Overton's Quality Blog

I have been doing a lot of work getting the word out about continuous improvement recently.  Getting the word out really means going on a listening tour around the district to talk about continuous improvement and how it impacts employees.  During this process, I receive lots of information about next steps and ways that continuous improvement can be done better.  Wow!  So here I am coming to meet with people to share thoughts and get better ideas.  The ideas are coming…and coming…and coming!  People in TSD are taking the continuous improvement and PDCA cycle seriously!

By taking a serious approach to doing this work, we are moving forward. It is so energizing to listen to people want us to be better…faster.  What evidence do we have of our progress?  What measures do we have in place that allow us to know we are getting the job done, that we are getting results.

Thank you to all of the departments who are engaging in this work.  Surely the results that we are seeking for our students will take place.  Remember our purpose for improving: Empowering to Learn, Challenging to Achieve, Inspiring to Excel so that we can Close the Achievement Gap.

Today has been a great day.  On those rare occasions I can actually follow my intended schedule, I have the glorious opportunity to visit schools throughout the district.  I am amazed at the work we see throughout TSD.

Today I learned about the work of Brian Smela using P-D-C-A to analyze game results, look at the process of playing baseball, and setting individual performance goals with players.  The conversation kept getting deeper as he explained using 20 years of his data to really analyze baseball so that his players could really begin to understand strategy.  WOW!  Having individual performance goals conferences not only help his players assess their work, but it sets a great example of what they will be doing in the future in business, self-employment, or education.  Whatever jobs they choose, these players will know how to assess their own performance and adjust their work mid-stream.  Way to go, MV baseball!

I heard a rumor that 5th grade students were creating their own blog.  I watched them write their first post today.  As I walked around the computer lab, I observed the students saying, “YES! Yeah!” as they were given directions to start writing.  They were honest and determined to enter that blog-o-sphere.  I couldn’t have arrived in Layne’s classroom at a better time to observe this lesson.  Who-Hooooo, 5th graders!

Participating in a quality experience like CPEx Foothills site visit is humbling, challenging, engaging and energizing!  I cannot believe how much planning everyone did from reviewing documents, providing feedback, planning the category reviews, reading documents, writing categories, rewriting categories, reading…did I say reading already?  It is a comprehensive process learning about who we are as an organization and how we operate collaboratively (or do we), interdependently (or in silos), with everyone in mind (or simply blasting forward with no regard).

What I appreciate the most from the whole process is the honesty that came forward from our staff involved.  This is about continuously getting better and looking at who we are as an organization-the good, the bad, and the ugly. Throughout this process, I asked people to be honest about our work, about where we are, and about what we do.  The honesty was tough sometimes because I wanted it to be perfect.  I want us all to see the big picture of how we use PDCA (or not).  I know that everyone does some part of continuous improvement and we can do better about doing it systemically.  The CPEx exam team talked about how they heard more frank conversation now than from any site they have visited before.  This comment from them warmed my heart.  It was what I expected and hoped for.  I wait with anticipation for our feedback report.

Imagine what we can do with the ideas and comments they provide.  Of course, they will not be prescriptive in their answers; they understand that we must travel this road on our own.  So I invite any and all TSD and community to participate in a conversation about the data we receive.  Can we see outside the box of “we have always done it this way.”  What steps are we willing to take to take our district to the next level: to be a high performing school district?