An alternative capstone project: A qualitative study utilizing the gap analysis process to review a districtwide implementation of the Focus on results reform initiative: Identifying and addressing the root causes of the knowledge, skills, motivation, and organizational culture gaps

Unrestricted This innovative Alternative Capstone Project emerged as a partnership between the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California(USC) and the Glendale Unified School District (GUSD). In collaboration, this opportunity provided; USC doctoral candidates, who are also educators, to serve as consultants in a local school district, to identify the strengths and performance gaps in the implementation of the district’s reform initiative. The capstone design plan uniquely provided mutual growth and learning between both partners who are professionals in the same work context. The inquiry process created a reflective experience for the USC team members to also evaluate their own practice and belief systems. The goals of the inquiry project were to: 1) become informed about the FoR reform initiative; 2) determine the fidelity of implementation at the different levels of instruction; 3) determine the nature of the performance gaps in the implementation process; 4) identify and classify the root causes of the performance gaps; and 5) provide research-based recommendations to address the root causes underlying the performance gaps. Specifically, this collaborative project, utilized the Clark & Estes (2002) gap analysis process model as the analytical framework to identify existing gaps in the implementation of the Focus on Results (FoR) reform initiative in three specific dimensions: knowledge/skill, motivation, and organizational culture. The inquiry process utilized interviews, observations and document analysis to gain an understanding of the district’s progress.

本无限制创新性替代顶点项目由南加州大学（University of Southern California, USC）罗斯耶教育学院与格伦代尔联合学区（Glendale Unified School District, GUSD）合作发起。本次合作项目为同时兼具教育者身份的南加州大学博士生提供了在当地学区担任咨询顾问的契机，协助识别该学区改革举措实施过程中的优势表现与绩效缺口。本顶点项目设计方案独特地为同处同一工作场景的双方专业合作伙伴搭建了双向成长与学习的平台。此次调研过程还为南加州大学项目团队成员创造了反思体验，使其得以审视自身的教育实践与信念体系。本次调研项目的目标如下：1）全面了解聚焦成果（Focus on Results, FoR）改革举措；2）明确不同教学层级下改革举措的实施保真度；3）厘清实施过程中绩效缺口的本质特征；4）识别并分类绩效缺口的根本成因；5）提出基于研究的针对性建议，以解决绩效缺口背后的核心诱因。具体而言，本次合作项目采用Clark与Estes（2002）提出的缺口分析流程模型作为分析框架，从知识/技能、动机与组织文化三个具体维度，识别聚焦成果改革举措实施过程中存在的绩效缺口。本次调研过程通过访谈、观察与文档分析等方法，全面掌握该学区的改革推进情况。