Educators have increasingly adopted networked continuous improvement (CI) approaches, partnering together to systematically test changes in their practices. In the Networks for School Improvement initiative, school networks used CI approaches to improve educational outcomes for students who are Black, Latino, or experiencing poverty. In this report, the authors examine how intermediary organizations developed and supported 25 of these networks.

Evaluation of the Networks for School Improvement Initiative—How Network Hubs Develop and Support Continuous Improvement Networks

Final Report

Susan Bush-Mecenas, Rebecca Herman, Karen Christianson, Stephani L. Wrabel, Peter Nguyen, Sarah Zelazny, Tiffany Berglund, Pierrce Holmes, Isaiah Simmons, Nazia Wolters, et al.

ResearchPublished Apr 22, 2026

Educators have increasingly adopted networked continuous improvement (CI) approaches, coming together in partnerships to systematically test changes in their practices. From 2018 to 2021, the Gates Foundation awarded more than $300 million in five-year grants to intermediary organizations that formed 34 Networks for School Improvement (NSI) across the United States. The rapid scale up of NSI provided a unique opportunity to understand how intermediaries develop and implement school networks, how networks of schools implement CI to achieve a common goal related to improving student outcomes, and the impact of these efforts. Although there have been studies of specific networks, this evaluation of NSI is among the first to examine a large group of varied school improvement networks.

In this report, the authors examine how intermediaries—school districts or nonprofit organizations—developed and supported 25 networks of schools using CI to improve educational outcomes for Black students, Latino students, or students experiencing poverty. The authors examine how the structures and supports varied by network characteristics and changed over the five-year grant period. A technical report, Evaluation of the Networks for School Improvement Initiative—How Network Hubs Develop and Support Continuous Improvement Networks: Data Sources and Methodology, outlines the data and methodology that undergird this report's findings.

Key Findings

  • As described in the companion summative evaluation reports, schools with positive impacts were more likely to engage in identifying an aim statement, defining a theory of practice, focusing on equity in their inquiry cycles, adopting a change idea, and interacting with other schools in their networks. Network cohesion was also associated with stronger CI implementation.
  • Network hubs took different approaches to structuring and supporting their networks, often depending on the problems and topics they were focused on improving.
  • Network hubs helped build school teams' capacity through coaching and network activities.
  • Networks mainly focused on building educators' capacity for CI, data use, and equity.
  • Most network hubs made intentional efforts to make connections among schools in their networks, although only about half specified what knowledge should be shared through these connections.
  • Network hubs adjusted their supports and structures as their networks evolved and matured to minimize the burden of doing CI work while shifting leadership to educators.

Topics

Document Details

  • Copyright: Gates Foundation
  • Publisher: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 2026
  • Pages: 56
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/RRA4409-1
  • Document Number: RR-A4409-1

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Bush-Mecenas, Susan, Rebecca Herman, Karen Christianson, Stephani L. Wrabel, Peter Nguyen, Sarah Zelazny, Tiffany Berglund, Pierrce Holmes, Isaiah Simmons, Nazia Wolters, Samantha E. DiNicola, Laura Assanmal Peláez, and R. L'Heureux Lewis-McCoy, Evaluation of the Networks for School Improvement Initiative—How Network Hubs Develop and Support Continuous Improvement Networks: Final Report. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2026. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA4409-1.html.
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This research was sponsored by the Gates Foundation and conducted in the Education and Employment Program of RAND Education, Employment, and Infrastructure.

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