This Reflection Guide summarizes the findings of a Carnegie Foundation project to understand how executive leaders in education transform their organizations to be capable of producing new levels of system performance through the use of improvement science principles. Described here are the key dispositions, core practices, and levers of…

"If I've learned anything from the Visible Learning research," writes noted researcher John Hattie, "it's that almost everything in education works. The key question is not, What works? but, Is it working sufficiently above the average of all possible influences? Research has shown above-average effects for leaders who…

This is the first report from an ongoing study of four urban school districts (New York, New Orleans, Chicago, and the District of Columbia) that are experimenting with new school designs and new ways of holding schools accountable for performance. This report introduces the idea of a "portfolio school district," and shows how some leading school…

In 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education, commissioned by Secretary of Education T. H. Bell, issued a report titled "A Nation at Risk," that turned the national spotlight on the need for educational reform and gave impetus to reform efforts over more than two decades. Now another commission, this one appointed by…

This article reports survey findings from a comprehensive, critical assessment of quality management initiatives at 22 pioneering colleges and universities. The 83 respondents identified key benefits of Total Quality Management (TQM) and major frustrations and problems. Key benefits included: increased involvement of people; increased listening by…

This introduction to the application of Total Quality Management (TQM) on college campuses first reviews the development and application of TQM principles in Japanese industries and recent implementation in industries and the Federal Government in the United States. Twelve principles of TQM are then identified: (1) a focus on quality; (2)…

This handbook discusses the components of McREL's Balanced Leadership Framework, which describes the 21 responsibilities of effective leaders that McREL identified in its meta-analysis of research on leadership (published through ASCD as "School Leadership That Works"). The authors also describe the concept of "balanced leadership," noting that…

Criticizes the adoption of business-originated Total Quality Management principles into school administration. Contrasts this with the establishment of learning communities, an approach that emphasizes engendering commitments in individuals as opposed to manipulation or control. Further outlines this approach and describes several successful…

This chapter provides an overview of the literature on organizational learning and the learning organization, sets out key concepts in each area, and reviews the way that organizational learning and the learning organization have been applied within higher education.