Researchers Without Borders

During this process, the team delineated two different ways of lasting and referred to them as Concept A (lasting and changing) and Concept B (lasting and staying the same). The team also decided to refer to the “innovation” or "reform" which lasted as the “it”. Listen to Jeanne Century talk about this:

This conversation focused on different ways of defining what sustainability is (Concept A and B) and what it is that should be sustained (What the “it” is).

Maintainability and sustainability are two different ways to describe two different phenomena related to lasting. Listen to Dean Fink explain the difference between maintainability and sustainability:

Sustainability is always changing which makes it very difficult to determine what sustainability is and what it is that is being sustained ahead of time. However, planning for specific elements of a program to be sustained makes sustainability more concrete. Listen to Mona Shediac-Rizkallah discuss this idea:

It is advantageous to consider the “it” that you want to sustain as an outcome, as opposed to a specific program, structure, or process. Listen to SarahKay McDonald discuss this:

The “it” can be a wide range of things. Listen to Mary Ann Scheirer’s list of “its:”

It takes time and multiple delivery cycles to determine what the “it” is. Listen to Maurice Elias talk about this idea:

It is important to define and articulate what the innovation or “it” is. A shared understanding of the innovation is particularly important because individuals each have very different ideas about what the innovation is. Listen to Anne Kennedy discuss this idea:

Listen to Mary Ann Scheirer talk about the importance of considering fit:

Framework 1 shows the relationships between the sustainability factors and their larger categories.

Framework 2 shows the movement of an innovation over time and the different ways an innovation can last. The framework also shows the interactions between the different factors affecting the movement and sustainability of an innovation.

Framework 3 shows the movement of, and changes in an innovation over time.

In order to create shared language and instrumentation and move forward as a field, it is necessary to understand the differences and similarities between “it”. Listen to Bill Penuel talk about this:

Sustaining change can be difficult if an innovation is not found to be effective. However, it is important to consider how to measure the “it” to see results. Listen to Lydia Marek talk about this:

The project team and meeting participants discussed the importance of having a shared framework and common understandings about sustainability in order to move forward as a field. Listen to Janice Earle discuss the importance of a shared framework and how the lack of a shared understanding was evident in the Tuesday night definition task:

A shared framework for practitioners using various programs is equally important. Such a framework can help different actors see how their efforts fit into the same goal. Listen to Mona Shediac-Rizkallah discuss this idea:

The REESE Sustainability project, as well as RWB, seek to learn from other fields in terms of learning about sustainability. However, part of this endeavor is determining what is and is not applicable to other disciplines. Listen to Jeanne Century discuss these ideas:

Creating shared meaning and vision is vital for sustaining change. Those who work in the realm of education can also benefit from looking to other fields for successful examples. Listen to Dean Fink discuss these ideas:

In order to accumulate knowledge and learn across projects, researchers and practitioners must operate from a shared framework. Listen to Howard Adelman discuss this:

Sharing and communicating findings to add to a knowledge base is important to advance the fields of education and sustainability. Listen to Jeanne Century, Anne Kennedy, and Barry Fishman talk about the importance of knowledge accumulation and coordination:

The extent to which an innovation is different from current practice has implications for its sustainability. Listen to Peter Aubusson discuss this idea:

At what point is an innovation no longer an innovation? Listen to Jim Kohlmoos discuss this idea:

Federal policy has a large impact on the use of innovations. Listen to Linda Taylor discuss this idea in the context of No Child Left Behind: