Supporting fidelity of implementation: Evidence from Pathways-to-Success replications

Research shows that when teachers implement with fidelity, students receiving Pathways-to-Success experience more identity-based motivation and hence better academic trajectories. We asked if with implementation support, first-time implementing teachers can attain fidelity across time, training, teachers, and variations in school contexts across four states, ten years, and 8,367 students. We review the literature on implementation fidelity, distinguish fidelity from implementation support and institutional climate, describe the supports we provided, and consider the implications of our results. First, on average, first-time implementing teachers implemented with above-threshold fidelity. Second, implementation supports matter. Teachers engaged with training, preparation, and delivery aids despite variability in teacher-trainers, teacher-training method (in-person, virtual), school climate, urbanicity, classroom size, and student features (English Language Learners, Free-or-Reduced-Price Lunch, Standardized Test Proficiency, Racial-Ethnic Composition). Third, on-going evaluation of fidelity makes dynamic investment in implementation support possible. To make on-going fidelity testing sustainable, at scale, artificial-intelligence-based coding is necessary.