Each year, the National Center for Education Statistics hosts the STATS DC Data Conference.  This year's conference was held in Washington D.C. on August 1-3.  Two MNPS employees presented at this conference.

Laura Hansen, MNPS Director of Information Management and Decision Support, was part of a expert panel on Wednesday, August 2nd entitled, A Tense Marriage: Governing the Relationships Among Data Interoperability, Security, and Privacy.  This session discussed the tension between balancing the needs to support students and teacher in experiencing high quality learning experiences while maintaining appropriate barriers and privacy protections for students.

Dr. Margie Johnson, MNPS Collaborative Inquiry Coordinator, co-presented with Dr. Stephanie Wilkerson, president of Magnolia Consulting, on Wednesday, August 2nd about MNPS' journey to implementing collaborative inquiry data use practices throughout the district.  The session entitled, A District's Journey of Implementing Effective Data Use Practices, shared MNPS's data journey toward developing and implementing the Data-Informed Decision-making Ecosystem, of which collaborative inquiry is the heart of the ecosystem and serves as a guide for empowering educators to use data, no matter the source, for making informed decisions.  Tools developed to support the implementation of the ecosystem, including the Teacher Data Use Survey and MNPS IC Map for Collaborative Inquiry were shared with participants.  The PowerPoint for this session is available HERE.

(Stephanie and I also have a published article mentioned in the PowerPoint.  If you would like a copy of it, please email me requesting a copy.)

The presentations from the conference should be available online soon.  If you want to check out their website, you can access it at http://www.mnpscollaboration.org/collaboration-corner-blog/ci-update-do-you-understand-the-words-coming-out-of-my-mouth.

If you need any support with collaborative inquiry and/or have a story to tell, please contact Margie Johnson at [email protected].

I had the honor and opportunity to represent MNPS’ Collaborative inquiry work and a Multi-State Data Use Standards working group at the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement conference this past weekend. 
 
While following the conference hashtag, #ICSEI2017, on Twitter, one of my colleagues from Belgium shared the above quote.  Needless to say, I loved it and completely agree with it.
 
I remember June 4, 2014 when a diverse group of 41 educators and community partners across the district came together to begin discussing data use and the barriers to having effective data use practices in MNPS.  Several barriers (at least 33) were identified at this time.  Using a consensus building protocol, we narrowed the focus to the top 3, which were:

• lack of a common language
• lack of trust throughout the organization
• lack of leadership modeling (“walking the walk”)
  

After identifying these barriers, logic models were developed to create road maps for overcoming the barriers.  These roadmaps have served to inform the collaborative inquiry work for the past 3 years.

To address the common language issue, a committee was convened throughout 2015 to develop the MNPS Innovation Configuration (IC) Map for Collaborative Inquiry and was revised after 4 months of implementation where 5 middle schools (Haynes, Margaret Allen, Two Rivers, West End, and Wright Middle Preps) provided feedback to make it better.
 
Another committee was convened during 2015 to develop an evaluation plan for collaborative inquiry.  If we expected schools to use data for making informed decisions, then we needed to “walk the walk.”  A Teacher Data Use Survey, interviews, focus groups, and observations were used to collect data to answer the below questions:

• How and where is collaborative inquiry occurring in MNPS schools and with what fidelity?
• How does the culture of MNPS support collaborative inquiry and promote the integration of collaborative inquiry as essential to the work of the district?
• What preparation and support needed to implement collaborative inquiry are teachers and administrators receiving?
• Is collaborative inquiry making a difference for teaching and learning in MNPS?

Access the MNPS Collaborative Inquiry Evaluation Infographic HERE.  Read more about the complete evaluation plan HERE.
 
The MNPS Collaborative Inquiry has only been able to get as far as it has because we are doing it together.  If you have a collaborative inquiry success story to share OR need any collaborative inquiry support, please feel free to contact Margie Johnson at [email protected].

The above line from Rush Hour is a favorite one for my sons and me, so I thought it would be a great way to get your attention…..
 
One of the barriers identified for implementing collaborative inquiry was the lack of a common language.  When starting something new, sometimes assumptions are made that we are all on the same page and that you “understand the words coming out of my mouth”.
 
During the summer of 2015, a committee convened to develop an Innovation Configuration map (IC Map) for Collaborative Inquiry.  (Check out the below videos to learn more about IC Maps.)  One of the great aspects of an IC Map is it is always a working draft as the pilot with the 5 Community of Practice schools in the spring provided some feedback to improve the IC Map.

• What is an Innovation Configuration Map?
• Example of an Innovation Configuration Map
  

The original IC Map for Collaborative Inquiry can be accessed here.
 
I am excited to share the updated, revised version of the MNPS IC Map for Collaborative Inquiry, where the feedback and information we learned from the community of practice was integrated into it.  The biggest revision was to component D.  Previously, component D stated, “The team uses relevant data to drive decision making.” 
 
A critical aspect that was left out of this component was the collaborative inquiry process; therefore, the below definition of collaborative inquiry was created and integrated into the new IC Map.  Now, component D states “The team uses the collaborative learning cycle when investigating relevant data to guide decision making” and the collaborative learning cycle was explicitly added to the component, especially during this time that we are all building our capacity to use collaborative inquiry for facilitating data conversations.

The updated IC Map for Collaborative Inquiry can be accessed here.
 
If you have more feedback or suggestions for improvement, please feel free to email Margie Johnson at [email protected] OR complete the feedback form located here.
 
Thanks for all you do and for joining me on this learning journey to foster a culture of collaborative inquiry throughout MNPS.

If you have been part of the collaborative inquiry work long, REL Appalachia is a name that has been mentioned.  REL (Regional Educational Laboratory) Appalachia has been MNPS’ partner supporting the collaborative inquiry work for fostering effective data use practices.  REL Appalachia is one of 10 federally funded RELs and provides research-based support to KY, TN, VA, and WV.  MNPS is fortunate to be the only district throughout the US with a partnership with a REL.
 
During the first year of our partnership, time was spent bringing together diverse stakeholders representing middle school teachers, coaches, assistant principals, principals, and central office departments.  Time was spent with Dr. Laura Lipton and Bruce Wellman building our capacity around collaborative data use practices and then taking deeper dive in discussion of two critical implementation questions:

• What are the barriers to implementing collaborative inquiry throughout the district; and
• What would be the ideal once the barriers are removed?

The top three barriers identified were lack of a common language, lack of trust, and lack of leadership modeling.  The logic models created to address these three barriers helped provide a roadmap for year 2’s work.
 
In year two, work began to address two of the barriers—lack of common language and lack of leadership modeling.  To address the lack of a common language barrier, a committee worked with national experts to develop the MNPS Innovation Configuration Map (IC Map) for Collaborative Inquiry.  This map provides a common language about observable behaviors when collaborative inquiry is occurring.  It has a progression, so teams can use the IC Map in a variety of ways.  The Institute of Education Sciences created two videos highlighting MNPS’ IC Map work:

• What is an Innovation Configuration Map?
• Example of an Innovation Configuration Map

To address the lack of leadership modeling barrier, a committee of MNPS stakeholders worked with REL Appalachia to develop an evaluation plan, which was then used during the community of practice implementation in Spring 2016 to collect data and monitor the progress of implementation.  This final report is still being reviewed by IES, but will be available soon.
 
If you want to learn more about this work and/or would like support implementing collaborative inquiry data use practices, please contact Margie Johnson at [email protected].

More exciting things happening this week in the world of collaborative inquiry.  Remember, there's no checklist for collaborative inquiry as it is a cultural norm for the way we work together to honor, value, and leverage the expertise within MNPS.

 A what???  That's what I usually hear when I say the words, "Innovation Configuration" to people.   What is it?  Why do I care?  How could I possibly use it?

To help answer those questions, REL Appalachia created two videos to add to our Collaborative Inquiry Toolkit.  You can find them on the About page of our toolkit: http://www.mnpscollaboration.org/about.html. 

The 2016 Nashville Analytics Summit was hosted at the Omni Hotel with more than 400 participants from various organizations in the Nashville area.  The Summit focuses on a fundamental issue in organizations today: how to effectively leverage analytics.

Dr. Margie Johnson presented a 90 minute workshop on August 11th sharing about the MNPS data warehouse, its implementation and lessons learned, particularly the development of the Data-Informed Decision Making Ecosystem.  The ecosystem is the framework used by MNPS for building the capacity of employees to use data for making informed decisions.  To access the workshop materials, please click on one of the below pictures.

Vote now to send MNPS to the SXSWedu 2017 conference in Austin, TX! We have two innovative session ideas we want to share with our education community, but we need your vote to make that happen.

Implementation Road Map to Expected Results - Learn about a cool tool for implementing education initiatives!  Discover how educators and researchers can use it to define and guide implementation of practices that lead to expected results. Click here to vote: http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/64916

Walk Your Talk: The Teacher Data Use Survey - Learn about a new tool designed to assess teacher data use and the supports that make it happen along with a user-friendly tool for reporting TDUS data. Click here to vote: http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/64502

By voting for MNPS' conference proposals, you let the SXSWedu proposal reviewers know that people want to hear more about MNPS' innovative work that is making a difference in students' lives.

VOTING ENDS SEPT 2nd.

I am excited to share that 4 more middle schools have joined the Collaborative Inquiry Community of Practice.  Please join me in welcoming Apollo, Croft, Jere Baxter, and Neely's Bend.   There are now a total of 9 schools in our community of practice (Haynes, Margaret Allen, Two Rivers, West End, and Wright).

We are excited to have you join our community!

On June 1st, they were introduced to the MNPS Innovation Configuration Map (IC Map) for Collaborative Inquiry and begin thinking about how they plan to implement collaborative inquiry in their schools this fall.  Resources for their workshop are available at http://www.mnpscollaboration.org/innovation-configurations-materials.html.

If you have any feedback, questions, and/or recommendations for our community of practice, please let me know.  Also, know that I am always here to offer support in implementing collaborative inquiry and look forward to continuing our collaborative learning journey together.

Here's to a wonderful summer!

"Trust is the glue of life.  It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication.  It's the foundation principle that holds all relationships together."  ~Stephen Covey

Component C of the MNPS IC Map for Collaborative Inquiry is all about fostering a culture of trust.  When groups have high relational trust, "it is safe to display both high competence and vulnerability" (Lipton & Wellman, 2012, p. 13).  There is a section on the Seven Qualities of High-Performing Groups--Scaled Group Inventory and the Seven Qualities of High-Performing Groups--Self-Assessment Inventory (see below questions).  I encourage you to review the questions about yourself and your teams to gauge the trust levels. 

Using the data from the inventories, what might be some strategies you start using to increase the trust levels?  Here's the link to the Component C Resources, which may help.

If you already have high levels of trusts, do you have resources to share with others?  If so, please email Margie Johnson at [email protected].  I will add them to the MNPS Collaboration website and share with others in the next blog post.

Have a great week.  T-2 days until Spring Break begins.  :)  Have a wonderful break!

Scaled Group Inventory Questions about Trust:

• Do we clarify and communicate high expectations for ourselves as a group?
• Do we make it safe not to know?
• Do our actions reflect our commitments?

Self-Assessment Inventory Questions about Trust

• What makes me feel safe or not in this group?
• How am I making it safe for others?
• Am I following through on my commitments?

Reference:
Lipton, L, & Wellman, B. (2012).  Got data? Now what?: Creating and leading cultures of inquiry.  Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

"Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend." ~Theophrastus

And....once it's spent, you can never get it back.

Therefore, the premise of collaborative inquiry is to work toward developing highly efficient and effective teams, so time is not wasted and impact is maximized.

Last week several of us got to spend time in a workshop with Dr. Laura Lipton.  Day one of the session was all about providing us with structures, strategies, and principals for facilitating collaborative inquiry teams.

While reflecting upon the workshop, I wondered if there was a video from Dr. Lipton about data teams.  I found one that I want to share entitled, Growing as a Group: Effective Use of Teacher Time. 

In this video, she discusses the 5 Assumptions of Effective Group Work.  I’ll list them below the video, but also want you watch the 6 min video as she explains the assumptions and their application.

1. Assessment and Feedback drives group growth.
2. Group development and task accomplishment intertwine.
3. When groups change the way they talk, they change the way they work.
   
4. Comfort with discomfort is necessary for group learning.
5. Patterns become habits, and habits become norms.

In two places in the video, she mentions group assessments and/or inventories.  If you group is looking for one, see the below links:

• Component A Resources
  • Got Data? Now What? Reflect Upon Your Experiences
  • Got Data? Now What? Scaled Group Inventory
  • Got Data? Now What? Self Assessment Inventory
• Component B Resources
  • Gap Analysis Tool
  • Meeting Reflection Tool
• Component C Resources
  • Got Data? Now What? Determining Your Stage of Group Development

If you have other resources to share, please email them to Margie Johnson at [email protected].

Here’s to a great week of learning and growing……  Countdown to spring break: 8 days.  :)

“Unity is strength…when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” ~Mattie Stepanek

When having team meetings, agendas help the team to establish and maintain a clear focus, which is Component A of the IC Map for Collaborative Inquiry.  The Collaborative Inquiry Toolkit has several examples of meeting agendas that you and your team may want to adopt.  I am going to spotlight two today—MNPS Team Common Planning Template and Collaborative Inquiry Template.


The MNPS Team Common Planning Template is provided by Leadership and Learning.  This template was first used in high schools and in recent years was shared with middle school administrators.  (The version shared is the middle school version.)  The template provides an overview of using it, the importance of intentional planning, and an agenda outline that helps ensure certain topics are addressed.   You can access this template HERE.


The Collaborative Inquiry Template was created by Noelle Taylor, currently at West End Middle Prep.  Combining information learned from the Got Data? Now What? workshop with Dr. Laura Lipton, she developed an agenda template for teams to review the five causal theories and test them to begin to identify root cause issues.  You can access this template HERE.


If you have any great resources to share about this component of collaborative inquiry or others, please feel free to email them to Margie Johnson at [email protected].

It was GREAT seeing everyone on Monday as we kicked off the Collaborative Inquiry Community of Practice. 

Below are the training materials from Monday's session.  You can also access all of the resources on this website in My Hub (SchoolNet) by doing a PD search using the key words, "data use."  Here's a link to video tutorials about SchoolNet in case assistance is needed.

If there's anything I can do to support you, please let me know.