Arts , Humanities & Social Science

Abstract

Addressing the learning improvement needs of academically at-risk students is a challenge that school leaders continually struggle with.  This article showcases how a team of school improvement leaders in one urban elementary school setting used an innovative design research methodological approach to: 1) investigate and identify the underlying root causes of their school’s persistent student-learning problems; and 2) develop a targeted professional learning intervention program to address the specific data teaming and differentiated instructional planning support needs of teachers.  A literature-informed discussion is included on how the elementary campus principal and her instructional improvement team utilized applied design research thinking in conjunction with focused data-teaming processes to provide third- and fourth-grade teachers with relevant data literacy and differentiated instructional planning knowledge and skills to effectively address the learning improvement needs of the campus’s large population of economically disadvantaged and academically at-risk students.  Finally, several design principles emerging from the collective results and findings of the elementary school case study are presented that may be of practical use to school leaders seeking to explore the potential of applying educational design research methods in their school settings to jumpstart and invigorate their own context-specific instructional improvement efforts.