In this module, you will learn how to explore the root causes of the problem you hope to improve with the help of stakeholders, data about your system and research about your problem.
Often when we’re trying to improve our schools, we jump straight to solutions and we don’t always take the time to understand the problem and the factors contributing to it. Improvement science emphasizes the importance of understanding the problem and designing a solution that addresses that problem.
In order to really understand the problem, we must first dig below the surface to uncover the root causes. As Dr. Brandi Hinnant Crawford says, “One cannot identify causes if one cannot see the system in all its complexity.” And yet, truly seeing the system is quite the challenge. Too often, we project our own experiences, assumptions, beliefs, and perceptions upon the system, thinking we’ve seen it, thinking we know it.
The goal of root cause analysis is to suspend our own beliefs, projections, and assumptions, and to seek to deeply see and understand the complex, intersecting forces that underlie the problem we’re trying to solve. To learn about the lived experiences of the human beings who are experiencing the problem. To embrace a beginner’s mind while looking under every rock we can find, looking for as many perspectives as we can, while asking why? Over and over again.
During this module, I invite you to practice that beginner’s mindset–acknowledging that while strive to create joyful, liberatory spaces where children can thrive, we have a lot to learn. Let’s dig in.
In this module, you will learn how to explore the root causes of the problem you hope to improve with the help of stakeholders, data about your system and research about your problem.
Often when we’re trying to improve our schools, we jump straight to solutions and we don’t always take the time to understand the problem and the factors contributing to it. Improvement science emphasizes the importance of understanding the problem and designing a solution that addresses that problem.
In order to really understand the problem, we must first dig below the surface to uncover the root causes. As Dr. Brandi Hinnant Crawford says, “One cannot identify causes if one cannot see the system in all its complexity.” And yet, truly seeing the system is quite the challenge. Too often, we project our own experiences, assumptions, beliefs, and perceptions upon the system, thinking we’ve seen it, thinking we know it.
The goal of root cause analysis is to suspend our own beliefs, projections, and assumptions, and to seek to deeply see and understand the complex, intersecting forces that underlie the problem we’re trying to solve. To learn about the lived experiences of the human beings who are experiencing the problem. To embrace a beginner’s mind while looking under every rock we can find, looking for as many perspectives as we can, while asking why? Over and over again.
During this module, I invite you to practice that beginner’s mindset–acknowledging that while strive to create joyful, liberatory spaces where children can thrive, we have a lot to learn. Let’s dig in.
