NIRN Presents at North Carolina Association for Research in Education Conference

On February 13, 2025, Alicia Reynolds Reddi and Yolanda Perkins attended and presented at the North Carolina Association for Research in Education Conference (NCARE).  NCARE Established in 1974, the North Carolina Association for Research in Education (NCARE) works to improve the quality of education in North Carolina through research and evaluation. NCARE members include teachers, principals, school system administrators, university faculty and staff, graduate students, staff of the Department of Public Instruction, members of local education agencies, and people working in private research organizations.  NCARE activities are implemented through its elected officers and board of directors.

Implementation teams are a critical component of successful initiatives. To better understand and enhance team functioning, we developed the Implementation Team Survey (ITS). Inspired by interviews with 61 school leaders, coaches, and curriculum providers who emphasized the importance of fostering cohesive implementation teams, the ITS was adapted from the Michigan Multi-tiered System of Supports (MIMTSS) survey. We administered the 21-item ITS to over 100 respondents from 19 school district implementation teams. Interview findings reflected the importance of fostering cohesive implementation teams. Some interviewees highlighted the need for dedicated meeting time and shared goals to maximize impact. For the ITS analysis, independent t-tests and a one-way ANOVA were conducted to compare the ITS total score by governance structure, leadership stability, and locale for both the 2021 and 2022 school year. No significant differences were found by any of the three district demographic predictors. This study underscores the importance of ongoing reflection on team structure and function to drive continuous improvement and inform future research.

Poster: Unpacking the Functions of Implementation Teams in Supporting Curriculum Implementation