NIRNians Present at the North Carolina Association for Research in Education

Members of the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) are presenting at the North Carolina Association for Research in Education (NCARE) conference this week, highlighting the power of partnership and data-informed systems change. In their poster session, “Partnering for Progress: Root Cause Analysis as a Tool for Shared Educational Vision,” Yolanda Perkins, Ed.S., Kris Earl, Ed.D., Correy Watkins, and Stephen McKinney explore how structured root cause analysis can strengthen collaboration between agencies and districts. Their work emphasizes how shared inquiry processes help leadership teams move beyond surface-level challenges to identify systemic drivers of implementation barriers, creating greater alignment, coherence, and ownership across partners.

In a second poster session, “Teacher Self-Efficacy, Curriculum Acceptability, and Student Math Outcomes,” Megan Bookhout, Ph.D., Yolanda Perkins, Ed.S., and Ximena Franco-Jenkins, Ph.D., examine the intersection of educator beliefs, curriculum implementation, and student outcomes. This work demonstrates how thoughtfully designed dashboards can illuminate relationships among teacher self-efficacy, program acceptability, and math performance. Together, these presentations reflect NIRN’s continued commitment to advancing rigorous research, practical tools, and partnership-driven implementation to improve outcomes for students and systems alike.

Poster: Partnering for Progress: Root Cause Analysis as a Tool for Shared Educational Vision

Poster: Teacher Self-Efficacy, Curriculum Acceptability, and Student Math Outcomes