Quality in Education

As I sit in the Tampa, Florida airport (accessing their free wireless network :-) waiting for my flight home... I thought I would reflect on the ASQ Educational Summit and share some thoughts.  I was inspired by presentations from outstanding speakers including Dr. Diane Bosworth from the Jenks Public Schools (2005 Baldrige Award recipient), Sandra Cokely (2001 Baldrige Award recipient), Dr. Sandra Byrne (from the National Baldrige Office), and Chris Clarke-Epstein (National Consultant).  It was an honor to be included as a presenter at this summit with such a distinguished group. 

As a special bonus for those dedicated blog readers of mine, I'm including access to all of the presentation materials from this past week's presentation including titled Providing Support for Change at the District, School and Classroom Level: Effective Professional Development Practices (description follows).  A school district’s central office is charged with supporting change and continuous improvement throughout the system. This interactive session will focus on how central-office administrators can systematically align effective professional development practices to impact change and continuous improvement. Participants will respond to questions such as: What are effective, research-based professional development practices? How does an organization align professional development initiatives to support the vision, mission, core values and goals of the district? How do educators build internal capacity and support for change at the district, school and classroom levels? How can school districts measure the impact of professional development initiatives?

Enjoy!

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 06:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the quality world, there is much discussion around the topic of "how good is good enough?"  There have been many books written about this concept, most recently- Good to Great by Jim Collins.  In his book he talks about how the enemy of greatness... is being good.  What does that really mean?  As educators focused on continuous improvement, our goal is to be better tomorrow than we are today; better next week than we are this week; better next month than we are this month; better next year than we are this year... you get the picture. 

In the poem titled "Pretty Good" by Charles Osgood, he illustrates what could happen when we are content with being "pretty good".  The poem begins with

"There once was a pretty good student
Who sat in a pretty good class
And was taught by a pretty good teacher
Who always let pretty good pass."

I'll save the suspense and share with you the last few lines of the poem...

"If you want to be great,
Pretty good is, in fact, pretty bad."

Quality and continuous improvement is never "done", therefore, pretty good doesn't fit our paradigm.  How good is good enough in your District, school or classroom? 

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 06:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In my experiences, it is those individuals with a "PASSION" for quality that are often leading the charge for continuous improvement in our schools.  It seems that their passion inspires others.  Recently, I read an article titled "Five Essential Qualities of Leadership" by Angelo Valenti which prompted this entry. 

Valenti says "It’s because they have PASSION for what they do and what they believe in. They are consistently enthusiastic, upbeat, and optimistic. They bring a genuine joy to whatever they do. Even when things are not going well, they can instill in others the belief that together they can make the situation better. Great leaders are also committed to whatever they undertake. Commitment means throwing yourself into everything you do with everything you have.

Are you leading continuous improvement at your school?  Do you have a passion for quality?  Are others inspired by your passion? Read the article on line and share your comments!

Posted by Jay Marino at 09:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Everyone says they are "data driven"- but are they?  What exactly does "data driven" mean and how does one make a "data driven decision?"  It appears to me that the term has become quite popular, overused and is almost seen as a fad that arrived with the onset of No Child Left Behind.

It is obvious that much data exists in the school system... here are some samples:
• Demographic data- Includes background information on students such as gender, ethnicity, identification number, number of years in the district, attendance, etc.
• Achievement data- Includes student results on state assessments, district tests and teacher-developed tests.
• Instructional processes- Includes information about the curriculum, interventions the student experienced, the teachers students were taught by and so on.
• Perception data- Includes individual views, values and beliefs about systems where people work and learn, and may be gathered through questionnaires, interviews and observations.  Often this is refered to as customer/stakeholder satisfaction data.

So what?  So we can collect all of this data... Does that mean we are data driven?  It is only when we apply this data in the decision-making process various questions can be answered and we become "data driven". For example, by using information on the instructional processes students experience, educators can determine which programs or instructional strategies are working (or not working) for which students, and whether additional programs or srategies are needed. 

To be truly data driven, educators need "in-process" measures that allow mid-stream adjustments before the end product or process is derived.  I don't believe we can be data driven without including the element of using data to drive continuous improvements in an on-going manner.  Simply collecting data doesn't quality for the title of being "data driven."

How have you used data to design instruction?  What are the advantages of using data to drive instruction? How can you improve the process of utilizing data in your classroom?  Are you data driven?

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 05:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

What's the difference between a teacher centered classroom and a student centered classroom?  Is one approach more effective than the other?  What does the continuous improvement classroom look like?- look here!

Student centered classrooms focus on the needs and abilities of students (rather than the adults) and on topics that are relevant to the students’ lives, needs, and interests.  Students are perceived as customers and stakeholders.  In this type of classroom, students themselves are actively engaged in creating, understanding, and connecting to knowledge and learning.

In student-centered environments, there is a higher motivation to learn as students feel they have a real stake in their own learning. Instead of the teacher being the sole, infallible source of information (the sage on the stage…), the teacher shares control of the classroom and students are allowed to explore, experiment, and discover on their own.  Their diverse thoughts and perspectives are a necessary input to every class.

In a student centered environment, students are given choices and are included in the decision-making processes of the classroom. The focus in these classrooms is on options, rather than uniformity.  Essentially, "learners are treated as co-creators in the learning process, as individuals with ideas and issues that deserve attention and consideration.”

Student centered classrooms are focused on quality and continuous improvement.  Students participate in creating ground rules, mission statements, SMART goals, student data folders and  student-led conferences (learn more about these components online).

Is your classroom student centered?  What would your customers say about your classroom? Are you focusing on quality and continuous improvement?

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

LAST CHANCE!  The Educational Leadership Summit sponsored by ASQ is quickly approaching June 25-27th in St. Petersburg, Florida!  This will be a great opportunity to network with other educational leaders regarding Baldrige and systems management. Learn more about this conference on line! 

Superintendents and Assistant Superintendents, are you registered yet?  Teachers and principals, encourage your superintendent to register today!

The conference includes many outstanding presenters and topics and will bring together educational leaders who have the desire to make things right, and provide them with the answers they need to make necessary change. I will be delivering a presentation at the conference titled "Providing Support for Change at the District, School and Classroom Level: Effective Professional Development Practices" that will focus on how central-office administrators can systematically align effective professional development practices to impact change and continuous improvement.

I hope to see you (or your Superintendent) there!

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 01:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)