2012 UCEA Convention

Classroom Walkthroughs From District Initiative to Implementation at the Elementary School Level. Margaret Anne Scott, University of Arizona; Kris Bosworth, University of Arizona
This paper summarizes dissertation research conducted in a bounded case study of one elementary school within the district context and its implementation of classroom walkthroughs as a tool for data collection. Twelve interviews were conducted to determine the use of data to inform dialogue and inquiry for the purpose of instructional change. Findings were analyzed using Rogers’ model of the innovation-decision process. Other key themes influencing the implementation are also discussed.
Feedback Systems and School Capacity: A Review of Recent Evidence on Efforts to Improve Instruction. Eric Hougan, University of Washington
This paper reviews quantitative and qualitative studies to examine to what extent school systems’ capacity affect how school leadership deliver feedback to teachers to sustain instructional improvement. The review builds on literature that addresses school capacity and its multiple dimensions: principal leadership, program coherence, technical resources, professional community, and teacher characteristics; how school systems use feedback systems; and the degree of influence the school capacity has on teachers’ work that is embedded in feedback systems. Leading for Change: Participants’ Perceptions of Common Core Professional Development.
Sharon Ann Wilbur, University of Oklahoma; Jean Cate, University of Oklahoma; Leslie Ann Williams, University of Oklahoma; Nicole Watkins, University of Oklahoma; Linda Atkinson, University of Oklahoma; Levi Patrick, University of Oklahoma
This qualitative study examines the impact of Common Core professional development on participants’ perceptions. Grounded in change theory, the study provides foundational research as one state transitions to the Common Core Standards. An analysis of the data reveals a close alignment of participant perceptions to change theory and adult learning theory. The study has implications for school leaders, teachers, professional development providers, and teacher and principal preparation programs.
Understanding What Happened When the Policy Doesn’t “Work”: Implementation Failure? Theory Failure? Evaluation Failure? Michael S. Knapp, University of Washington
Many education policies aimed at educational reforms fail, or appear to do so. This paper explores three explanations for this state of affairs: implementation failure, theory failure, and evaluation failure. Drawing together pertinent literatures and applying them to a published evaluation case, the paper demonstrates how easily one or more of these explanations may be obscured, misapplied, or simply not considered at all. The paper draws conclusions for the design of reform policies.