Researchers from Policy Studies Associates documented each team meeting of the  ESSA Leadership Learning Community. They also conducted interviews and focus groups with team members.

The study team worked alongside the ELLC, documenting each team meeting in notes that the facilitators, discussion drivers, and team members could use. These notes were  the primary data source for this report. Data collection also included 32 interviews with team members and three focus groups in which 15 facilitators and discussion drivers participated. Policy Studies Associates  assured team-level anonymity for information relating to team activities and dynamics that may be sensitive or identifiable, while also assuring anonymity for all quotes and paraphrases from the words of individuals.

A major data source is the Policy Studies Associates archive of meeting notes and team products.

The following study questions framed the analyses:

• What strategies did teams pursue to achieve the stated mission of the ELLC?

• How did teams organize themselves?

• In what ways did team dynamics appear to matter for team accomplishments?

• In what ways did teams (as teams) or members (acting on relationships and learnings built through teams) shape actions "on the ground" at the state and local levels?

• In what ways did team accomplishments appear to stem from team dynamics, ELLC-wide events (i.e., convenings and site visits), or other specific features of the initiative?