Paradoxes In Education

It is that interesting time of year when the paradoxes in education become very clear. AYP results were recently reported in NC. By most measures, our school system is doing very well; however, AYP is interpreted to mean we are failures (112 out of 115 districts did not make AYP in NC). This is that time of year when legislators and departments of education tell us that we have to improve; however, our budgets have been reduced due to economic conditions. Bottom line – DO MORE WITH LESS!! After 37 years in education, the frustration is always there; however, thanks to the many learning opportunities I have had over the years there are a few best practices that might help others going through similar conditions.

1 – Don’t cut across the board. This is the easy approach; however, it is NOT the best approach.

2 – Use a systemic approach to identify processes that could be improved and become more efficient. This systemic approach in our school system is the Plan Do Study Act cycle.

3 – Move away from functional management approach to a process oriented management approach.

What does this look like?

In our system we have 3 major divisions – Superintendent, Operations, and Learning. We have worked together to identify district processes that could be more effective (improve student learning) and efficient (save money). We then name a process champion and populate the process improvement team from all 3 divisions. This is a key step. Most systems have a functional (silo) approach to improvement and this type of approach can lead to many unintended consequences when arbitrary cost reductions are implemented. The teams all use a systemic Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) template to guide the work. The teams meet as needed and then report the progress of their work at a monthly cross functional district meeting. The progress is reported on a common Strength Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) form so that resource issues (training, time, equipment) can be addressed.

Has it worked?

Our school system is in the BOTTOM ten in NC for per pupil operation funding (less than $6000 per year). Our student and staff performance is generally in the top ten among NC school systems.

Examples of savings:

• 50% reduction in school bus discipline which gives principals more time to focus on instruction
• Central office administration reduction of over $1 million to place instructional support directly in schools
• $4 million savings in energy costs
• Overall reductions in lost textbook costs

Of course, the technology is critical in this process. We are providing district wide training in time management and how to use technology tools (Groupwise, virtual office, Google document management, etc.) to reduce face-to-face time and the need to drive to a meeting. School systems are facing the same issues that business have faced for years. We have major competition (charter, private, virtual schools) that are forcing us to better meet the expectations of our customers (parents, students, legislators) and to do so with fewer resources. The only way to do this is to improve processes. For benchmarking information on how to improve processes, I would encourage readers to become familiar with the American Productivity Quality Council and the North Star project. Go to www.apqceducation.org.

Comments

[jonathan]

Can you share a few more specifics as to what administrators learned in the time management and tech training. That is something our district is missing and I'd like to share some insights with our leadership.