About Improvement Collective
Building a stronger and healthier
system for all children.
We believe in a systems approach to continuous improvement that organizes people to work collectively to get results.
We collaborate with organizations seeking to create more efficacious, efficient and equitable systems that support and nurture all children to thrive.
Courage over comfort
We believe in taking risks even if it’s scary, accepting responsibility for our actions, leaning into difficult conversations, and using our voices to create space for those whose voices are often silenced or ignored.
Do the work, inside and out
Changing systems requires us to see how our own intentions, assumptions and actions are contributing to the problems we see. In particular, we are fiercely committed to examining race, identity, power, and privilege in ourselves and in partnership with the organizations we work with.
We, not I
No one person or organization has the expertise or knowledge to solve any complex problem. It requires collective effort that draws on the gifts and skills of many. As a result, we actively seek to work in partnership with people and organizations that value the synergy of working together toward a common vision.
who we are
Founders & Improvement Specialists
Alicia Grunow
Alicia Grunow is a co-founder of the Improvement Collective and a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. She started her career as a bilingual teacher in Denver Public Schools and then in New York City. Alicia was a Senior Managing Partner at the Carnegie Foundation, where she co-authored Learning to Improve; How America’s Schools can Get Better at Getting Better. She holds a B.A. in psychology from Reed College, an Improvement Advisor certificate from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and a Master’s Degree in Economics and Ph.D. in Education from Stanford University.
Sandra Park
Sandra Park is a co-founder of the Improvement Collective and a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Foundation, where she previously worked as the director of external offerings and partnerships as well as the director of the foundation's Building a Teaching Effectiveness Network (BTEN). Sandra previously taught elementary school in Oregon, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., and was director of programs at First Graduate in San Francisco. She holds a B.A. in sociology from Georgetown University, a teaching credential and M.A.T. from Louis & Clark College, an Ed.M. in administration and policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a Ph.D. in education policy from UC-Berkeley, and an Improvement Advisor certificate from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
