Evaluation of Dynamic Impact in Worcester County Public Schools [2023]

Johns Hopkins Center for Research and Reform in Education, 300 East Joppa Road Suite 500, Baltimore, MD 21286. Tel: 410-616-2338; Fax: 410-324-4444; Web site: https://education.jhu.edu/crre/

Y

18

Program Implementation; Public Schools; Educational Improvement; Fidelity; Administrator Attitudes; Teamwork; Outcomes of Education; Goal Orientation; Educational Planning; Principals; Evidence Based Practice; Elementary Secondary Education

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate administrator perceptions of the second-year implementation of Dynamic Impact (DI) in Worcester County Public Schools (WCPS) by Johns Hopkins' Center for Technology in Education (CTE). As described by CTE, DI builds the capacity of school districts to form and sustain high-performing teams using several protocols to guide their work together as they implement school improvement plans. This descriptive study collected and analyzed interview data to document district and school administrators' perceptions of DI as implemented in WCPS, including the following: (1) Motivations and hopes for using DI to develop and implement school improvement plans; (2) Perceptions of stakeholder engagement in DI and its protocols; (3) Perceptions of the impact of DI; and (4) Overall reactions to DI. Senior administrators at WCPS were asked to participate in interviews, as were principals of schools in the Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) program. Data collection took place during the spring semester of 2023. Findings suggest that school and district administrators see DI as a productive school improvement process that engages a broad array of stakeholders, examines root causes of issues, develops action plans to support the implementation of evidence-based practices and implements the practices with fidelity, and engages in ongoing progress monitoring and adjusting plans as needed.

ERIC

2024

ED642816