Total School Transformation - Making Systemic School Reform a Reality

The secret to sustainable, dramatic improvement at America’s public schools is the use of proven comprehensive transformation programs. As explained in a White Paper I have authored, several reform models have proven successful in delivering significant improvement at schools, as they have in other fields and industries. The unifying factor among these programs is described as “Total School Transformation.”

As reported in the White Paper, “Several models have repeatedly been used to improve school performance and student achievement. These models have a variety of things in common, but the chief differentiator between the successful programs and failed efforts is the comprehensive nature of the programs.” Prior efforts at school improvement are described as “tinkering” and “piecemeal,” whereas the comprehensive programs, done correctly, result in a transformation of every aspect of the school. All stakeholders who participate in such reform efforts come out as winners –especially the children.

In the article, titled “Proven Models of Successful School Transformation,” three types of program models are highlighted: Continuous Improvement, Technology Driven, and Niche Programs.

The report indicates that the best sources of information about the Continuous Improvement model can be found at the American Society for Quality, as well as the federal government’s Baldrige National Quality Program, where five schools have won the esteemed Baldrige Award. The example given for the Technology Driven model is the transformation effort underway at the San Diego Unified School District. Examples of the Niche model include KIPP Charter Schools and the Success For All program. These programs are aligned with the goals of the Obama administration’s education improvement initiatives, and push improvement efforts to the next level where dramatic results are finally possible.

The article stresses a sense of urgency. “The time for experimentation and debate is over. There is ample evidence these comprehensive approaches to improvement work. The only obstacle to achieving the long elusive reform of education is leadership.”

Click on White Paper to read more.

Back to School Night

Could a Teacher Led Revolution Transform Schools?


It seemed like any other back to school night – until we reached Ms. Garcia’s class. She started the introduction to her class the same way as the other teachers, presenting the class syllabus that discussed what would be covered in her class, the text book to be used, grading policy, etc.

And then something unusual happened.

She said she wanted to show us an example of concepts that the children would be learning. She started describing how she analyzed data to find solutions to problems—but we soon discovered that the data she was analyzing was the performance in her classes. Without blinking an eye, she showed a graph from three years before when she did a study on the amount of wasted time in her class.

“Can anyone explain what information this graph is presenting?” she asked. Always the reluctant student, and sitting in my usual place in the back of the class, I resisted raising my hand. The other parents were a bit reserved as well, not used to a participatory process at this event. After studying the chart, I slowly raised my hand and blurted out “The pie chart shows that, at the time of the study, only 66% of classroom time was spent on educational activities.” I was shocked that she was essentially giving us a report card on her performance. And it was barely a passing grade. I then reflected that at my job, my work and that of my team was measured on a variety of dimensions and reported at regular intervals. So why shouldn’t teachers self-report on their performance and improvement efforts?

Ms. Garcia continued, saying she defined waste as any time spent in any activity that was not directly related to teaching or assessment of the subject taught in her classroom. Categories included time spent handling student discipline issues, dealing with general school issues and activities, late classroom starts due to weather problems, etc.

Before she did the study, she just assumed she was doing as well as anyone else, focusing on getting through the lesson plans in an attempt to achieve the course goals. But then her perspective changed, and she started looking for ways to do better than what was typical.

She knew she was a good teacher—but she wanted to be a great teacher. By focusing on the goal of maximizing class time spent on educational activities, she set about finding ways to improve. Some of the items she defined as waste were out of her control, such as an emergency disaster drill, but there were many things she had control over, and these were highlighted on her list and prioritized according to those items that would have the most impact. As she talked, I recognized that she was applying the Pareto principle (aka the 80/20 rule) to get the biggest bang for the buck, and quick results.

  Then she showed us a chart showing a trend over time, where she had progressively eliminated much of that waste, maximizing the time in class dedicated to learning, instruction, and assessment. I was a bit embarrassed at my rush to judgment from the first chart she presented. She was merely following the process we used at work, measuring current levels of performance in order to set a baseline, and then identify opportunities to eliminate “muda” (as it is called in Japan), or waste (activities not adding value to the customer, or, in this case, the students).

 Next, she showed us a list of the projects and activities she had created to attack each of these time wasters. Ideas such as experiments with class discipline policy; better preparation before class time; making better use of student volunteers for classroom management activities; using the internet for information sharing and collaboration with students instead of using class time; having lesson plans available for substitutes; etc. She said that as she chipped away at the issues involved in the process of education, she was able to improve her overall performance in the classroom. By using concepts from the math classes she taught, and what she had learned from a friend in another field, she is in the process of moving from “Good to Great” (in the words of bestselling author Jim Collins) in regards to her performance as a teacher. The secret was the same she used with her students – by measuring performance, she was able to assess progress toward the goal.

 Continuing with her presentation, she said that the goal of maximizing the amount of classroom time spent on education was only an interim step. The real challenge was how to improve student achievement. As she wrestled with this concept, she said that she decided to focus first on a section of the curriculum that students struggled with the most. In the previous year, she studied student’s test grades from the year earlier, and generated statistics showing how students performing at different levels in the class performed in this particular section of the course. After reviewing the data, she determined that students who had been achieving B’s and C’s up to that point in the class fared the worst in this section, and focused initially on their ability to grasp the concepts involved.

Ms Garcia put up a chart that looked like the bones of a fish. I recognized this as a “Fishbone Chart,” otherwise known by its inventor’s name as an Ishikawa diagram. Others describe it as a tree with no leaves, each limb branching out into even more branches. She explained how she used this tool to brainstorm through all the possible reasons for students’ struggles in this section. The main branches included the text book, the class lectures, the assignments, etc. As she worked through the possible reasons for lack of student performance in this section, Ms. Garcia thought that if she had more interim assessments to check on student learning at each step of the learning process, she could more easily identify the sources of failure. Last year, the first time she went through this process, she was able to identify two concepts that the students struggled with and developed some supplemental examples and instructional materials to better reinforce the concepts and transfer of learning. This year she would use these new ideas, and assess student performance compared to the prior year. By using the disciplined process of doing a “post mortem,” she would assess how well these new approaches worked, and then make further refinements to try the next year.

Well, the 15 minutes passed quickly, and felt as if only 60 seconds had transpired, and the bell rang signaling to the parents that it was time to move to the next period’s class. I ran up to the teacher, excited by her presentation, and asked her what influences she had that lead her to pursue her improvement activities.

Ms Garcia indicated that her friend lead process improvement efforts at the local hospital, and shared with her some of his experiences, training materials, and resources. She was most influenced by books about Lean Six Sigma, and case studies and her friend’s experiences from healthcare, government, and some service industries, as well as the inspiring success of Toyota. With her math background, she was intrigued both by what her students would need to know at the workplace, as well as how she could use these concepts to improve her own performance as a teacher, and how this could impact student achievement.

I promised to share some of my experiences with her, and told her I was excited about what my child would experience this year in her class. I then raced off to my daughter’s next class, energized by my exchange with a teacher with vision, who cared to do her best and willing to work diligently to achieve it, both for the benefit of the students, and for her own professional development.

Proven Models for Successful School Transformation

by Royce Siggard

Obama’s push for improved school performance includes directives for improving the quality of teachers, use of data to both inform and track performance improvement, and a focus on turning around troubled schools. However, many school leaders feel lost in a sea of conflicting ideas and viewpoints about how to drive meaningful improvement in schools. Fortunately, leaders can learn from schools who have been pioneers in school transformation, blazing the trail for others to follow. There are a number of successful models that schools and districts can adopt.

Several models are emerging as viable options for schools and districts to pursue. Unlike the piecemeal attempts over the past decades to fund and implement niche programs and initiatives, these change models are comprehensive, involving everyone at the schools, and resulting in a dramatic change in culture, teaching practices, and student achievement. The most successful model for change is the Quality Improvement model, yet equally promising are technology driven solutions. Another alternative model is the adoption of certain innovative programs that also use a comprehensive approach to ensure program success. School and district leaders can look to these models to provide a framework to guide them in their improvement efforts. Diligent pursuit of one or more of these strategies will result in a Total School Transformation.

Quality Improvement Model

In 1987, the United States Government established the Baldrige National Quality Program in an effort to improve America’s global competitiveness in the face of a mounting threat from Japan. America had been losing not only jobs, but whole industries to another country that had been guided by quality gurus Deming and Juran following the conclusion of World War II (after they had been ignored by American industry). By the 1980s, many American industries had disappeared, along with the jobs, because of competition from better run companies in Japan.

In response to the threat, companies began Quality Improvement programs in the 1980s to become more competitive, and more specifically, to catch up with Japan. Over time, utilities, hospitals and other organizations jumped on the quality improvement bandwagon. It wasn’t until 2001 that the first school district had successfully competed for a Baldrige Award.

To date, only 5 school districts have earned the esteemed Baldrige Award, the most recent being Iredell – Statesville Schools. Many others have participated in the program or similar programs inspired by the Baldrige Program, or the original quality gurus Deming and Juran. To demonstrate success from using this model typically requires five years or more of hard, dedicated work. It is comprehensive and demands commitment from all levels, as well as a vision at the top of the organization to help sustain the effort. The Quality Improvement Model has a successful track record of over 20 years in America, and has proven successful in almost every field and industry. It holds great promise for all of America’s schools, and has proven successful in dozens of K12 institutions.

Technology Change Model

Similar to the Quality Improvement Model (and sometimes done in conjunction with it), a change program focused on leveraging technology to improve instruction can drive systemic change throughout an organization and drive breakthrough performance. A great example of a comprehensive program is the one being implemented by the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD).

In November of 2008, San Diego voters approved measure S which funded an ambitious effort to reinvent education with technology. Demonstrating uncommon leadership, SDUSD drew upon a variety of resources, including partnering with Intel and other local businesses. The result is a 5-year plan that includes a sophisticated professional development initiative to help teachers learn how to integrate technology into their lesson plans, as well as detailed measures of accountability.

As implemented at SDUSD, the program consists of much more than just making computers and other technology available to teachers and students, as so many failed efforts of the past had done. As Eileen Lento of Intel has said, “If you’re just sprinkling the technology on top of the curriculum, then you just have some expensive pencils.” One of the project goals is to use technology in the most effective ways possible. Another objective is to continuously monitor student outcomes and use that information to improve instruction.

Indeed, the challenge of educating today’s diverse student population is growing, but technology holds the promise of realizing previously unattainable goals. As Jim Shelton of the U.S. Department of Education recently elaborated:

"How does a teacher with 30 students in the classroom, with five or six different levels of current performance, with 15 different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, multiple languages at home--how does that teacher … figure out a way to reach all those students in the classroom? There have got to be tools to help our teachers understand how to reach each student. Improving instruction, enhancing the capabilities of our teachers, has to be a way for us to leverage technology."

Furthermore, SDUSD will be tracking progress on student engagement, academic outcomes, teacher outcomes and equipment performance. These measurement categories are consistent with the Obama administration’s goals to improve student performance and teacher quality. This approach will help SDUSD realize the program’s overarching goal for students to "graduate with the skills, motivation, curiosity, and resilience to succeed in their choice of college and career in order to lead and participate in the society of tomorrow.”

Another aspect of SDUSD’s plan is to expand its innovative virtual high school, iHiGH Virtual Academy, which was implemented last fall. With Measure S funds, SDUSD plans to put an online center in six high schools this year so students can complete credit recovery, AP, and college courses. Similar programs can be found in other states including Massachusetts, Georgia, Utah and Florida.

SDUSD is well on its way to transform the way students learn, consistent with the vision and goals of the Obama administration. The key to success is a well developed plan, integrating best practices from a wide array of specialties, and touching every part of the school system.

Other Comprehensive Programs

Several models focused at the school level have demonstrated consistent improvement in student achievement. These programs require a total commitment by everyone at the school to buy into and support the program. Two successful models include the Success For All (SFA) program, and KIPP Charter Schools.

While the SFA program comes with a specific curriculum and comprehensive approach to educating children, the most powerful aspects of the program are the requirement that everyone at the school, as well as parents, be committed to following the program. Schools adopting the program are encouraged to let teachers who don’t want to follow the program to opt-out and transfer to another school. SFA uses measurements and data intelligently (similar to the models described above), provides a significant amount of professional development for teachers, and provides additional support for children before and after regular school hours. SFA has a large number of success stories in inner city schools, demonstrating dramatic improvement in reading and math scores.

Similarly, the KIPP Charter School model is a comprehensive program that includes high levels of parental involvement and commitment, outstanding teachers dedicated to improving student achievement, significantly more time each day and during the year dedicated to student learning activities, and perhaps most importantly a culture of high expectations and achievement that permeates every aspect of their program. At more than 80 schools across the nation, students in underserved communities receive the instruction and support they need to succeed in school and in life. Indeed, KIPP’s track record is impressive. Although KIPP’s students come from disadvantaged populations (80% are low-income, and 90% are African American or Latino), more than 80% of KIPP alumni have gone to college. A glimpse at how dramatically different a KIPP school experience is compared to the average urban school experience is graphically detailed in the recently released and instant bestseller Work Hard. Be Nice.

Summary

These models provide America’s schools and districts with choices for comprehensive school reform. Indeed, many studies are arriving at the same conclusion—that comprehensive efforts are required for successfully transforming schools. As expressed in the Learning First Alliance report Beyond Islands of Excellence, the common features of successful change efforts include possessing the willingness to acknowledge poor performance and seek solutions, making the commitment to sustain reform efforts over the long run, taking a system-wide approach, instilling a vision focused on improved student learning and achievement, basing decisions on data rather than instinct, and a making a commitment to new approaches to professional development. In other words, to improve, schools need to take a comprehensive approach to transforming education, something we call Total School Transformation. It’s time for all schools and districts to make the commitment to achieve the long elusive goal of meaningful school improvement. The time for debate and experimentation is over—now it’s time for action.