Seeds of public education's current failures are found in its past successes (transmitting culture and providing custodial care). Education is experiencing paradigm paralysis because of piecemeal reform approaches, failure to integrate solution ideas, and reductionist, boundary-limiting orientation. The old system is no longer adequate. Total…

The central idea in W. Edwards Deming's approach to quality management is the need to improve process. Outcome-based education's central defect is its failure to address process. Deming would reject OBE along with management-by-objectives. Education is not a product defined by specific output measures, but a process to develop the mind. (MLH)

For-profit charter-school managers may be removing the "public" from public education. A study of 11 Michigan charter schools showed that cost-cutting strategies are adversely affecting student transportation, special education, and the socioeconomic mix of students. Corporations' superimposed bureaucracies have eradicated educators'…

Some feel that outcome-based education and school-based management have been adopted as the new conventional wisdom to guide accountability without compelling research evidence. OBE proponents argue that currently expressed outcomes for student learning are neither sufficiently rigorous nor appropriate for students' future lives. Likely trends and…

In 2013, a team of experts funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation wrapped up a three year, $45 million project to identify Measures of Effective Teaching (MET)--an effort to determine whether it's possible to put numbers on something as complex as teaching. After reviewing 20,000 classroom videos, crunching data from thousands of student…

Charter schools--what was their original promise? They would enroll diverse groups of students. They would give teachers the room and power to innovate. They would be educational laboratories that would find new ways to reach students, and they would share those lessons with other public schools. But charter schools haven't lived up to their…

Whether viewed through Deming's 14 points, Juran's Trilogy, or Kaoru Ishikawa's Thought Revolution, Total Quality Management embodies 4 fundamental tenets: primary focus on customers and suppliers, universal commitment to continuous improvement, a systems approach, and top management responsibility. Educational organizations are recreating their…

Today private-sector partnerships and business involvement aimed at improving the educational system operate at several levels: (1) policy; (2) systemic educational improvements; (3) management assistance; (4) teacher training and development; and (5) classroom programs. Early intervention for the future work force is the motivating factor.…

Numerous school districts are experimenting with site-based management, gaining increased authority and responsibility while aiming to improve accountability and productivity. Some key elements include alternative resource allocation, expanded decision-making through teamwork, key advisory committee roles for parents and high schoolers, increased…

With political support, Total Quality Management principles can help urban schools redefine schools' role, purpose, and responsibilities; focus on continuous improvement; plan comprehensive leadership training; create staff development confronting staff attitudes and beliefs; use research- and practice-based information to guide policy and…

Site-based management tries to transform schools into communities where the appropriate people participate constructively in major decisions affecting them. Effective site councils have a well-designed community structure, enabling leadership, student and adult learning focus, and a schoolwide perspective. Districts should provide long-term…

The importance of spiritual leadership that enables educators to build inner strength for effective management is discussed. Even though developing a spiritual approach may not eliminate all the stress, it can help educators to stay focused on the aim of improving education for students.

Educators cannot withstand the inevitable advance of alternative education and privatization efforts. Luckily, no one alternative will become the ultimate solution. Visionary educators can respond by adapting to new management and governance concepts, expecting increased accountability, creating teams, maintaining a customer orientation, planning…

Educational management organizations (EMOs) are for-profit, private companies that manage schools, including 10% of all charter schools. Major investment houses consider public education a $300 billion industry ripe for picking, due to three driving market forces--cost, quality, and consumer confidence. Three EMOs (TesseracT Group, Edison Project…

Before jumping on another corporate bandwagon, educators should recall the primary difference between business and education. Workers produce consumer goods, whereas students should be concerned with constructing meaning. The marketplace model, even correctly applied, does not belong in the classroom. Total Quality Management is a content-free,…