The Legitimization of Improvement Science in Academe

Casey D. Cobb, Patricia Virella

This article examines improvement science (Bryk, 2009) against the backdrop of traditional academic research methods. Improvement science is perhaps most closely aligned with design-based implementation research, and is typically applied to networked communities (e.g., schools, hospitals) with the goal of continuous organizational improvement. Improvement science has earned value among the practitioners and researchers who engage in it, but still seeks more complete legitimacy within the academy. We describe the method of improvement science and situate it within the two paradigms of design research and research design. Examples of its implementation in school reform and university program improvement are shared to illuminate the systematic and dynamic nature of its process. The article speaks to the normalization of research design and design research within the context of "what counts" as research in academia, and where and how improvement science can fit within these traditions.

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