A Framework for Understanding and Supporting Educational Change
The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) is a research-based framework for studying and facilitating the implementation of change in educational settings. It provides a systematic way to understand how individuals experience innovations over time—and how to support their growth and success.
At the heart of CBAM are three diagnostic dimensions:
- Stages of Concern (SoC) – What people think and feel about the change over time.
- Levels of Use (LoU) – How people evolve in their use of an innovation ranging from orienting to managing, and finally to integrating use of the innovation fully into their practice.
- Innovation Configurations (IC) – What the change looks like when implemented in different practice contexts.
Each dimension has specific tools and processes to collect and analyze data—ranging from surveys and interviews to observation protocols. Together, these tools enable you to monitor implementation, identify barriers, and target support strategies such as coaching, professional learning, and resource alignment.
Choose the path that fits your role:
I’m a Researcher
Explore how CBAM supports rigorous inquiry into implementation and change. Learn how to collect and analyze data using validated instruments such as the Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ), Open-Ended Concern Statements, Levels of Use Interviews, and Innovation Configuration Maps.
[See how CBAM supports implementation research>>]
I’m a Leader or Practitioner
Learn how CBAM can help you guide and support change more effectively. Use CBAM data to inform professional learning, focus coaching, and make implementation visible across your school or system.
[See how CBAM supports implementation leadership>>]
CBAM Researchers and Trainers (key contacts):
Gene Hall (genecbamhall@gmail.com)
Dr. Gene Hall is a nationally recognized expert in educational change and implementation. He was a lead developer and early researcher of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), a widely used framework for understanding how educators experience and respond to change. Over his academic career—spanning faculty and leadership roles at the University of Texas at Austin, University of Florida, University of Northern Colorado, and University of Nevada, Las Vegas—his research and consulting have focused on applying concerns-based strategies to support successful innovation in schools and teacher education programs.
Kent Anderson Seidel (kent.seidel@ucdenver.edu)
Dr. Anderson Seidel brings extensive experience leading large-scale, collaborative research projects focused on improving educator support and school quality. His work integrates mixed methods, comparative designs, and advanced statistical modeling, with a consistent emphasis on partnering with educators to co-develop practical tools and actionable insights. His primary research explores performance-based approaches to system improvement, grounded in long-term partnerships with schools and districts—ranging from rural communities to large urban systems—as well as charter and Alternative Education Campuses. He also collaborates with the Colorado Department of Education on statewide initiatives.
Julie Oxenford O’Brian (Julie.obrian@ucdenver.edu)
Dr. Oxenford O’Brian is Co-Director of the Center for Practice Engaged Educational Research at the University of Colorado Denver. She partners with educators to define pressing problems of practice and conducts applied research that leads to practical, evidence-informed solutions. Her work bridges research and implementation, supporting educational organizations through technical assistance and capacity building.Her areas of focus include innovation implementation, student-centered and alternative accountability systems, continuous improvement, data-informed decision-making, competency-based education, standards-aligned curriculum and assessment, classroom and formative assessment, and program improvement.