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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Leadership in Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1529939
This article is part of the Research Topic Educational Leaders’ Perceptions of and Experience with the Improvement Science Approach View all articles
The University Academies: An Improvement Science Research Platform for P-20 Education
Provisionally accepted- University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, United States
The University of Texas at Tyler University Academy (UA) serves as an innovative case study in applying Improvement Science within a K-12 educational setting. This research examines how the UA, operating across rural, urban, and suburban campuses, has embedded the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle to drive continuous improvement in student and teacher outcomes. Using Stake’s Holistic Case Study Approach, the study explores the UA as both an intrinsic case, valuable for its unique educational model, and an instrumental case, offering insights applicable to broader educational contexts. Drawing on foundational work in Improvement Science, including that of Douglas Engelbart and Anthony Bryk, this manuscript situates the UA within a rich historical and theoretical framework. It highlights key interventions, such as blended learning for literacy, Response to Intervention (RTI), and dual credit programs, are examined as case examples to illustrate how iterative, data-driven approaches are associated with improvements in student achievement and teacher professional development. The findings suggest that continuous refinement through Improvement Science may support effective instructional strategies and context-specific adaptations across diverse educational environments, providing insights for institutions considering similar evidence-based approaches.
Keywords: Improvement science, case study, Plan-do-study-act (PDSA), UT Tyler University Academy, Student achievement, PBL, laboratory school, Dual Credit Programs
Received: 18 Nov 2024; Accepted: 07 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Odell, Kennedy and Simmons. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Michael Odell, University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, United States
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