This guide is designed to help State Education Agencies (SEAs) conduct self-studies to identify interventions that may be implemented in schools needing improvement or that require comprehensive or targeted support. The interventions selected should be those that are most relevant and appropriate based on the needs of schools, with the strongest evidence base possible under ESSA — Every Student Succeeds Act. The guide provides information regarding the collection and evaluation of research and contains tools to guide the facilitator and team through the self-study process. An annotated bibliography is included along with a description of theory of action and an example of a logic model. The tools are fillable pdfs which allow teams to complete the process electronically if so desired. The complementary SEA Quick-Start Guide for Identifying Evidence-Based Interventions for School Improvement provides an abbreviated version of the full guide to give state agencies the opportunity to begin the self-study process right away.
Self-study is a process that facilitates thoughtful investigation and discussion of an issue or topic so that decisions can be made through the collaboration of a variety of stakeholders. Although a time investment is required to prepare for discussions that focus on the topic or issue, engage in the discussions themselves and subsequently plan for implementation of decisions made by the self-study team, the results of this collaboration can be invaluable.
