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District 15 Makes Progress in Quest for Quality
“In today’s environment, if you are standing still, you are falling behind.”
That oft-quoted saying is the reason that, for more than a decade, thousands of U.S. organizations have used the Malcolm Baldrige criteria to stay abreast of a rapidly changing economic and social climate by improving organizational performance.
Community Consolidated School District 15 is one of those organizations. District 15 is one of very few educational organizations in the country to make such a strong commitment to continuous quality improvement. Recently, District 15 was just one of four educational organizations in the country to advance to the second stage of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award examination process.
The Baldrige Award is considered America’s highest standard of performance excellence. The award, named for former Secretary of Commerce Malcolm Baldrige, is presented annually by the President of the United States to organizations that meet rigorous criteria demonstrating that they exemplify the highest quality of organizational excellence.
District 15 was not selected by the Baldrige panel of judges to receive a site visit, the next step in the examination process. However, in a letter to Superintendent John G. Conyers, the Baldrige program director noted that “it is most unusual for a first-time applicant to advance to the second stage.”
“Baldrige is really not about an award. It is about getting better,” said Dr. Conyers. “The process itself—complying with the high standards set by the Baldrige criteria—has resulted in documented organizational improvement and improved student performance and satisfaction across the entire district. Winning the award would have been great, but we’ve learned so much and made so many quality improvements that just doing it continues to be an extremely valuable experience.”
The district’s involvement in the Baldrige process began several years ago. “Dr. Conyers approached the Board of Education with the concept for a systemic, districtwide approach to continuous quality improvement,” explained Paula Mikula, president, District 15 Board of Education. “He suggested the Baldrige framework as a tool for accomplishing that goal. Initially, some board members were a little skeptical about applying a business-oriented process in an educational setting, but Dr. Conyers’ passion and enthusiasm persuaded us. Once we realized its organizational power, members of the Board of Education unanimously voted 7-0 to adopt the process.”
The first step in the district’s application of the Baldrige process was the creation of a long-term strategic plan with key goals based on a quality approach for continuous improvement, noted Mikula. “Now, the cycle of continuous improvement has become a ingrained part of every operation in our district. It is no longer something to strive for, but rather it is a part of our value system,” she added.
“The process helps us align our resources, improve our communication, increase our productivity and effectiveness and ultimately achieve our strategic goals,” said Dr. Conyers.
District 15 is the only school district in the State of Illinois to receive the Lincoln Foundation for Business Excellence Level III Lincoln Award—its highest award for achievement of excellence in overall quality systems and continuous improvement processes. The Lincoln Award is based on the Baldrige standards.
In District 15, where the stated mission is “to produce world-class learners by building a connected learning community,” Dr. Conyers is convinced that adopting the Baldrige criteria has been the best way to bring about districtwide continuous improvement and increased student performance. “The passion that drives us as educators—disciplined with the criteria for pursuing excellence—is what we owe our children, our communities, our economy, our future,” he said.
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