The SERP field site structure

The SERP field sites are structured as a set of three closely connected, and partially overlapping, groups: The Core Group, The Design Team, and the Research Team.

• Core Group
• Research Team
• Design Team

Interaction Among the Three Groups

The design group is a generator and incubator of ideas for improvement. Discussions in design group meetings help to reshape the thinking of all participants, including District decision makers, about the nature of the problems to be addressed and the possible solutions. But the final decisions regarding the lines of research, development and evaluation that will be pursued in the field site are made by the Core Group, with veto power resting with the Superintendent.

Once the Core Group sets the direction, however, decisions about research design and implementation, and about tool development, rest with the members of the Research and Design Teams charged with carrying out the work.

The collaborative process creates a set of demands on all participants that are different from business as usual. District participants who are subject to a great many demands daily to solve immediate and pressing problems are asked to set aside time and give priority to solving longer term problems that require sustained attention. The focus on evidence, and on introducing initiatives and reforms in a manner that can generate solid evidence, also requires a commitment to longer term goals.

Research participants generally see problems through the lenses of their disciplines, and strive to establish knowledge with high levels of certainty. The problem solving nature of the SERP work, however, requires that the priority areas are defined by the school district’s leadership, and that the most interesting questions from a research perspective at times give way to the most pressing needs of practice. Moreover, the immediate demands of practice require continuous cycles of trial and error, with redesign and revision in response to observations of practice. Using knowledge to make best bets on approaches to improvement rather than to construct defensible arguments, and a willingness to fail, involves a level of risk taking that is not always comfortable for university researchers.

The bet the SERP model makes is that the rewards for all involved in the field site collaborations will sustain commitment to the challenging work SERP has carved out. The opportunity to learn from many others with deep expertise and experience in the many areas of research and practice represented, and the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the children, are powerful incentives. And like the work SERP is engaged in, the SERP model itself is being tested through trial, error, revision, and redesign. We rely on those participating in the field sites to provide the feedback that can lead to continuous improvement in the SERP model.