Improving Outcomes for All Students: Bringing Evidence-Based Practices to Scale March 25, 2009 MN RtI Center Conference Cammy Lehr, Ph.D. EBP & Implementation

Improving Outcomes for All Students: Bringing Evidence-Based Practices to Scale

March 25, 2009MN RtI Center Conference

Cammy Lehr, Ph.D.EBP & Implementation Specialist

Minnesota Department of Education

Agenda

• Background

• Big Picture

• Progress in Minnesota

• Next Steps

• Discussion

© Dean Fixsen, Karen Blase, Robert Horner, George Sugai, 2008

Outcomes for Children, Families,

& Communities

Education that “works” for all Students

Bureaucracy

Teachers & Staff

Policies

Districts and Schools

“Between saying and doing

is the sea.”

(Italian Proverb)

Background

• In June of 2008, Minnesota was one of four states selected to work actively with a new national technical assistance center

• Additional states include– Michigan, Illinois, and Oregon

• States in development– Virginia and Missouri

National Center on State Implementation of Scaling-up of Evidence-based Practices (SISEP)

• Funded by United States Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs

• Based at the University of North Carolina• Dean Fixsen, Karen Blase (U of North

Carolina), George Sugai (U of Connecticut), Rob Horner (U of Oregon)

• Goal: Building state capacity for scaling up evidence-based practices

Purposes of the Project • Support implementation and scaling up

of evidence based practices to improve academic, social, and emotional outcomes for students

• To scale up interventions and improved practices we must first scale up implementation capacity

• Building implementation capacity is essential to maximizing the use of EBPs and other innovations

Systemic Benefits will Include Increased

• Knowledge about how to implement programs so that intended impact consistently occurs

• Accessibility of evidence based programs and practices on a broader basis for all students

• Alignment of system structures and functions to support multiple initiatives

• Ability to generalize implementation skills for other evidence based practices

• Organizational capacity to move proven practices to large scale, sustained implementation

• Academic, social, and emotional outcomes for all students

So…What Do We Scale Up?

Common Principles

of

Effective Practice (CPEP)

Key Components of Implementation (“How”)

►Stage Based implementation Activities (exploration, adoption, installation, innovation, sustainability)

►Core Implementation Components(selection, training, coaching, evaluation, leadership, systems intervention)

►Active Alignment of Policies and Procedures (implementation teams, ongoing feedback loop, collaboration, data supports)

Principles of Effective Practice (“What”)► Defined and Measurable Goals and Outcomes► Data-based Evaluation and Decision-making ► Evidence Based Practices► Levels of Support Geared According to All Student

Needs ► Implementation of Instruction/Intervention as Intended ► Relevant Programmatic Tailoring and Culturally

Responsive Instruction ► Alignment with MN K-12 Academic State and Local

Standards ► Parent and Community Involvement

A Vision of What We Want to See Consistently in Minnesota’s Schools to Effect Positive Student Outcomes

Implementation Science

+ Components of Effective Practice

_________________________________

= Sustained

High Quality

Evidence-based

Education Practices

Statewide

Benefits Will Include Improved

• Knowledge about how to implement programs and practices in schools so intended impact consistently occurs

• Accessibility and availability of evidence-based programs and practices on a broader basis for all students

• Alignment of system structures and functions to support multiple initiatives

• Organizational capacity to move proven practices to large scale, sustained implementation

• Outcomes and results across multiple domains (academic, behavior, social/emotional, physical) for all Minnesota students

What Does It Look Like?

1. Teach understanding of science of implementation to effect fidelity and sustainability (e.g., implementation occurs in stages)

2. Teach the foundational underpinnings – common principles of effective practice (e.g., decisions must be made based on data)

3. Apply foundational underpinnings to content focused evidence based practice that is designed to impact a positive student outcome

4. Teach knowledge of content area (depth)

Scaling Up Evidence Based Practices translated

Building Capacity of Systems to Provide Accessibility of Quality Educational Practices

for All Children

The Focus is on Building Infrastructure and Aligning Focus

So…

how is it going to happen?

• To scale up interventions and improved practices we must first scale up implementation capacity

• Building implementation capacity is essential to maximizing the use of Evidence Based Practices and other innovations

Current Methods are Insufficient• Diffusion/dissemination of information by itself does not

lead to successful implementation • Training alone, no matter how well done, does not lead to

successful implementation

• Implementation by laws/ compliance by itself does not work

• Implementation by “following the money” by itself does not work

• Implementation without changing supporting roles and functions does not work

(Fixsen, Naoom, Blase, Friedman, Wallace, 2005)

What Works ….

Creating the infrastructure and competencies needed for practice, organizational and system improvement:– Ongoing professional development for teachers,

administrators and staff– Developing and using practical data systems to make

decisions at student, classroom, school and district levels– Aligning administrative practices, funding mechanisms,

and regulations to support high quality, sustainable implementation

– Creating or modifying structures to support new functions and roles

– Leadership that is outcome-oriented and process-sensitive

What’s Next?....The Big Picture

• Four years of intensive and focused activity

for Minnesota from national experts building on existing strengths

• Guide capacity development through the use of management, transformation, & implementation teams– State Management Team– State Transformation Team– Regional Implementation Team

State Management

Team

State Transformation

Team

Regional Implementation

Team

N = 50 – 200 Schools


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Regional Implementation Team Competencies

• What will members of the Regional Implementation Teams need to know?– A group that knows the innovation very well (formal and

practice knowledge)– A group that knows implementation very well (formal and

practice knowledge) – A group that knows improvement cycles to make intervention

and implementation methods more effective and efficient over time

What Will Regional Implementation Team Members Do?

• Convene, collaborate, partner, build on strengths• Work with program developers and researchers to analyze the

infrastructure needed for implementation• Establish and embed the implementation infrastructure that teachers

and administrators need for successful implementation• Provide and embed integrated and effective training, coaching, and

evaluation systems and routines into the way of work• Help develop and improve practical data systems that can be used

to improve both practices and policies• Promote the development of hospitable administrative practices to

support implementation• Influence District and State to support implementation practices and

infrastructure

Regional Implementation Team Fosters “Readiness”

Implementation Team

Prepare Communities

Prepare schools and staff

Work with Researchers

Assure Implementation

Prepare Districts Assure Student Benefits

Create Readiness

Parents and Stakeholders

Alignment Happens

State Department

Districts

Schools

Teachers/ Staff

Effective Practices

AL

IGN

ME

NTFederal

Departments

Imp

lem

enta

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eam

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FORM SUPPORTS FUNCTION

“Once the capacity to implement is established, that capacity can be used year after year to implement a range of specific evidence based academic and behavior improvement practices.”

(Fixsen et al., 2007)

What’s currently in place

And what’s next?

Currently in place…

• State Management Team formed• Cross-divisional MDE CPEP Leadership

Team – composed of members internal and external to MDE

• Education Stakeholder Team to Support and Advise (intentional heterogeneous group from across Minnesota)

• 1st State Transformation Specialist in place

Next Steps…• State Management Team operations

– Establish communication protocols for policy to practice and practice to policy feedback loops

• Hiring of 2nd State Transformation Specialist• Selection of 1st Regional Consortium of districts/schools• Selection of 1st Generation Regional Implementation Team

members

• Implementation Institute in March 2009 to train 1st Generation Regional Implementation Team

• Initiation of Regional Implementation Team activity in Spring

An Exciting Opportunity

• In process - Select a region where a consortium of schools or districts, and associated, supporting partners (such as Institutions of Higher Education, regional educational service entities, community or business organizations, charter schools and non-profit organizations and others) voluntarily organize and apply to participate.

• The first Regional Implementation Team will work with the selected regional consortium!


Selection Dimensions…

The Regional Consortium of district/schools

• has documented experience with implementation of an evidence-based practice

• has demonstrated commitment of leadership at the district and school level to implementing effective practices and programs

• shows an established need for implementation of one or more evidence-based practices

• is about 120 miles from Minneapolis/St. Paul area• completed and submitted an application


Selection…Willing and Able to:

Collaborate• Collaborate to further the goals of the project• Participate in-state as a “learning center” and nationally with

a community of practice from other states• Work with MDE and SISEP by providing feedback and

finding solutions to alignment issues

Contribute Resources• Dedicate time and resources at district and school level for

practice change initiatives• Dedicate at least 1.0 FTE to the Implementation Team• Strengthen infrastructure over time to support the use of

evidence-based practices

Embrace Change and Lead• Function as a “transformation zone” • Develop active and engaged Leadership Teams at multiple

levels• Review and align policies and procedures based on practice

feedback


Selection…An overall willingness and culture that:

• Tolerates ambiguity• Takes responsible risks• Problem-solves and integrates solutions• Collaborates and partners at all levels• Is persistent and committed to longer-term

benefits

Benefits…Short term benefits include• Gaining knowledge and technical assistance about implementation

strategies (the “how”) to install and sustain common principles of effective practice within the application of an evidence based practice (the “what”)

• Strengthen collaborative relationships (local, district, regional, state and national)

• Effectively utilize district and school level teams


Benefits…Long term benefits include• A sustainable infrastructure for implementing evidence based

practices within the district

• Active participation in providing input to help build state level infrastructure for implementation of evidence based strategies throughout Minnesota’s schools

• Increased efficiencies through the development of generic structures of implementation to use with specialized knowledge for the installation of additional evidence based practices

• Improved student outcomes across multiple domains tied to implementation of evidence based practices

An Exciting Adventure to Effect Sustained Positive Change…!

State Implementation of Scaling-up Evidence-based Practices

www.scalingup.org

Resources include• Current updates and information• Concept paper• Annotated bibliography

Discussion

Thank You For Your Interest and Participation!

Questions or More Information…

Cammy Lehr, [email protected](651) 582-8563School Improvement and Accountabilityhttp://education.state.mn.us/mde/

Thank You!

Documents

Improving Outcomes for All Students: Bringing Evidence-Based Practices to Scale March 25, 2009 MN RtI Center Conference Cammy Lehr, Ph.D. EBP & Implementation