Comprehensive Resource Library for Leading PreK-12 Education Systems Change - Development
- Samantha Holquist
- Mara Schanfield
- Lorena Aceves
- Ben Cronkright
- Cassidy Guros
- Rebecca M. Jones
- Alyssa Scott
- Ja’Chelle Ball
- Joselyn Angeles-Figueroa
- Olivia Reyes
- Jennifer Widstrand
Background and Development of the Resource Library
Research and practice are foundational to education systems change, informing and reinforcing one another. This research library emerged from a collaborative initiative that partners education researchers and practitioners to drive systemic improvement through shared learning and expert support.
Participants received technical assistance to identify and implement promising educational practices that improve teaching, learning, and, ultimately, student outcomes. Each participant selected a specific area of educational improvement and received tailored support from technical assistance partners—Child Trends and Project Evident.
How we understand the levers for PreK-12 education systems change
At the outset of our work, and on an annual basis thereafter, we conducted needs assessments with participants to identify the key levers they aimed to influence in driving sustainable education systems change. This process also provided insights into how education decision makers navigate systemic transformation, revealing the essential conditions for effective and lasting change. We gained the critical insight that education systems change is a dynamic, non-linear process requiring adaptability and capacity-building at multiple levels. Rather than relying on isolated levers for change, organizations must integrate evidence-based, systemic approaches that promote collaboration, continuous learning, and responsive decision making.
To better understand the mechanisms of effective change, we conducted a literature review to examine foundational school improvement methodologies, such as improvement science from the Carnegie Foundation and implementation science from the Research Institute for Implementation Science in Education (RIISE). This research reinforced the importance of aligning school systems’ internal priorities with external expectations, leveraging data for decision making, and fostering cross-sector partnerships. Insights from the needs assessments and literature review shaped the technical assistance we provided to participants.
Over three years of providing technical assistance to participants, we identified common challenges that education decision makers face in implementing systemic improvements and worked alongside them to develop strategies for overcoming these obstacles. Challenges include balancing immediate needs with long-term transformation, building the capacity of those responsible for implementing change, ensuring that new practices are sustainable within schools and classrooms, and managing the complexities of working across multiple stakeholder groups.
How we identified our Guiding Principles for PreK-12 Education Systems Change
The insights from this work informed the development of the Child Trends Guiding Principles for PreK-12 Education Systems Change (known as the Guiding Principles), a framework to bridge the gap between research and practice by equipping education decision makers with practical strategies to navigate change in their school- and community-specific contexts. While implementation science and improvement science emphasize iterative, context-driven approaches to change, education decision makers often struggle to apply these principles effectively within the constraints of their education systems.
- Multi-level implementation gaps: Many frameworks focus either on high-level policy change or classroom-level interventions and lack clear guidance on coordinating systemic changes across district leadership, schools, and community partnerships.
- Limited emphasis on sustained partnership engagement: While frameworks highlight the importance of collaboration, education decision makers often lack structured approaches to building and maintaining partnerships with educators, families, and students.
- Insufficient focus on developing capacity for continuous learning: Lasting change requires new strategies and the ability to adapt, iterate, and build internal capacity and commitment to sustain progress over time.
The Guiding Principles for PreK-12 Education Systems Change address these gaps by providing a flexible, evidence-based framework that integrates research, practice, and partnership engagement to drive meaningful and lasting transformation.
The Guiding Principles for PreK-12 Education Systems Change:
- Emphasize systemic improvement: Move beyond isolated interventions to address root causes and structural barriers.
- Strengthen partnership engagement: Build collaborative relationships among educators, researchers, families, and communities.
- Foster a culture of growth mindset: Create an environment in which learning, reflection, and challenges are embraced as opportunities for continuous improvement.
- Build capacity for systemic interventions: Equip staff with knowledge and tools to sustain meaningful change.
- Use data and feedback: Leverage evidence to drive decision making and refine strategies over time.
- Align internal goals and external expectations: Ensure cohesion between organizational priorities and broader policy or community needs.
These principles, further detailed in the Guiding Principles tab, offer a structured yet adaptable approach to navigating the complexities of systems change. By applying this framework, education decision makers can move beyond fragmented reforms and implement strategies that lead to lasting improvements in student achievement and well-being.
How we used the Guiding Principles to organize the resource library
The Guiding Principles for PreK-12 Education Systems Change provide a framework for decision makers to navigate complex education challenges, and the resource library is designed to support application of these principles in real-world contexts. By organizing resources around each Guiding Principle, the library helps education decision makers identify practical strategies to implement change in ways that align with their specific needs and priorities. Whether addressing a single principle or integrating multiple principles to drive broader change, decision makers can access evidence-based tools, implementation guides, briefs, and instruments that offer actionable insights. This structure empowers decision makers to apply the principles effectively, adapt strategies to their unique environments, and drive sustainable, systemic improvements in their schools, districts, and communities.