Wisdom From The Factory Floor

For best results, limit initiatives, build capacity, and monitor progress

Imagine you are on a tour of an assembly line factory that makes air conditioners for large vehicles. Assembly line workers wearing hard hats, safety goggles, and ear protection are arranged in “pods” (similar responsibility teams): one for welding, another for electrical components, yet another for painting. Dozens of pods fill the immense factory floor, and each area has a designated time for completing its assigned tasks. During the tour, the manager-turned-tour-guide emphasizes a process of continuous improvement. This process, basically the plan, do, study, act process from Deming (1986), catches you off guard. As a thought leader and worker, you are surprised to find such a process in a place characterized as routine and repetitive. You ask about the company’s improvement processes, how it

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Hastings Public Schools

Student results on Nebraska’s state reading and math tests2010-14
The results of improvement efforts in Hastings Public Schools, as measured by state test scores, show strong and steady gains in student reading and math scores.
Grade	Reading	Math
	2010	2014	Change	2011	2014	Change
Grades 3-8 average	60	78	+18	65	74	+9
3	59	81	+22	64	78	+14
4	60	84	+24	71	84	+13
5	55	79	+24	78	79	+1
6	62	77	+15	72	71	-1
7	62	80	+18	60	73	+13
8	62	80	+18	66	77	+11
11	61	58	-3	44	48	+4
In 2010, the average percent of students proficient in Hastings Public Schools was eight percentage points below the state average. In 2014, the average percent of students proficient was above the state average. This has been accomplished with almost 60% of students in poverty, compared to the state average of 44%.
Source: Hastings Public Schools.

References

Deming, W.E. (1986). Out of the crisis. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & Many, T. (2010). Learning by doing: A handbook for professional learning communities (2nd ed.). Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.

Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a culture of change. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Lambert, L. (1998). Building leadership capacity in schools. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Learning Forward. (2011). Standards for Professional Learning. Oxford, OH: Author.

Learning Forward. (2012). Standards into practice: School-based roles. Innovation Configuration maps for Standards for Professional Learning. Oxford, OH: Author.

Lezotte, L. (2005). More effective schools: Professional learning communities in action. In R. DuFour, R. Eaker, & R. DuFour (Eds.), On common ground: The power of professional learning communities. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.

Marzano, R.J. (2007). The art and science of teaching: A comprehensive framework for effective instruction. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Chad Dumas

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Chad Dumas is a Solution Tree PLC and RTI at Work®, Assessment, and Priority Schools associate and international consultant, presenter and award-winning researcher. His leadership training and coaching focuses on building capacity for self, team, and system improvement. He shares his research and knowledge in his books, Let’s Put the C in PLC, An Action Guide to Put the C in PLC, and The Teacher Team Leader Handbook, and consulting that includes research, stories, hands-on tools, useful knowledge, and practical skills.