by Alyson Lischka, PhD, MTEP 2.0 Research Hub leader, and John Sutton, PhD, MTEP 2.0 evaluator
Each summer, MTEP 2.0 networked improvement communities provide Team Reports that include driver diagrams, Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, and other information about membership and future plans. MTEP Hub Leaders use this information to consider ways to support MTEP 2.0 NICs to continue to grow in their work. The information shared in Team Reports can provide a snapshot of how the MTEP NICs are progressing and changing over time.
In the April 2024 newsletter, Dana Franz and Colby Lamb shared a word cloud constructed from the terms found in the drivers of the 2023 Team Report Driver Diagrams. We have produced a similar word cloud from the 2024 Team Reports that were submitted this summer. As you consider the two clouds side by side, what do you notice? What do you wonder?
These word clouds are a great example of how NIC-Transform uses data from the Team Reports to help to identify changes at the local NIC level based on how driver diagrams may reflect changes at partner institutions. With current enrollment issues in mathematics education programs, it is not surprising that recruitment remains a major focus of MTEP 2.0 NICs. However, other words such as equity, diversity, and partnerships have reduced in emphasis. What does this mean for our work as NICs move forward with transformation efforts? How can MTEP 2.0 support NICs to continue to transform to meet the Guiding Principles of MTEP?