Date of Graduation
Summer 2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Public Administration (DPA)
Department
Public Policy and Administration
Committee Chairperson
Angela Kline, PhD
Committee Member
Kristen B. Crossney, PhD
Committee Member
Laurie M. Baker, EdD
Abstract
This study examines the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (Blueprint) as a case study of public education reform and systems thinking. The Blueprint is a comprehensive law designed to improve student outcomes through five pillars: early childhood education, high-quality and diverse teachers and leaders, college and career readiness (CCR), more resources for students to be successful, and governance and accountability. Because the Blueprint is often framed as a systems-based reform, this research explores whether its design and implementation reflect core systems thinking elements, and what the presence or absence of those elements indicates about the perceived effectiveness of the law.
Using a mixed-methods case study methodology, this research triangulates leadership-level stakeholder survey data and document analysis of the Maryland Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education’s reports and Blueprint legislation. The analysis is grounded in a Public Education Systems Thinking Theoretical Framework developed from systems thinking scholarship and adapted for public education. The framework encompasses shared vision, inputs and levers, stocks and flows, interactions and behaviors, feedback loops, unintended consequences, and adaptation.
Findings indicate that the Blueprint’s vision is widely supported, but its design and implementation are not consistently aligned with systems thinking. Early childhood education, CCR, and Community Schools indicate stronger alignment, while other areas reflect insufficient modeling, compliance-heavy structures, limited responsiveness, and weak feedback mechanisms. This study contributes to systems thinking, public administration, and education reform scholarship by illustrating the efficacy of and the distinction between systemic vision and systems-based policy design and identifying implications for future legislated reform.
Final Version Confirmation
1
Recommended Citation
Ridgway, Katie M., "Leveraging Systems Thinking for Effective Education Reform: A Case Study of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and the Limits of Policy Design" (2026). West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects. 93.
https://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/all_capstones/93
Included in
Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Education Law Commons, Legislation Commons, Other Education Commons, Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons, Public Administration Commons