As a networked improvement community, improvement science serves as the foundation for our collective problem-solving framework. The continuous improvement approach, demonstrated by the figure below, consists of three core cyclical stages:

1. Understand the problem
   Using causal analysis tools and methods, school teams first define and investigate the problem of practice before jumping to solutions.
2. Develop theory and strategies for improving the problem
   Once school teams deeply understand the problem and the systems and practices that contribute to it, they work together to develop a common theory of improvement (driver diagram). Then, they develop strategies to test and try (change ideas) that are aligned with the theory of improvement.
3. Take Action by Rapidly Testing Strategies
   Once new potential strategies are developed, they need to be tested quickly to determine if they are improving upon the problem. Using Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, teachers try the new strategy in one or two classrooms and collect data that informs whether the strategy is resulting in an improvement. The sharing of this information helps the network further understand the problem and their theory for improvement.