U.S. Department of Education – Charter Schools Program
Building Results-Based Leadership to Improve Outcomes in a Complex Federal System
Agency Leaders Engaged
24
Leadership Capacity Strengthened
95%
The Challenge
The U.S. Department of Education Charter Schools Program (CSP) operates within a highly complex federal ecosystem that includes multiple grant programs, political dynamics, contractors, and grantees working across diverse local contexts. Like many large federal initiatives, CSP leaders face adaptive challenges that cannot be addressed through compliance-focused processes or linear improvement models alone. Improving outcomes requires shared understanding, coordinated leadership, and tools that support learning and adaptation across the system.
CSP leadership recognized the need for a unifying results-based framework that could strengthen collaboration among staff, contractors, and partners while improving grant outcomes. Building this shared approach required introducing a leadership model flexible enough to respond to system complexity, while also practical and relevant to leaders’ day-to-day work. The goal was not to add another process, but to build leadership capacity to manage performance, align efforts, and improve results in real time.
Our Approach
VIDA Collaborative partnered closely with CSP leadership to introduce Results-Based Leadership (RBL)—a framework inspired by Results Count® from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and adapted for complex, adaptive systems. From October 2022 through June 2023, MAYA supported the CSP Director and three CSP supervisors to co-design an RBL introduction tailored to the CSP system. The engagement emphasized that improving results in complex environments requires shared leadership, iterative learning, and methods responsive to system dynamics rather than step-by-step solutions.
VIDA facilitated three, two-day in-person RBL sessions for CSP system leaders in Washington, D.C. To anchor the work, the team used the Pathway to Results, a tool that helped leaders align around a common results statement and explore the factors influencing outcomes across the charter school ecosystem. The Pathway enabled CSP leaders to identify strategies for improvement, clarify partner roles and assets, and develop performance measures to track progress. The facilitation approach was grounded in adult learning (andragogy) principles—ensuring leaders understood the value of the work, learned experientially, applied methods to real challenges, and immediately saw relevance to their roles.
Projects Results
The Results-Based Leadership engagement significantly strengthened CSP leaders’ shared understanding of how to manage performance and improve outcomes in a complex federal system. Leaders developed a common results statement for CSP, deepened their understanding of the factors influencing results across local contexts, and gained practical tools to guide strategy, alignment, and accountability. Feedback indicated that the Pathway to Results was particularly valuable in helping leaders see how their individual roles contributed to system-wide improvement.
By the conclusion of the three-session series, CSP system leaders reported increased confidence in applying RBL methods to real-time challenges. Ninety-five percent (23 of 24 participants) indicated they were likely or very likely to use a Results-Based Leadership method to improve CSP program results. Leaders also expressed a strong desire for continued opportunities to apply the framework collaboratively—demonstrating both the relevance of RBL and its potential to strengthen long-term results management across CSP and its grantee community.
Project highlights
- Introduced Results-Based Leadership across a complex federal grant system
- Co-designed a results framework with CSP leadership and supervisors
- Facilitated three in-person, two-day leadership sessions in Washington, D.C.
- Built shared performance management capacity among CSP staff and partners
- Aligned system leaders around common results, strategies, and measures
Services provided
- Planning and Design
- Capacity Building
industry
K-12 Education, Department of Education
Project timeline
2023
location
Washington, DC
more information
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