Quality in Education

In a recent article I read titled- USING TOTAL QUALITY TO ACHIEVE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN THE CLASSROOM, my attention was captured by the authors passion, persistance and command of his vision of quality in education. This article follows two threads in implementing total quality in the classroom. The first is empowering students to engage in continuous improvement for the betterment of the class. The second is engaging each of them in a continuous improvement process of his/her own. 

The author states that... The ultimate goal of total quality is customer satisfaction. This is the real measure of whether or not the mission and goals of the classroom are being met. The quality teacher does not merely rely on hunches or hearsay as evidence of classroom satisfaction, rather, he or she designs an instrument that measures specific criteria and uses such instrument to collect data from various stakeholders.

In previous blog entries, I touched on related topics such as: Who is Your Customer?; Obtaining Stakeholder Input: Checking the Pulse of Your Organization; and How's Your Instrumentation?  The article is an easy read and touches upon key issues related to quality in education.  Take a look and share your comments!

Do You Use Quality to Achieve Continuous Improvement in the Classroom, School or District?

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 02:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Interested in learning more about quality in education?  Are you seeking new strategies, processes and tools to increase academic achievement?  Do you need to recharge your batteries for continuous improvement?  Register for the 2006 National Quality in Education (NQEC) conference today! 

NQEC is an outstanding opportunity for educators seeking awareness, commitment, refinement and measurable progress through continuous improvement approaches and processes. This year’s NQEC will feature a revitalized format, including three dynamic keynote presentations, 42 in-depth sessions, five half-day workshops, and an all new counsel from the experts!

Learn best practices in leadership, strategic planning, stakeholder expectations, information management, process management and more.  Besides, you won't want to miss out on this presentation on Monday, November 13th --> (SESM03) A Multi-Level School District Program for Continuous Improvement .  :-)

Register today!

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 06:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

When we think of quality in education, we often don't consider support services as part of the initiative and our efforts focus mainly on the school and classroom.  In the Cedar Rapids Community School District, we are careful to include our support services departments so they understand their important role in the District strategic plan.  It is critical that ALL employees understand how their role directly contributes to the Vision, Mission, Core Values and Goals of the district.

One way that we've gone about this is the creation of a document titled "The 4 Quality Levels" which attempts to define what continuous improvement could look like on the support side (Food Services, Transportation Department, Maintenance, Custodial Services, Print Shop, Carpenters, Business Services, Human Resources, Payroll, etc.) of our organization.  Through the creation of Department Leadership Teams, support services departments will involve all employees in the department in creating a mission and goals that directly support the District plan.  (See a flow chart of this model on line).

Continuous improvement in the support services looks different than it does in the classroom.  In many instances, the focus is on reducing cycle time, increasing efficiencies or increasing customer satisfaction.  There are several different approaches that support services departments can take to implement quality initiatives; Lean, ISO, Six Sigma and others.  What really matters is that the support services of your organization feel like they are part of the quality initiatives.

How do your support services departments contribute to the quality of your organization?  How are support services personnel included in quality initiatives?  What happens when 1/2 of the organization (the education side) is utilizing continuous improvement processes and tools and the other half (the support side) is not?

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 06:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In his book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", author Steve Covey talks about the importance of taking time to "sharpen the saw".  He illustrates this powerful idea in the following scenario...

Suppose you were to come upon someone in the woods working feverishly to saw down a tree.  "What are you doing?" you ask.  "Can't you see?" comes the impatient reply. "I'm sawing down this tree."  "You look exhausted!" you exclaim. "How long have you been at it?" "Over five hours," he returns, "and I'm beat!  This is hard work."  "Well why don't you take a break for a few minutes and sharpen that saw?" you inquire.  "I'm sure it would go a lot faster." "I don't have time to sharpen the saw," the man says emphatically. "I'm too busy sawing!"

I liken this scenario to educators who are too busy dealing with kids and "putting out fires" to implement continuous improvement.  What these people don't realize is the impact that quality initiatives can have on productivity and efficiency that can actually allow them to regain hours of lost instructional time.  When continuous improvement processes are in place, educators work in alignment to what is most important and are constantly collecting data to ensure their labor is fruitful.  This is the very theory behind quality- we can work smarter, faster and more efficient through the utilization of continuous improvement processes and tools.  When we sharpen our saw and focus on improving key processes in our schools and classrooms, we find we have more time to focus on what is really important- teaching students.

Are you often tired and feel like "there's too much on your plate"?  Are your efforts giving you the results you expect?   How do you sharpen your saw? 

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 04:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Many educators make the mistake of thinking that quality and continuous improvement is a "program, activity or something extra to do".  But, by its very nature- the implementation of continuous improvement requires an integrated approach.

To truly implement continuous improvement requires a paradigm shift and an entirely new thought process.  It is when we try to implement new, more effective initiatives without letting go of the less-effective practices that we feel the "there's too much on my plate" syndrome.  This is main reason for resistance to change.

So, how do we demonstrate that continuous improvement isn't an add-on or extra thing to do???  We show how the time spent focusing on customer satisfaction, data driven decisions and quality processes and tools will help us accomplish our goals in a more efficient and effective way. 

How do you show that the implementation of quality and continuous improvement isn't an add-on or extra activity, but rather a process that replaces less-effective practices?  As an educator, how do you approach continuous improvement in an integrated mannor? 

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 04:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Effective organizations celebrate small successes on a regular basis.  In education, we need to ensure that we take time to celebrate small wins frequently; be it at the District, School, Classroom or individual student level!

It has been said that success... breeds success.  Thefore, we need to be sure to take time to celebrate small achievements on a regular basis.  Steady, incremental gains over time add up to real growth and achievement.  It is critical that stakeholders are regularly encouraged and motivated along the continuous improvement journey.

In the national Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence, section 5.1(b) it states... "HOW do your compensation, recognition, and related reward and incentive practices reinforce HIGH-PERFORMANCE WORK and a student and STAKEHOLDER focus?"  Reconginition of accomplishments keep morale high and stakeholder focusing on the big picture...  that is, increased academic achievement.

When schools and classrooms keep data on in-process measures, it allows opportunities to celebrate on a regular basis.  How do you keep morale high in your district or classroom?  Do you take time to celebrate achievements on a regular basis?  Are you collecting in-process measures to know if gains are being made?

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 03:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)