Teams

An Implementation Team is a group of interested parties that oversees, attends to, and is accountable for key functions of innovation selection, implementation, and improvement. More specifically, an implementation team focuses its energy on developing and sustaining capacity to assure identified student, staff, and/or family outcomes are achieved. An Implementation Team also engages in work that ensures relevant data are communicated up and across the system. To engage in this work effectively and efficiently, Implementation Teams require members with specific knowledge, skills, and abilities, including a general belief in the work ahead.

Start Here

Activity: Getting started with Implementation Teams

So, how could you leverage the Implementation Teams framework in your work? Consider the following questions when creating teaming structures to support new programs and innovations. Discuss these with your team and/or to write down your responses.

Handout: Implementation Teams One-Pager

Implementation Teams support the full, effective, and sustained use of effective instruction and behavior methods. Linked Implementation Teams define an infrastructure to help assure dramatically and consistently improved student
outcomes.

Implementation Teams Overview (Module 3)

Formally known as “modules” on the AI Hub, we have condensed the information into document overviews. As you begin your journey, take a moment to read about Implementation Teams.

Dive Deeper: Read

Brief: Engaging Critical Perspectives

In educational spaces, it is no longer aspirational but imperative that the community—with its richness and diversity—joins educators as key instructional partners to liberate the creativity, uniqueness, and potential of all students. As educators, we can miss the value of this collaboration. This brief defines critical perspectives, why engagement is necessary, how to select and engage critical perspectives, and evaluate the process.

Colorado MTSS Communication Planning Tool

Example in Practice: The Colorado Multi-Tiered System of Supports (COMTSS) Communication Planning tool provides a structured process to guide teams to effectively communicate with internal and external stakeholders.

Effective Teams

So, is there something more to teams than just groups of people who periodically come together? From these quotes, it sounds like teams who work together accomplish great things. What makes that difference? How do teams, or implementation teams as we think about them in our work, become the catalyst to achieving more? It may be time to take a quick journey talking about what makes implementation teams – or any team – effective and how we can work toward making any team “do so much together” to reach goals that are not achieved alone.

Equity in Team Participation and Structure

SISEP Blog: Equity in Team Participation and Structure

Four Key Actions for State Education Agency Teams to Support Implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

The State Education Agency (SEA) plays a critical role in the implementation fidelity, sustainability, and scale-up of MTSS. Learn more about four key actions SEAs can take to support MTSS in this brief co-developed by the SISEP and PBIS TA centers.

Guidance for Engaging Critical Perspectives

Guidance for Engaging Critical Perspectives

Handout: Implementation Teams in Education

This resource contains handouts for the various teams that may be involved in an educational setting. The resources span from state-level agencies to build-level in the teaming cascade.

Handout: Executive Sponsors or Leaders

Executive Leadership Sponsors champion and support State Transformation Specialists as they lead systemic change efforts across state, regional, district, and school levels.

Handout: Implementation Teams One-Pager

Implementation Teams support the full, effective, and sustained use of effective instruction and behavior methods. Linked Implementation Teams define an infrastructure to help assure dramatically and consistently improved student
outcomes.

Implementation Teams Overview (Module 3)

Formally known as “modules” on the AI Hub, we have condensed the information into document overviews. As you begin your journey, take a moment to read about Implementation Teams.

Navigating the Implementation Cs: Back to School Reminders and Tips

SISEP Blog: Navigating the Implementation Cs: Back to School Reminders and Tips

Scaling-Up Brief 5: Leveraging Change in State Education Systems

Education systems and the units within those systems are highly variable. An implementation infrastructure in
the form of Implementation Teams can be developed to account for the variability.

Scaling-Up Brief 6: Cascading Logic Model

How can a State Education Agency (SEA) actively promote and support organizational and systems change? The answer may lie in a logic model informed by implementation science and characterized by multi-level supports that interact.

The ABCs of Building Organizational Capacity

SISEP Blog: The ABCs of Building Organizational Capacity

Dive Deeper: Watch

Lesson: Communication Protocol – Linking Teams

To be effective, useful to the work of the organization and include all appropriate levels, communication must be strategically planned and consciously monitored. This lesson introduces you to a tool for creating a strategic plan for communication in your organization.

Voices from the Field Video Series (Implementation Teams)

Voices from the Field Video Series: Implementation Teams

Voices from the Field Video Series (Purveyors & Intermediary Orgs)

Voices from the Field Video Series: Purveyors & Intermediary Orgs

Dive Deeper: Listen

Implementation Science for Educators Podcast (Implementation Teams)

Implementation Science for Educators Podcasts: Implementation Teams

Dive Deeper: Reflect

Activity: Creating Hospitable Environments

Are there barriers and/or facilitators in our current system that may be related to EBP implementation? What are the next right steps? Use this handout to help identify issues that may be facilitating or hindering implementation.

Activity: Engaging Community and Building Hospitable Environments

Reflect on your current organization. How would you describe your system, organization or team environment? Use one of the planning tools to assess your environment, then consider plans for potential improvement.

Activity: Getting started with Implementation Teams

So, how could you leverage the Implementation Teams framework in your work? Consider the following questions when creating teaming structures to support new programs and innovations. Discuss these with your team and/or to write down your responses.

Activity: Linking Communication Protocols

By linking communication protocols, organizations form a practice-policy communication cycle. These feedback processes provide supportive policy, funding, and operational environments for new initiatives and systems changes.

Activity: Mapping Feedback and Feed Forward Pathways

Integration of Implementation Drivers is a key facet of doing Active implementation. Using the Implementation Drivers diagram, map your current, then improved information/communication pathways between Drivers. Then name three ways to get there.

Activity: Reflecting on Rationales

Think about a time you were trying to use a new education skill or program. As an individual or with your team, reflect on these questions.

Activity: Team Selection Criteria

You have decided to explore the potential of having an Implementation Team in your building, district, region or state. Looking across your organization, is there an existing team that could be repurposed? Or, do you need to start fresh?

Activity: Working Agreements (Terms of Reference)

Implementation Teams use Terms of Reference (ToR) or Working Agreements to clarify the team's work, help the team stay on mission and orient new members. You can use this activity with your team to organize and articulate a ToR/Working Agreement.

Apply

Activity: Creating an Implementation Team

This activity encourages you to identify potential Implementation Team members and responsibilities of team types, as well as consider team support strategies.

Activity: Team Selection Criteria

You have decided to explore the potential of having an Implementation Team in your building, district, region or state. Looking across your organization, is there an existing team that could be repurposed? Or, do you need to start fresh?

Building Teams Interactive Lesson

After completing this lesson, Building Teams, you will be able to explain the importance of team cohesion and trust, identify team functions, and utilize the Stakeholder Engagement Guidance Tool to create a diverse team.

Cultivating Leadership Interactive Lesson

After completing this lesson on Cultivating Leaders/Champions and the companion resources, you will be able to explain importance of leadership to implementation efforts, identify key implementation champion activities, and utilize the Champion Engagement Tool.

Dissemination Plan Template

This template provides the basis for developing a Dissemination Plan. The Dissemination Plan aims to identify and authentically engage with an organization's diverse critical perspectives.

Lesson: Communication Protocol – Linking Teams

To be effective, useful to the work of the organization and include all appropriate levels, communication must be strategically planned and consciously monitored. This lesson introduces you to a tool for creating a strategic plan for communication in your organization.

Look Fors: Implementation Team Meeting

This observation tool captures facilitation skills of team members during implementation team meetings.

Tool: Champion Identification & Reflection

How do we identify potential champions on a team and engage them in activities and reflective practices? Utilize this Engagement Tool to complete the four-step process of identification and reflection for champions.

Tool: Communication Protocols Worksheet

Communication is important for any program/innovation. Developing and linking communication protocols for new or existing programs establishes a transparent feedback process and furthers the development of a hospitable policy, funding, and operational environment.

Tool: Implementation Team Checklist

This checklist should be completed quarterly by the Implementation Team to monitor the development and use of core implementation components.

Check out other frameworks in the active implementation framework.

Usable Innovations
Imporvement Cycles
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