarity on active ingredients/core components,
training & coaching/mentoring provision, tools and resources,
suggested implementation outcomes.
3. What is being rewarded?
Examples: career progression opportunities, alignment with
OfSTED
Fill in the template for your change
What will be expected,
supported & rewarded?
How does the evidence
around effective
implementation shape your
planning for next year?
Does it affect your approach to
professional development?
Contact detailsBradford Research School:
Email:[email protected]
Follow: @BradResearchSch
Huntington Reseach School:
Email: [email protected]
Follow: @HuntResearchSch
NYC Research School
Email:[email protected]
Follow: @NYCResearchSch