Step 4 - Get to a Root Cause

4 GET TO A ROOT CAUSE

Root cause analysis is the process that allows us to move from data to action.  The data analysis and identification of challenges and contributing factors tell us what is happening at our schools.  Root cause analysis will tell us why it is happening.  Once we understand the why, we can then develop targeted interventions to address the challenge.

For the purposes of this toolkit, root cause is defined as the deepest underlying cause or causes of positive or negative outcomes within any process that, if dissolved, would eliminate or substantially reduce the outcome. In other words, what is the cause that without it, there would be a change in the outcome?

Training Video Module for Step 4: Get To A Root Cause     Step 4: Get To A Root Cause