Focused on a well-specified aim: The Network engages K-6 schools serving high proportions of Flint kids and low-income students of color to improve academic outcomes.
Guided by a deep understanding of the problem, the system that produces it, and a theory of improvement relevant to it: The Network combats the “solutionist” approach of assigning solutions to issues impacting Flint kids without first deeply understanding the context in which Flint kids experience such issues.†††† Through the Network, leaders take time to deeply understand the problems that limit success for Flint kids and develop practical solutions that are curated to their specific needs.
Disciplined by rigorous improvement science: The Network embraces the core principles of improvement science, which include: making the work problem-specific and user-centered; variation in performance is the key problem to address; see the system that produces the current outcomes; we cannot improve at scale what we cannot measure; anchor improvement in disciplined inquiry; and accelerate improvements through networked communities.
Coordinated to accelerate the development, testing, and refinement of high-impact practices and their effective integration into varied educational contexts: The Network works to influence transformational systems change by creating a well-coordinated system of innovation and learning across a diverse cohort of schools to ensure all participants can implement the improvement ideas generated.
