|
|
SchoolPrism™ Involves Community In School Improvement 24 September 2001. Cleveland, OH. Nationwide school systems are seeking ways to improve the performance of their students, but are increasingly realizing that progress will require the cooperation and participation of more than just school personnel. The Wooster City School District is a local school system that has discovered a successful means to increase involvement for the benefit of the students and the community. The district partnered with a Cleveland-based consulting firm, Organizational Effectiveness Strategies, to develop a new process called SchoolPrism™. SchoolPrism™ begins with a survey that captures the perspectives of four different stakeholder groups- students, school staff members, parents, and members of the community-who have an interest in the success of the schools. "The role of the community in shaping the future of its schools is important because the quality of education in the district directly impacts the quality of life in the community," Suzanne Miklos, Ph.D., president of O.E. Strategies said. "Too often schools only seek the opinions of community members when there is a levy or referendum on the ballot. It leaves the message-accurate or not-that the schools don't really value ideas, just tax dollars." The emphasis of the SchoolPrism™ process is on school leaders working together with interested stakeholders, including community members, toward continuous improvement of each school within the district. O.E. Strategies brings another new twist to school improvement, as SchoolPrism™ incorporates a focus on a district's readiness to change. Dr. Miklos explains, "Before a district can successfully address its challenges in core areas, such as student learning and school performance, it must first ensure that a strong foundation of communication and respect exists among school stakeholders. It is this foundation of readiness that provides the strength the district will need to tackle the tougher challenges of school improvement." SchoolPrism™ determines a district's readiness level, as well as how it fares with respect to seven other dimensions, based on the Baldrige criteria which have been used in the business-sector for a number of years to drive organizational improvements. The Ohio Department of Education is likewise encouraging districts to use the Baldrige criteria to stimulate school improvement. These dimensions include such elements as strategic planning and school performance. "The survey results provide powerful information for our continuous improvement teams to start looking at our strengths in the system and also what they can improve from within their individual schools and support departments,"David Estrop, Ph.D., superintendent of Wooster City Schools said. Schools with more favorable survey results had higher graduation rates, better attendance, and sought more feedback from stakeholders. The SchoolPrism™ process does not end with the survey, however. The process includes regular meetings and support for on-going change in each school throughout the school year. O.E. Strategies offers school leaders techniques to help gain real improvement in readiness levels and school effectiveness. "The most exciting part of this process has been seeing people come together to help one another understand the results," Dr. Estrop said. "School board members, administrators, union leaders, school principals, teachers, staff, parents, and others are all working together to begin a dialogue about how to use the data and involve more stakeholders in creating action plans for improvement." For more information regarding SchoolPrism™ please contact Dr. Suzanne Miklos, Organizational Effectiveness Strategies, 440-546-0008. |
|||||||
