Building educators' confidence and skill in improvement science
A longitudinal study of the STEM Push Network
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22161999 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yiwen Lin (0009-0009-5750-617X, University of Pittsburgh, corresponding author), Jennifer Iriti (0000-0002-5703-9948, University of Pittsburgh), Jennifer Zoltners Sherer (University of Pittsburgh), Danielle Lowry (0000-0002-1634-9085, University of Pittsburgh), Christopher Matthis (University of Pittsburgh), Alison Slinskey Legg (University of Pittsburgh) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2504-284X • E-ISSN: 2504-284X |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/feduc.2025.1691044 |
| OpenAlex | W4416896249 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 44 |
Networked Improvement Communities (NICs) are a promising strategy for professional learning and educational change. However, limited empirical research has quantitatively examined how network participation cultivates educators' improvement science capacities. This study draws on four years of longitudinal data from the STEM PUSH Network—a NIC designed to broaden participation in STEM through collaboration with leaders of pre-college STEM programs. We investigate how deliberate practice and social learning, two central components of the NIC model, shape the development of improvement science confidence and skill. Our findings show that social learning is most strongly associated with educators' confidence in using improvement tools, while meaningful participation in structured improvement groups predicts demonstrated skill. We also find that network tenure—longer-term engagement and sustained exposure to improvement work—is critical for both outcomes. Together, these findings offer the first quantitative and longitudinal evidence of the distinct and nuanced ways NIC participation shapes practitioners' confidence and skill in improvement science. We conclude by discussing implications for future research and practice in the design and facilitation of Networked Improvement Communities
Data collection · Empirical research · Facilitation · Longitudinal data · Longitudinal study · Social facilitation · Social network analysis · Educational Assessment and Improvement · Innovative Education and Learning Practices · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies
Communities of Practice
Redefining teaching, re‐imagining teacher education
Working toward transformation
Designing for Trust-Building Interactions in the Initiation of a Networked Improvement Community
Adapting improvement science tools and routines to build racial equity in out-of-school time STEM spaces
Framework for Implementing Improvement Science in a School District to Support Institutionalized Improvement
Communities of Practice and Social Learning Systems
Psychological Safety
Institutional Ecology, `Translations' and Boundary Objects
In the NIC of Time
Measuring Educators’ Perceived Benefits of Participation in Educational Improvement Networks
Examining the Validity of Practical Measures of Improvement Network Health and Development
Partnering for Improvement
The Practice and Contexts of Hub and District Leadership
Relevance to Practice as a Criterion for Rigor
What Is Improvement Science? Do We Need It in Education
Learning From Adaptation to Support Instructional Improvement at Scale
Attending to Problems of Practice
The Effects of Networked Professional Learning Communities
Situated Learning
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |