How to Prepare a Skilled Educational Workforce: Institutes of Higher Education (IHE) Closing the Research-to-Practice Gap in a Community of Practice (CoP)

Introduction

Our Institutes of Higher Education (IHEs) have one of the most important jobs in education – preparing a skilled workforce to educate each and every student in our nation. They are on the front lines, shaping and molding our future teachers and administrators. In this post, we will describe how seven Institutes of Higher Education come together in a Community of Practice (CoP) to support one another as they embed implementation science, practice, and research into their program syllabi and activities. All efforts are directed to assist IHE students and scholars in improving outcomes for students with disabilities.

Seven IHEs participate in the CoP: Utah State University, University of Arizona, University of Delaware, University of North Dakota, Portland State University, University of Utah, and University of Washington.

The purpose of a Community of Practice is to bring together a group of people who share a common interest or passion for something they want to learn more about and do better (Wenger, 1998). To capitalize on the wisdom behind the use of CoPs, SISEP offered Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)-funded IHE doctoral and leadership programs the opportunity to join the IHE CoP. Interested faculty from other IHE programs (i.e., school leadership, teacher preparation) were invited to join as well.

This is the second year of the IHE CoP. Two leaders from each IHE commit to meeting six times per year for 90 minutes. The aim is to support the teaching, sharing of ideas, and application of implementation science, practice, and research into IHE courses of study for aspiring leaders in education. To accomplish this, IHE leaders focus on three goals:

1. Increase a skilled workforce in special education that is prepared to support and lead the use of implementation science in education; 
2. Expand opportunities to engage in the application and dissemination of implementation science at the national, regional, state, and local levels; and 
3. Provide students with access to implementation science research and practice within various programs.

At the heart of a Community of Practice is sharing ideas, what works, what might work, and what seldom works. It is the opportunity to fail upward with some ideas, to test them in practice, and to know when a change is an improvement. This process takes a shared commitment and willingness to be vulnerable. Seven IHEs agree on how they will accomplish the OSEP goals in a Purpose to Product document. The Purpose to Product document describes why the IHE CoP is needed. It outlines the features, benefits, and purpose of a new way of work and the driving force behind its development that guides the work.

Purpose to Product Components

Guiding Our Work:

• We seek to fill the research-to-practice gap using Implementation Science as we engage as learning partners who ask questions to deepen our common knowledge, as we recognize various levels of implementation science knowledge and skills. 
• Together, we honor context, are open to new approaches, and increase opportunities to engage in the application and dissemination of implementation science.

Bringing the Formula for Success to life guides our work as we learn how to use the Five Active Implementation Frameworks (AIF) in OSEP-funded IHE doctoral and leadership programs. When the AIFs are used intentionally, the evidence suggests socially significant outcomes are achieved because three key ingredients are co-developed, used, and consistently measured with integrity: Effective Practices, Implementation Support, and an Enabling Context where teams use data regularly to remove barriers and deliver the resources practitioners request – because we cannot improve what we do not measure. The result is a spreadable system for ongoing improvement efforts.

Our Structure

We participate in six 90-minute virtual CoP sessions per year to share syllabi and practices that promote co-learning and engage in focused small-group discussions to support the integration of implementation science into coursework. Together, we examine practices, resources, and tools for use in IHE program syllabi and activities (i.e., internships, practicums) relevant to the IHE context. Implementation science content and learning is developed based on the IHEs’ expressed needs and alignment to their sharing of individual practice during our CoPs.

Our Practice

We engage in shared review of IHEs’ program syllabi and activities to align course objectives with implementation science practices. We co-develop instructional content using resources, tools, and lessons from the Active Implementation Hub and other research-based implementation and improvement practices. We share our portfolio of sample syllabi, coursework, activities, and implementation stories with the field.

Our Products

Examples of IHE program syllabi and activities that integrate implementation science into OSEP-funded programs and coursework are shared. This provides students access to implementation science research and practice within various IHE programs. We hope to expand a skilled workforce in special education that is prepared to support and lead the use of implementation science. In the spirit of a CoP, we disseminate what we have learned to advance our knowledge in the field.

IHE Partners share why they place value on participation in the IHE CoP

Sharing and collaboration: “Hearing the experience and efforts of others and specific struggles, challenges, and lessons learned.”

Sustained integration: “Incorporated implementation science into Ed.D. curriculum and dissertation efforts and the opportunity to integrate the SISEP micro-credential program into our coursework.”

Effective use: “Helped me think through more tangible activities or how to implement the content without a formal course – In fact, I incorporated what we learned today in my class this week!”

Increased knowledge: “Reminded me of the importance of implementation science in the world of action research and how to help others make linkages between the two.”

As you consider what IHEs place value on and you review the examples below of how IHE partners are integrating the research and practices of implementation science, perhaps your IHE is interested in participating in our IHE CoP.

Please contact SISEP at sisep_cop@unc.edu to learn how you can be part of this powerful IHE CoP and collaborate with your IHE colleagues.

Examples of how our IHE Partners are Closing the Research to Practice Gap

Action Research Process Overview with Guiding Activities (University of Delaware: SEAL)

The Action Research Process Overview with Guiding Activities is a key resource for scholars in the University of Delaware’s Special Education Administrative Leadership (SEAL) program. This tool outlines a four-stage framework for conducting action research projects throughout this alternate route to the certification program. It helps scholars understand when and how to apply foundational action research practices while integrating concepts and skills from implementation science at each stage. This 4-stage process is rooted in the work of Sagor and Williams (2017) and Parsons et al. (2013), ensuring a research process that is both rigorous and practical.

Course Syllabus Integrating Implementation Science Research and Foundations (University of Utah)

Special Education 7831 – Seminar in Systems Change, Coaching, and Consulting is a two-credit doctoral seminar course in the Department of Special Education at the University of Utah. This course is designed for doctoral students to understand the implementation of multi-tiered systems of support in school-wide and district-wide settings, including the interaction of behavioral and academic outcomes, processes of scaling-up evidence-based practices, and principles of consultation and collaboration with schools, districts, and community organizations serving children with and without disabilities. The Active Implementation Frameworks are used as a foundation for the content and assignments to ground the work in the research and foundations of implementation science.

Closing

Preparing a skilled workforce in special education that is prepared to support and lead the use of implementation science in education has tremendous promise for the children, students, and families we are called to serve. The IHEs who participate in this CoP are trailblazers. They are leading the way for other IHEs to integrate implementation and improvement science practices into their programs of study within OSEP-funded doctoral and leadership projects and programs. Through this process, they develop the capacity of a skilled workforce that touches every level of the educational system: state, region, district, school, teacher, family, and community. In turn, they are closing the gap between the facts that research brings to bear and how that research can be practiced with fidelity in the unique context of districts, schools, and classrooms.

Resources

The Active Implementation Frameworks One-pager

Implementation Practice Video and Handouts

References

Fixsen, D., Blase, K., Metz, A., & Van Dyke, M. (2013). Statewide implementation of evidence-based programs. Exceptional children, 79(2), 213-230.

Parsons, J., Hewson, K., Adrian, L., & Day, N. (2013). Engaging in action research: A practical guide to teacher-conducted research for educators and school leaders. Brush Education.