Facilitating change in Australian schools: applying a business quality improvement model

Industry learned many years ago of the need to develop the capacity to continuously improve productivity, performance and responsiveness in order to grow competitive advantage, and to succeed in an environment where change remains the only constant. Each year our State and Federal governments invest millions of dollars in strategies aimed at improving our school education system. This is in response to a growing awareness by key stakeholders of the urgent need for this sector to meet the demands of a changing society. Whilst Australia currently ranks among the world's leading nations in terms of the performance of our schools, close examination of the data reveals that a higher proportion of our students are falling behind compared to other countries, and that there has been little improvement over the last decade. Other worrying indicators include the declining morale of educators, and the increasing exodus of students from the public to private school system. Between the years 1997 and 2004, 138 Victorian State schools took part in the Quality in Schools program, an initiative of the Australian Quality Council. The purpose of the two-year program was to develop educator and administrator capacity in the thinking, strategies and methods of Quality Improvement. The Quality Improvement approach is based on the work of W. Edwards Deming, and proven over many years to be effective in bringing about significant and sustainable improvement in industry. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the Quality in Schools program, and whether applying the Quality Improvement approach has improved school performance. The study found that the Quality in Schools program has led to an increased understanding and application of the Quality Improvement philosophy and methods. Participating schools showed greater improvement of performance in several key areas including staff satisfaction and student learning outcomes for reading, writing and mathematics. They also showed a greater rate of improvement for combined student learning outcomes compared to like schools. Importantly, the program has led to a change in mindset with respect to the way in which schools approach improvement. Furthermore, the schools that participated in the program continue to apply the approach which appears resilient to a number of challenges usually associated with the failure or stalling of change interventions. The study reinforces the effectiveness of the design elements of the Quality in Schools program. It is suggested that these elements be used as the basis of, and to inform, the design of future interventions. The research has also resulted in the development of an evaluative methodology that can be adapted to assess the impact of other improvement strategies and to determine the return on the investment of time, effort and resources. In conclusion, the research demonstrates that the Quality Improvement model, developed and proven in industry, leads to improved school performance. It demonstrates the importance and potential of ongoing dialogue and the sharing of learning between industry and education. This is critical if our public school education system is to continue to be relevant and of value in shaping the future success of our country.