On Education Reform...

Anyone familiar with the work of Dr. W. Edwards Deming? Well, what he was saying back in the World War II era seems earily similar to the need for changing perceptions of public education. Yes, his philosophy is rooted in business, but good ideas are just that, it doesn't matter where they come from.

Deming’s 14 Points
1. Create constancy of purpose for improvement of product and service.
2. Adopt the new philosophy.
3. Cease dependence on mass inspection.
4. End the practice of doing business on price tag alone.
5. Improve constantly and forever the system of production and service.
6. Institute programs of training.
7. Institute leadership.
8. Drive out fear.
9. Break down barriers.
10. Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets for theworkplace.
11. Eliminate numerical quotas.
12. Remove barriers to pride and joy of workmanship.
13. Institute a vigorous program of education and retraining.
14. Take action to accomplish the transformation.

Another approach to change & the development of capacity in regard to professional development which has some similarities (in my view) to Deming is the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM). This model came out of research done in the 1980's, nearly 40 years after Deming's work in Japan. Check out more about the CBAM here.

References:

Dr. W. Edwards Deming, Out of the Crisis (Deming, 1986)

CBAM, (Hall & Hord, 1987; Hord, Rutherford, Huling-Austin, & Hall, 1987; Loucks-Horsley & Stiegelbauer, 1991).