Draft for Plan to Implement TQM
I would follow an eleven step process on a plan to implement Total Quality Management in my school.
Step 1: Identify something is wrong. The school district mandates that all students must pass all portions of the Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) in order to receive a high school diploma upon completion of their program of study. Spring 2007 test results indicate that only 37% of special needs students passed the Science portion of the GHSGT.
Step 2: Decide to Act. The district superintendent met with the board of education and a decision was made to hire a consultant to meet with school principals and teachers to implement a total quality management process to improve the scores on the Science portion of the graduation test. The superintendent and board members have studied three models of TQM to include Crosby, Juran, and Deming.
Step 3: Make Management Aware. To inform the central office, principals, and science teachers of the problem, the superintendent will address the issue at the next board meeting that is held every other Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. The newly hired consultant will provide workshops and a training session on TQM. An overview of the TQM will be presented and include: 1) the TQM Philosophy, 2) TQM Definition, and 3) TQM Principles.
Step 4: Initial Strategy. The consultant will divide large teams of science teachers into smaller groups to review the various TQM processes, identify what is not working in the classroom, and what can be done to improve teaching and learning among special needs students. Each small group will report their findings to the large group. Strengths and weaknesses of current teaching strategies will be identified. The team decided to use Deming’s Total Quality Management system that was recommended by the consultant because of the success that Brazasport Independent School District had for their school district when improving student achievement on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TASS).
Step 5: Customer Self-Assessments. The principals and teachers will interview all special needs students who did not meet the basic competency on the graduation test. In addition, a survey will be sent to parents to determine what they think is needed in order to help their children pass the test. Open ended questions, and a checklist will also be used to collect data.
Step 6: Plan TQM. Data from the survey will be analyzed and disaggregated to determine the problems students are experiencing that hinder them from passing the GHSGT.
Step 7: Benchmark the School System. The team will use information from an adjacent county to compare its scores to their Science graduation test scores for special needs students. Also, case studies and other quality surveys will be used to establish benchmarks.
Step 8: Administrator Commitment. To ensure commitment to the improvement of passing scores for special needs students in the school district, the superintendent will reward students and teachers for their success. Every student who passes the test on the first try will be
given a free movie pass. Teachers who have 75% of their special needs students pass will be given a $15 gift certificate to a local bookstore. Principals will be recognized at subsequent board meetings when 75% of their special needs students pass.
Step 9: Quality Leadership Teams. To ensure total involvement from everyone in the school and community, the superintendent will establish several teams. These teams will include: 1) an Executive Committee (superintendent, board members, and consultant), 2) a Local Team (consists of the principal and his leadership team); 3) a Departmental Team (consists of the department chair, teachers, and students); and, 4) the School Improvement Team (consists of the principal, one assistant principal, a department head, and outside stakeholders).
Step 10: Continuous Improvement. To ensure continuous improvement, the superintendent will implement a PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) system. Teachers will administer assessments every month to assess basic science concepts. Mentoring and tutoring will be ongoing to ensure quality education.
Step 11: Measurement Techniques for Improvement. At the beginning of the school year, science teachers will administer pre-test to assess basic science competencies. These scores will be used to determine what students need to learn. At the end of the semester, a post-test will be administered to measure student learning. Various statistical analyses will be performed to disaggregate the data.
References
Davenport, P. and Anderson, G. (2002). Closing the achievement gap: no excuses. American Productivity and Quality Center. Houston, TX.
Weller, D. L. Total Quality Management. (Retrieved from class website on May 30, 2007).