Education is vital to the continued development of children. So when Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Oklahoma City, OK, closed in 2003, ASQ member Dr. Paul Young came to the rescue. With the help of four other educators and the local ASQ Oklahoma City Section 1408, they founded a new charter school -- the Marcus Garvey Leadership Charter Elementary School. By founding and participating in this charter school, Young demonstrates his passion and commitment to Quality for Life.
Working with a blank slate, the group incorporated Baldrige criteria into school processes. Young enacted a plan to help students understand the importance of education by bringing members of the local community -- including local bankers, firefighters, military personnel, and Oklahoma University alumni -- to tell the children why it is important to learn, study, and apply their knowledge. Since many of the students of the charter school come from troubled families, it is important that these children see positive examples of how they can succeed in society.
"Part of the Baldrige process stated that we needed to interrupt the negative thoughts that kids learn from their families and society," said Young. "One way to do that is to bring successful people into the school and let [the students] see the results of continued education."
Another quality measure implemented at the school was the formation of a quality kid council. The mission of the council was for children to assist one another in being productive in the classroom. Each classroom had to nominate a male and female to represent them on the council and solve issues and propose opportunities for students. One result of this council was the formation of study circles, in which classrooms were broken into smaller circles and one student in each group was assigned to help the group understand and work through problems.
Today, Marcus Garvey Leadership Elementary Charter School has about 225 students and has received an A+ education rating. Volunteers, including Young, continue to demonstrate Quality for Life by playing an active role in the charter school -- bringing their job experience to the children and helping with tutoring.
"Education is mandatory to succeeding today," concludes Young. "We have to constantly teach our children to learn and improve their situation."
If you have a story about how you used your passion for quality to make a difference in people's lives, we'd like to hear from you as part of our Quality for Life initiative. Please submit stories to qualityforlife@asq.org. Also, be sure to visit our blog at http://www4.asq.org/blogs/quality-life/. Look for more inspiring stories in upcoming editions of ASQ Weekly.
