{"id":2740,"date":"2025-12-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carnegie25live.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=2740"},"modified":"2026-01-28T09:22:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T17:22:24","slug":"educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"Educational Improvement Networks: Exploring the Development of Scientific-Professional Learning Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This special issue of the Peabody Journal of Education unpacks essential issues and challenges related to launching and operating improvement networks. The articles center on network health and development, elevating lessons learned from research into networks involved in the Gates Foundation\u2019s Networks for School Improvement (NSI) initiative, with attention to network organization, leadership, and development over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Educational improvement networks are a transformative strategy for developing school and district capacity for innovation and improvement. The themed issue unpacks essential issues and challenges related to launching and operating improvement networks, including: conceptualizing the organization of networks; understanding the practices of high-functioning networks; framing the distinctive demands of network leadership; and measuring and supporting network development. This research integrates attention to the technical work of improvement with consideration for the social and cultural dimensions of organizing networks in complex policy contexts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Partners for Network Improvement, at the University of Pittsburgh, worked in collaboration with a diverse team of researchers at Vanderbilt Peabody College, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and the University of Michigan to produce this special issue. Collectively, the articles in this themed issue explore the complexities of moving from a network \u201cin principle\u201d to a high-functioning network \u201cin practice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Access the full issue<\/a> or individual articles<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
\n\n
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
\n\n

You Might Like<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\n\n
\n
<\/a>\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n

Carnegie Foundation and ETS Release Skills Progressions for Collaboration, Communication and Critical Thinking\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

\n\n
\n
<\/a>\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n

Rising Demand for Career Education Prompts College Board to Expand Its Footprint<\/h2>\n\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

\n\n
\n
<\/a>\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n

Opportunity Colleges and Universities Series: University of Illinois Chicago Profile<\/h2>\n\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

\n\n
\n
<\/a>\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n

Podcast: The Next 50 Years of Higher Ed \u2013 What Leaders Need to Know<\/h2>\n\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This special issue of the Peabody Journal of Education unpacks essential issues and challenges related to launching and operating improvement … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2741,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"inline_featured_image":false,"ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"client_controls":[],"class_list":["post-2740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-improvement-science-collection"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEducational Improvement Networks: Exploring the Development of Scientific-Professional Learning Communities - Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Educational Improvement Networks: Exploring the Development of Scientific-Professional Learning Communities - Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This special issue of the Peabody Journal of Education unpacks essential issues and challenges related to launching and operating improvement ... Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carnegie.foundation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-01T08:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-28T17:22:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/collection_educational_improvement_networks.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"555\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"793\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"DCTeamMember\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@CarnegieFdn\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@CarnegieFdn\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"DCTeamMember\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"DCTeamMember\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#\/schema\/person\/786b3dfd6e33675205fc8c0c7265ac97\"},\"headline\":\"Educational Improvement Networks: Exploring the Development of Scientific-Professional Learning Communities\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-01T08:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-28T17:22:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/\"},\"wordCount\":245,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/collection_educational_improvement_networks.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Improvement Science Collection\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/\",\"name\":\"Educational Improvement Networks: Exploring the Development of Scientific-Professional Learning Communities - Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/collection_educational_improvement_networks.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-01T08:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-28T17:22:24+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/collection_educational_improvement_networks.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/collection_educational_improvement_networks.jpg\",\"width\":555,\"height\":793},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Educational Improvement Networks: Exploring the Development of Scientific-Professional Learning Communities\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/\",\"name\":\"Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Logo-Edit-MC.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Logo-Edit-MC.svg\",\"width\":249,\"height\":46,\"caption\":\"Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carnegie.foundation\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/CarnegieFdn\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#\/schema\/person\/786b3dfd6e33675205fc8c0c7265ac97\",\"name\":\"DCTeamMember\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d08ce85f35a162321f61ed6a0119f1614b1ff9d50ca535d4dc58e85430ae60d6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d08ce85f35a162321f61ed6a0119f1614b1ff9d50ca535d4dc58e85430ae60d6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"DCTeamMember\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/author\/dcteammember\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Educational Improvement Networks: Exploring the Development of Scientific-Professional Learning Communities - Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Educational Improvement Networks: Exploring the Development of Scientific-Professional Learning Communities - Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching","og_description":"This special issue of the Peabody Journal of Education unpacks essential issues and challenges related to launching and operating improvement ... Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/","og_site_name":"Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carnegie.foundation\/","article_published_time":"2025-12-01T08:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-28T17:22:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":555,"height":793,"url":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/collection_educational_improvement_networks.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"DCTeamMember","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@CarnegieFdn","twitter_site":"@CarnegieFdn","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"DCTeamMember","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/"},"author":{"name":"DCTeamMember","@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#\/schema\/person\/786b3dfd6e33675205fc8c0c7265ac97"},"headline":"Educational Improvement Networks: Exploring the Development of Scientific-Professional Learning Communities","datePublished":"2025-12-01T08:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-28T17:22:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/"},"wordCount":245,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/collection_educational_improvement_networks.jpg","articleSection":["Improvement Science Collection"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/","url":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/","name":"Educational Improvement Networks: Exploring the Development of Scientific-Professional Learning Communities - Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/collection_educational_improvement_networks.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-01T08:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-28T17:22:24+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/collection_educational_improvement_networks.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/collection_educational_improvement_networks.jpg","width":555,"height":793},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/educational-improvement-networks-exploring-the-development-of-scientific-professional-learning-communities\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Educational Improvement Networks: Exploring the Development of Scientific-Professional Learning Communities"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/","name":"Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#organization","name":"Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching","url":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Logo-Edit-MC.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Logo-Edit-MC.svg","width":249,"height":46,"caption":"Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carnegie.foundation\/","https:\/\/x.com\/CarnegieFdn"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#\/schema\/person\/786b3dfd6e33675205fc8c0c7265ac97","name":"DCTeamMember","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d08ce85f35a162321f61ed6a0119f1614b1ff9d50ca535d4dc58e85430ae60d6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d08ce85f35a162321f61ed6a0119f1614b1ff9d50ca535d4dc58e85430ae60d6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"DCTeamMember"},"url":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/author\/dcteammember\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2740\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2740"},{"taxonomy":"client_controls","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/client_controls?post=2740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}