Building District Capacity for Organizational Learning: Nurturing a Culture of Learning and Continuous Improvement

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 9:00 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Building Collaborative Infrastructures for Educational Equity: State, District, and University Partnerships in Continuous Improvement (Table 10)

Abstract

Substantial research indicates that fostering continuous improvement in schools and districts requires concerted effort to build their capacity to function as learning organizations. In addition to developing robust infrastructures and routines capable of facilitating the work, building that capacity requires leaders to nurture strong cultures of organizational learning and continuous improvement. Such cultures are defined by beliefs that frame an “improvement mindset”, values that support relational trust and collective efficacy, and norms that promote democratic leadership. Through interviews, focus groups, and observation of learning routines, this study presents an instrumental case of leaders working to build such a culture within their district – exploring the ways that they encouraged its development and how it manifested among educators.

Authors

• Christopher Harrison, Florida Southern College

• Lora A. Cohen-Vogel, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Laura Elizabeth Hutson, Florida Southern College

• Thomas Feller, Pitt County Public School District

• Elizabeth Myers, Pitt County Schools

• Elizabeth Simmons, Pitt County Schools