The Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Process

The principal of an urban school was having difficulty identifying the root cause of the problem. There were a few teachers achieving success but most of them struggled. Their overall data results did not look good, and they felt defeated each time they looked at it. They wanted to make an impact but could not understand how to do that. 

Have you ever been in this situation? 

As I began to work with this school, we reviewed their current data and the root cause analysis that they have already conducted. One of the things that was missing in their RCA process was verifying their assumptions with actual data. They were brainstorming why they felt the data was low, but not going back to confirm their initial perceptions. One of those perceptions was that we are teaching the program, but our results show that this program is not working. 

The data we needed to verify that perception was classroom data. As we walked through the classrooms, we saw that teachers were implementing the strategies in the program. Students were working with manipulatives and the teachers used the program to teach the lesson. It looked like the teachers were teaching the program. When we observed the classrooms of those teachers that are achieving results, we saw something different.

Aside from teachers implementing the program, they were also questioning students and drawing solutions from the students. When students struggled with the challenges, they were addressed in small groups or as a whole class. Both groups of teachers were on pace in teaching the same standard within the program. However, the class the teachers achieving results, had more challenging work.

We returned to the office and looked through the program manuals. The teachers who were achieving positive results were using all program components, including the high-level sections. They were doing what they thought the students needed. However, instead of providing support at the students’ instructional level, they were teaching to the students’ independent levels to make it easier for students to succeed. 

As we dug deeper, the bigger root cause was that teachers did not know how to scaffold and build upon learning. The solution – provide training and support for this specific issue. After this training, everything changed. Teachers began to see greater potential in students and looked for ways to address student needs, whether they were high or low. They were on the way to continued results. 

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is part of facing your data facts. RCA involves looking at what your data facts are telling you and comparing them to the desired results. You can identify areas of concern or the problem statement by looking at the gaps. 

Once a gap has been identified, it needs to be determined how it will affect the results. The next step would be to conduct an RCA for why those gaps exist. 

In most RCA processes, there are 3 common steps:

1. Define the problem and review data relevant to the problem. Having an effective data profile is crucial at this step. You can read more about data profiles in this blog post: the-power-of-a-consistent-data-profile
2. Identify potential causes for the problem and decide on the primary root cause of the problem.
3. Identify evidence-based solutions to address the deeper root cause. 

Four general questions to consider are:

• What happened?
• What was supposed to happen?
• How could this situation have occurred?
• How can we prevent it from happening again?

Beginning Root Cause Analysis

When beginning your RCA, it is important to note that a trained facilitator is essential. It is wise to invest in someone other than the school leader to facilitate your discussion. Why? Leaders usually have too many responsibilities that prevent them from focusing objectively. They have preconceived notions about what caused the problem, and this may prevent them from identifying the actual problem. 

When conducting your root cause analysis, do not jump to solutions too quickly. We all want to solve our problems sooner rather than later. However, if you jump to solutions too quickly, you may miss a detail and it will highly impact your results. It is important to go deep enough to uncover the real root causes.

This data analysis step is the biggest step in using data to achieve results. It may require extra time initially to identify what data and what issues are at the deepest levels, but it is time well spent. 

Once you have brainstormed potential root causes, the next level for Data Steps 2.0 is to verify all perceptions on a deeper level. Often this requires some component tied to what is happening for students in the classroom to move on to long-term sustainable results. If teachers are teaching a program and results are flatlined, have you dug into the classroom-level results to determine if there is a deeper root? If you miss this step, you may miss a deeper root, and your solution will not have an impact on results. 

In the story above, teachers had good intentions, but their mindsets about what students could and couldn’t do needed to change. They learned strategies to help students accomplish more, and everything changed. A new program would not have changed this mindset, and the problem would have continued. 

Doing the root cause analysis makes a significant difference in our schools. By focusing on understanding the true reasons behind challenges, we can create effective solutions that lead to lasting improvements. This approach also encourages collaboration and open communication among staff, students, and families. Embedding this process in our systems will help us move forward with clarity and purpose, ensuring that our efforts truly meet the needs of our school. 

If you are looking for support on how you can implement root cause analysis to help with your school results, request a FREE consultation call with me. Fill in the Contact Form Link: https://debradurma.com/contact-us 

Type in “Yes” for “Are you Interested in STAR Leadership Data Solutions?” You will receive a follow-up email with the next step to schedule a phone call to discuss your needs and questions.

Are you unhappy with your results or feeling overwhelmed by data? If so, contact me for more information on STAR Leadership School-Student Data Solutions Training. This training will guide you through the 4 data steps and give you a blueprint for achieving results. This training is individualized and tailored to your data, your needs, your staff, your students, and your best route to achieve results.