The Lean School Improvement Process

Using the tools of continuous quality improvement to decrease expenditures while raising student achievement

In this time of economic uncertainty and declining revenues, there is no better time to implement Lean in your school improvement process. Education Resources, LLC is pleased to offer a way to create a culture change in your school which provides the tools needed to make changes that eliminate waste and improve student outcomes. The Lean school improvement process includes five clearly defined phases carefully tailored in collaboration with school and district representatives for each school and district’s unique needs. Typically, the phases include the following steps:

Phase 1

Initial On-Site Presentation

Phase I features an on-site visit from an Education Resources, LLC (ER) school improvement expert who will present an overview of Lean concepts and school improvement tools along with a brief examination of possible district needs based on existing data. The presentation will include a) clearly defined goals for the school improvement process, b) an outline of what participants may expect in the upcoming phases of implementation, and c) projected timelines for accomplishing the work. This on-site presentation is typically a one-day event or can be spread over several days for multiple smaller groups and is open to all stakeholders. The online Comprehensive Needs Assessment instrument will be demonstrated and launched at the end of this phase.

Phase 2

Comprehensive Needs Assessment

Phase II is the Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) required by Federal Programs. ER will assist the district in creating and/or choosing questions for the needs assessment that specifically address areas of concern or give a general overview of the district’s status. Once the questions are chosen, ER will create the online assessment and make it available to district stakeholders within seven (7) working days. The district will decide how long questions will be left open for public access. At the close of the CNA, ER will compile the data to create a report that includes both district-wide and school-specific data analysis. The district can then order copies of the full-color bound reports, usually available within four (4) weeks. For an example of the kinds of questions available on the CNA survey and for a sample report, please follow these links:

CNA SAMPLE SURVEY

CNA SAMPLE REPORT

The sample includes a wide variety of question formats, including open-ended questions, in order to obtain the clearest picture possible of stakeholder opinions.

Phase 3

On-Site Visit: Data Collection and Analysis

Phase III is an on-site visit from a team of our school improvement experts (two to four ER team members, depending on the size of the school). During this visit, ER will systematically address the needs of the district using results from the CNA, interviews, meetings, and quantifiable data collection in collaboration with the district administration, faculty and other stakeholders as the district deems necessary.

Note: The team is careful not to interrupt classroom instruction time while gathering data.

ER will continue its thorough examination of student test scores begun in Phase I and conduct a review of internal systems, climate, and testing trends. This process empowers and energizes stakeholders and helps us understand the roadblocks to excellence that need to be addressed in the school improvement plan. All activities throughout the project are planned and executed with the agreement of district representatives. This phase usually lasts 4-10 days per school depending on the size of the school.

As Phase III progresses, the priorities of the Phase III Kaizen* events are reviewed and updated as the overall Value Stream Mapping** becomes more clearly evident. Each area of the academic environment is examined as well as the ancillary services that support an on-task learning environment. Each area to be examined is determined in collaboration between ER and district personnel. Areas examined may include but are not limited to:

Phase 4

On-Site Visit: Planning School Improvement

Phase IV begins building level on-site meetings with stakeholders from each of the schools. The ER school improvement team will have data already compiled in presentation form to share with stakeholders in each school. Stakeholders from each school will give input into the improvement process as value streams are mapped. ER experts look for substantiation of already identified problems in the CNA and data gathering in Phase III as primary goals. Three to five long term goals are chosen for their greatest potential for immediate impact within the academic calendar year. Short term goals and objectives will be written for each of the areas of improvement; key personnel will be identified for leadership roles in the accomplishment of each objective.

This process takes one to three days per school depending on the size of the school and ends with a presentation of the school’s identified Kaizen events to the district’s administration on the last day.

Phase 5

Preparing the School Improvement Document

Phase V is the completion of the school improvement plan document with your district or state format. This document is prepared in our offices after our return from the district on-site visit and will be submitted to the district representative for approval. This report usually takes a month to complete and return to the school for review. After the document is submitted to the district, ER experts will be available to help facilitate presentation of the entire school improvement plan on-site for administration or board meetings if needed. Note: Shorter turn-around may be negotiated at the beginning of a school contract.