Quality in Education

A thought provoking shot.
To recount- Improvement is of three kinds: Small continuous improvements (KAIZEN'S), Continual improvements (CI), and Breakthrough Improvements [ Am I right ;-) ]

Dr Juran mandated Breakthrough Improvements as a necessary component of a good Quality improvement programme (oh! I say like this again, inspite Jay warned).

Well! Breakthrough Improvement is enabled in only 1 % of CI programmes (Opined Dr. G. Altschuller), mostly it is 'Continual improvement' (CI) at lower hierarchical level. And Kaizens: simpler but if one (organisation included) has the culture or knack?

Call it any improvement, call it a program, or an endeavour, call it blah blah, but CI is a vital part of our endeavour to build a sustaining tomorrow.

People say: 'there is nothing in a name!'
So wheter or not these CI types are all same?
The endeavour shouldn't be to find a re-name!
Instead-Hurry up to implement this CI game!
Failing which there will be all shame.

So let's not make Juran's Trilogy lame!

Priyavrat

Priyavrat,

I like your insight and your poem! I especially like your statement that continuous improvement provides us the path to a "sustaining tomorrow"!

Thanks for sharing.

Jay

Jay:

This comment won't be as lyrical as Priyavrat's. A crucial issue in your post was in the letting go. In organization I've worked, the paring down of least effective practices can be very difficult. The culture of most social organizations is that people find comfort in continuing to do things that they understand and will persist despite some inherent aggravations.

In education, I think that the paradigm is shifting due to NCLB. I wouldn't have said this a few years ago (and I still believe it is miserably flawed), but the legislation is really forcing us to focus on outputs rather than inputs. In education we have tended to view CI in terms of the inputs. CI doesn't really work unless the focus is on the outputs.

You have an important blog -- keep up the good work.

CJ

CJ,

Thanks for your encouraging words and insight. As I read your comment, I keep thinking of our focus in the classroom not on what we teach, but rather what students learn. This takes the focus away from the input side and puts it on the output- student learning. I agree!!!

How can we better do this in education?

Jay

Cj.

You are rightly hitting at the base of the ill we all visualize but the hit should rather be on the head. What (side) and where is that?
Are we putting the nail right or wrong? to be driven by a continuously improving process?
You are right in the output part of legistlation akin to " No Child is Left Behind" which a lot of teachers reacted to. I agree to this, and attempt to Teach, Believe and Preach on the same paradigm.

Now there are three ways to this:
i) Improve and really improve with inputs improved (ensuring outputs meet legistlative requirements).
ii) Lower one's testing standards
iii)Sleep well ;-) and side with the cooler ones.

Thanks for sharing

P.S. I have some limericks on education at www.thareja.com

Priyavrat