Time: 3:00–5:00 p.m. Central Time

Location: In person

Description: Join REL Southwest for a free in-person session that will feature an Oklahoma education official discussing the state’s investments in local, collaborative improvement projects and an experienced researcher explaining networked improvement communities (NICs), which apply the principles of improvement science to solve specific problems. Levi Patrick, assistant executive director with the Oklahoma State Department of Education, will provide an overview of the Champions of Excellence Program, which awarded grants to districts to develop innovative improvement projects aligned to Title IV, Part A. Then Kirk Walters, a managing researcher with REL Southwest, will explain improvement science and NICs; he will describe what NICs are, how they are initiated, and how they function and mature over time. Finally, Patrick and Walters will help participants apply what they learn about NICs to current or potential projects in their local contexts.

Partnership or Research Alliance: This in-person bridge event is aligned with the REL Southwest NIC research alliance.

Audience: This event will be open to the public. The primary audience is made up of Champions of Excellence grant coordinators, grantees, and stakeholders. State and district staff, principals, and teachers interested in using a continuous improvement process to identify and scale effective practices also will find the content of value. In addition, community members interested in learning about Oklahoma’s education investments will benefit from attending.

Speakers:

• Kirk Walters, PhD, Managing Researcher, REL Southwest
• Levi Patrick, Assistant Executive Director, Oklahoma State Department of Education