Quality in Education

Leaders set and communicate direction... This is the first order of business for effective organizations.  Without clear and consistent communication of direction, the members of the organization will determine what is "critical" and important.  When this happens, if there are 100 employees, there will be 100 different directions being pursued. 

Every organization needs to ask "who are the leaders?".  In the educational setting, leadership exists in many different levels.  At the District level, leaders include the superintendent and central office administration combined with the building principals and administrators.  At the school level, leaders include the building principal and the building leadership team.  At the classroom level, leaders are the teachers.  Effective schools and districts identify their leaders at each level and involve them in the process of setting and communicating direction.  I believe that it is only when leadership is aligned from the classroom, to the school, to the district that real results in student achievement occur.

The Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence- category 1: Leadership encourages organizations to review how leadership is conducted.  Educators need to realize that without effective leadership and clear direction, continuous improvement efforts will not bear fruit.

Major findings from research on school leadership can be summarized in the following five claims (taken from E Lead):

1. Leadership has significant effects on student learning, second only to the effects of the quality of curriculum and teachers' instruction.
2. Currently, administrators and teachers provide most of the leadership in schools, but other potential sources of leadership exist.
3. A core set of leadership practices form the "basics" of successful leadership and are valuable in almost all educational contexts.
4. Successful school leaders respond productively to challenges and opportunities created by the accountability-oriented policy context in which they work.
5. Successful school leaders respond productively to the opportunities and challenges of educating diverse groups of students.

Below are resources to learn more about effective school leadership:
http://www.cepa.gse.rutgers.edu/whatweknow.pdf
http://www.e-lead.org/principles/successful.asp
http://www.k12.wa.us/SchoolImprovement/Leadership.aspx
http://www.highered.nysed.gov/ocue/school_leadership.htm
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EffectiveLeaders/effective-leadership.html
http://www.ncrel.org/policy/pubs/html/leadersh/goodschl.htm

What do you believe about educational leadership?  What happens when a school has ineffective leadership?  Who are the leaders in your school?  How does your school set and communicate direction?

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 04:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Another component of the continuous improvement classroom is the utilization of the Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) cycle (also called Action Research). 

-Define The System:  What system do I want to improve?  Why? What is the current way this process is done or handled?
-Assess The Situation:  How big of a problem is it?  What data do I have that show current levels of performance (baseline data) of the area I’m trying to improve?
-Analyze Cause:  In reviewing the baseline data, what are the root causes that are producing the results I’m getting?  What does research say about how this system could be improved?
-Try Out Improvement Theory:  Based on the root causes, what can I do differently to get more positive results?  What’s my improvement theory based on best-practices?
-Study Results:  Did my improvement theory work?  What data do I have that show the new level of performance?  How does this new data compare to the baseline data?
-Standardize Improvements:  How can I incorporate the new way of doing things (that produced positive results) to make it part of my regular practice?
-Plan For Continuous Improvement: How will I sustain the positive changes?  What area will I work on next?

The PDSA cycle can be used to improve processes at the District, school, classroom and individual student level.  Quality tools are used at each step of the process.  PDSA teams can use a PDSA Team Assistance Guide to walk through the process.  Ideally, educators can involve students in the PDSA process to take ownership and responsibility for their own learning.

What have been your experiences with PDSA in the classroom?  How have you involved students in the process?  What results have you found?

Posted by Jay Marino at 07:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Another component of the the Continuous Improvement Classroom is the use of quality tools with students.  Quality tools can be described in simplest terms as graphic organizers with specific purposes. 

Quality tools are used to:

• Collect and analyze data
• Document processes
• Identify the root causes of problems
• Implement changes
• Coordinate action steps for improvement
• Keep track of results
• Take ownership and responsibility for learning
• Make decisions based on data

Educators need to engage students in the use of quality tools to arm them with skills necessary for data driven decision making.  The best way to demonstrate quality tools is to use them within the context of the PDSA cycle.  In this way, students see how quality tools can be used to support continuous improvement efforts.  As students become familiar with quality tools and specific uses, they begin to use them to accomplish specific tasks or gain specific information.

Quality tools are to the PDSA cycle what the hammer is to a carpenter... metaphorically speaking.  Consider this example when explaining the specific purpose for using a particular quality tool:  If a person needed to cut a piece of wood, he wouldn't use a screwdriver; he would use a saw.  If he needed to loosen a bolt, he wouldn't use a hammer; he would use a wrench.  It is important that students understand that quality tools are designed for specific uses and selecting the right tool for the job is critical.  When adults model the effective use of quality tools, students are sure to see the practical application.

Learn more about quality tools online at http://intranet.cr.k12.ia.us/ActionResearch/QualityTools/index.html (contains links and resources to other quality tool sites) and see examples of student applied quality tools in the classroom.

What are your experiences with using quality tools with students?  Can quality tools be simply used as graphic organizers?  How can students use these tools to take responsibility for their own learning? 

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 05:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Allowing students to facilitate classroom meetings are another component of the continuous improvement classroom.

Class meetings get students involved in constructive decision-making in their classrooms and schools.  They build a climate of trust and respect between teacher and students, as well as among students and help students take ownership and responsibility for their classroom- which is the ultimate goal of the classroom meeting.

It has been found that students often develop a better sense of responsibility when given a chance to make meaningful contributions in their own classroom.  When students believe they are contributing to the school environment in a significant way, they feel a more positive attachment to school and are motivated to learn.  It is also evident that students who are allowed to problem solve and make some of their own decisions are likely to buy in to the solutions agreed upon by the class during the meeting.

Teachers have found many benefits to utilizing classroom meetings.  Class meetings provide students with opportunities to assume responsibility and help students take ownership for their actions by involving them in the process of understanding and questioning rules, guidelines, limits, and consequences. Students are able to reason and reflect on their actions, think about the consequences of their behavior, and comprehend the impact they have on others. It is when students believe their ideas are respected and valued that they will be productive participants and will truly take ownership and responsibility for their learning. 

During the class meeting, the teacher holds "veto" power and should use it sparingly.  It is critical that students are allowed to learn from their mistakes. They should be allowed to try out their ideas, even if you're convinced they won't work, as long as no obvious harm could result.  School is life... therefore, students should be as ivolved as possible in the decision making and problem solving in the classroom.

Learn more about the class meeting concept at the following web sites:

• View a few Power Point presentations on class meetings (1 & 2)
• http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev/profdev012.shtml
• http://www.sd83.bc.ca/classmtg/classindex.html
• http://www.nea.org/classmanagement/ifc020919.html
• http://www.marvinmarshall.com/articles/promotinglearning/article_meetings.htm

What have been your experiences with class meetings?  Do you believe class meetings can be an effective way to help students take ownership and responsibility for their learning?  What are the negative aspects of class meetings? 

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)