W. Edwards Deming has suggested 96% of organization performance is a function of the organization's structure. He contends only about 4% of an organization's performance is attributable to the people. This is a fundamental difference as most school leaders work with the basic assumption that 80% of a school's performance is related to staff and…

This document was developed by the Mid-South Regional Resource Center (MSRRC) and is designed to be used as an assessment of State systems by State Part B and Part C staff and their stakeholders. It provides a detailed process for State Education Agencies (SEA) and Lead Agencies (LA) to follow that will guide improvement efforts relative to the…

Although educational reformers frequently use the words "system,""systemic change," and "systemic approach," many lack a fundamental understanding of the systems concept. This paper describes the application of systems theory to the problems of educational reform and educational assessment. It introduces basic concepts and principles and describes…

Suggests that a useful way of viewing schools is that of the systems approach of looking at organizations. System analysis attempts to measure what resources are fed into a school, what happens to students while enrolled, and what educational benefit students receive from their stay in school. (Author/AM)

This booklet presents information on how total quality management can be applied to school systems to create educational improvement. Total quality management offers education a systemic approach and a new set of assessment tools. Chapter 1 provides a definition and historical overview of total quality management. Chapter 2 views the school…

Needs assessment is a systematic procedure by which educational needs are identified and ranked in order of priority. The process involves the use of both objective (achievement test scores) and subjective (attitudinal measures) information to identify and rank educational needs. A procedure to guide the needs assessment effort includes various…

This report explores some techniques that could assist educational managers in their attempts to arrive at more optimal input and output mixes. Following a review of the literature on input-output analyses in education and a description of the Pennsylvania Educational Quality Assessment Program (the basis of the present study), an empirical…

In December 2000, the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) began working with low-performing districts and schools as part of a 5-year research and development effort to create and refine a systemic model for improving student achievement in reading or mathematics. SEDL hypothesized that as districts and schools increase their…

COPES (Community College Occupational Programs Evaluation System), established in 1971 as a cooperative undertaking of community colleges, is today the recognized system for evaluation of occupational education in California community colleges. In its fifth year of operation (1975-76) an assessment study focused on the basic system. Key objectives…