Quality in Education

In the absence of clear goals and well-communicated direction, stakeholders will determine for themselves what is most important.  Why does this matter... Let me illustrate through a few examples.

School District "A" has not clearly set and communicated direction to its stakeholders.  Employees are not sure what the "critical few" goals of the District are, nor what the action plans are to accomplish them.  Most importantly, employees do not know how their work directly contributes to the goals of the District.  The end result- misaligment!  If there are 200 employees in the school district, chances are there are 200 different arrows moving in 200 different directions.  The solution- leaders need to clearly set and communicate direction to employees through a well defined strategic plan (example online) that includes:  vision; mission; core values; and goals and how each person can contribute to its success.

Classroom teacher "B" hasn't clearly communicated to students and parents what the "most important" goals are for the class.  Students aren't sure exactly what the focus is and what the key expectations are for learning.  Most importantly, students and parents do not know how the work they are doing each day is contributing to the classroom goals.  The end result- misalignment.  If there are 25 students in the classroom, chances are there are 25 different interpretations of "what's most important".  The solution- teachers need to clearly set and communicate direction in their classroom through classroom SMART goals and a comprehensive classroom data center (example online).

Do your stakeholders know what's most important in your system?  Does each student/employee know how the work they are doing each day is directly contributing to clearly identifed goals?  How do you set and communicate direction?

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 02:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Professional Learning Communities or PLC's as they are called- have recently gained much attention by the educational world. Typically, the concept of PLC's has applied to adults who work in teams and conduct action research to increase academic achievement.  PLC's ensure that all students learn, promote a culture of collaboration and focus on results.  The "Big Ideas" of PLC's include teams asking questions like:

• What do we want students to learn?
• How will we know when students have learned it?
• How will we respond when students aren't learning?

Adults aren't the only ones who can function as a learning community.  There are many benefits of organizing student into learning teams as well.  By constructing a cooperative learning environment with a focus on student ownership, accountability and responsibility- students can engage in the improvement of their own learning.  A "Continuous Improvement Classroom" is in fact, a student learning community.  Learn more about the continuous improvement classroom and its 8 components.

What are your experiences with Professional Learning Communities?  What kind of collaboration occurs at your school?  Are educators engaged in action research in your district?   How do you respond when students have difficulty learning? 

Learn more about PLC's online:
http://www.sedl.org/change/issues/issues61.html
http://www.nsdc.org/standards/learningcommunities.cfm
http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/virtualwkshp/virtualwkshp005.shtml

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 08:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

The term "customer" is not often a well-received term in education... but it is critical to quality and continuous improvement!  Why?- because without a solid understanding of who the customer is, how does one know what the requirements, expectations and needs are of those being served? 

In a previous blog entry, I discussed the concept of student centered vs. adult centered classrooms which contains a strong focus on the student as the customer.  Classrooms that are "customer" focused are tuned in to 3 key areas: 

1. First, customer wants are researched and understood
2. Then, systems are created to meet the needs of the customer
3. Finally, customer satisfaction is monitored and adjustments made to the classroom system

What happens to organizations that are not customer focused?  Can quality be achieved in a system that does not serve the customer?  How do you know what your customers want, need and expect?  How do you measure customer satisfaction?

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 09:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

For many educators, the summer months bring rest, relaxation, vacationing and a chance to not have to think about school!  Now that classes been out for several weeks, some educators are thinking about August already.  It's summertime, are you planning for quality in your classroom or school?

As you dip your toe in the pool this summer, consider the following questions... how would you answer them?

• What do I want to do differently in my classroom (or school) next year?
• How will I instill responsibility, accountability and student ownership in my classroom?
• Who are my customers and how will I measure customer satisfaction?
• How will I incorporate the components of the continuous improvement classroom?
• Am I dedicated to continuous improvement in my classroom (or school)?

Share your plans in the comment section below!  As you enjoy your summer vacation, keep quality and continuous improvement on your mind.

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 08:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Like many school districts across the country, the Cedar Rapids Community School District has a vision of "Preparing World Class Learners and Responsible Citizens."  In order to be "World Class" it seems we have to consider the changing world around us and make in-process adjustments to the way in which we teach and in which today's learners- learn.  In schools, it is critical we become visionary leaders and forward thinkers.

How relevant today is it to memorize the presidents in order?  Do we really need to know where every single country in the world is located on a map?  Do we continue to spend time teaching information or content that changes so quickly, becomes outdated, can be found on-line on Google within seconds... or simply doesn't apply to today's world?  If so, are we really "World Class"?  I submit that a focus on the 21st Century Learning Skills (learn more on-line) will help us prepare students for the world in which they will find themselves. The 21st Century Skills focus on processes that can be applied in a changing world and work force.

In education, are we aware of the changes in the world around us?  Are we adjusting to the needs of today's learners?  Are we visionary leaders and forward thinkers?  Are we really preparing students to be "world-class"? 

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 02:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)