Initiating Organizational Change
Challenge
In raising student achievement, a public school district wanted to build
a firmer foundation on which to grow and improve. The school district
recognized the need to develop relationships within the school district
and within the community and more effectively involve and engage
stakeholders, including community members, parents, school children and
school staff. The goal was to foster a shared commitment to make changes
that would support the improvements.
Solution
O.E. Strategies was hired to conduct the SchoolPrism™ survey, a quality
based survey for students, staff, community members and parents
throughout the school district. The SchoolPrism™ survey was designed to
focus different stakeholders on school quality by providing feedback
from various viewpoints. O.E. Strategies’ consultants worked with each
of the schools on a monthly basis to train and facilitate improvement
groups in data driven decision-making. In addition, focus was placed on
team building, managing change, and identifying action plans to measure
change throughout the school year. The results of the SchoolPrism™
survey were presented to improvement teams both at the district level
and individual school level.
Outcomes
Action plans were implemented by improvement teams at the district level
and individual school level. By providing a clear path to incorporate
stakeholder feedback during the action planning process, the improvement
teams developed the ability to drive real change and improvement in the
school district. In 2004-2005, the school district made the largest gain
in report card rankings across the state. Building levels test scores
improved by as much as 42% from the previous year. In addition, the
school district has seen an increase in the levels of trust,
cooperation, and collaboration from administration, staff, parents,
students, and community members; all of which provide the foundation for
continued student achievement.