Improving problem-solving team activity in an urban elementary school: An improvement science study

• In Event: Leading Under Pressure: Scholar-Practitioner Research on Equity-Minded Data Use

Abstract

This paper describes the results of a year-long mixed methods EdD dissertation conducted in a politically conservative state. The study sought to enhance the performance of a school-based problem solving team (PST). PSTs are a common, data-based practice in schools and have been shown to reduce the number of students who are unnecessarily referred for special education services. This practice has been shown to boost student achievement and promote equity for students served in special education (Akiba & Liang, 2016; Hoover & Erikson, 2015 Functionally, a PST is a problem-solving activity which identifies student needs, select student learning interventions, and revisit these interventions after their implementation to assess their efficacy (Truscott et al., 2005). These interventions are common across many state contexts and have been variously defined within the special education literature (Burns et al., 2005; Knotek, 2003; Rosenfield et al., 2018; Williamson & McLeskey, 2011).

At the study site, the PST had historically had difficulty completing the steps in the problem-solving process, particularly those related to following up on interventions selected for students. Indeed, baseline referral data indicated that despite administrative leadership the PST completed an average of 3.6 steps out of an 8-step problem-solving process. This pattern led the researchers to conduct a Root Cause Analysis, which revealed that the structure and facilitation of the PST meetings was a contributing factor to the ineffectiveness of the team and led to distractions within the meetings that made completion of the problem-solving process difficult.

Concepts from networked improvement science (Bryk et al., 2017), specifically the concept of disciplined inquiry, functioned as both theory and method. The research involved using three, independent Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles to introduce and test research-based change idea in the school’s PST process (Bryk et al., 2017). The change ideas consisted of a pre-meeting protocol, which was designed to gather relevant information before the meeting; a discussion protocol, which altered the structure of the conversation to guide participants’ thinking; and a facilitator’s guide, which aligned with the discussion protocol and supported the facilitator in directing the PST conversation to efficiently use time. Primary data included extant study referral information, exit tickets from PST meetings, transcripts from empathy interviews and focus groups with PST participants, and written observations of PST meetings.

Qualitative and quantitative data analysis produced three findings. First, with the introduction of the three changes, the average number of steps completed in the PST process increased to 6.9 out of steps, which represented a substantial improvement from baseline. Second, participants in the PST process observed significant improvements in the facilitation and productivity of the meetings when the combination of change ideas were introduced. Finally, the structured approach to meeting facilitation contributed to increased follow-up about specific cases. The results of the study are significant in that they demonstrate both improved practice within the school setting as well as the applicability of improvement science to special education practices within schools. The study demonstrates that when educators are equipped with meaningful and actionable data, they can more easily adjust their practices to better serve equity needs.

Authors

• Jamie Henderson, Indiana University

• Chad Lochmiller, Indiana University