Success Integrating the Change Toolkit and Its Use with Various Strategic Planning and Quality Tools
Kathy Jenson, Principal, R.K. Jenson & Assoc

The pace of global, economic, demographic, regulatory and technological developments makes change an inevitable feature of all organizations, including school systems. However, change that "happens" to any organization or school system can - and should - be distinguished from change that is "planned" by its members. For most organizations, improvements do not happen by magic; they must be planned. This is especially for school systems; only through well-designed change can all students achieve at higher levels.

Most schools are involved in strategic or continuous improvement planning and many use multiple tools such as Balanced Scorecards; Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA); Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA); or the Baldrige National Quality Program Education Criteria for Performance Excellence. Whatever model is implemented, it is critical that school leaders have tools that will help them achieve their goals. Working as a consultant and coach to school district superintendents and to principals in K-5, K-8 and high schools wishing to improve educational outcomes, I have made good use of many of the resources within the Reinventing Education Change Toolkit to help institute deliberate and thoughtful change.

Specifically, I have used the Change Toolkit to help schools achieve their different visions, missions and strategic objectives, whether identified through federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation as not making Adequate Yearly Progress or whether they were already high-performing high schools and districts that wish to continually strive to improve. While their visions and missions may be easy to articulate, the challenge for all of the schools with whom I have worked is setting measurable strategic objectives that align to the needs of the schools and their students. The information in "Data Driven Decision Making" in the "School Improvement" section of the Change ToolKit has been of great help in developing the measures, which lead to overall school-wide improvement efforts. The toolkit works equally well for all levels of the school system. Because it takes many people throughout the system to make change or to implement an action plan or project plan, the research-based toolkit provides the tools that each school and district needs to help to implement the plan, communicate the plan, and facilitate change.

Many times, with the multiple tasks that need to be done, the change process may stagnate throughout the school year. To prevent such stagnation, two elementary schools in Minneapolis and a suburban high school with which I have worked took advantage of two tools from the Change Toolkit. The first, "Quick Wins and Local Innovations" from the Change Wheel, features a diagnostic that lets school leaders know how people feel about the impending change and provides action tools to assist leaders with getting everyone in the system moving ahead. The second, "Mastering the Difficult Middles" from Change Masters, has proved critical in helping to keep the change process going once the initial planning and excitement about the change initiative has died down. Both tools assure school leaders that you are not alone in what you are experiencing.

Many superintendents and principals have developed multiple processes for education improvement over several years. One of the best ways to determine if these processes are both known to be understood and are being implemented is to use the multiple diagnostic assessments in the Toolkit. In many schools, the diagnostic "Are Our Change Measures and Milestones Adequate?" under "Measures, Milestones & Feedback" from the Change Wheel has proven to be a great help in understanding how the school or district is doing. After the assessment, using the action tools has helped many schools move forward.

If you are using a PDCA or PDSA continual change cycle of improvement, the Change Management Toolkit will help you with the change. Originally conceived by Walter Shewhart in the 1930's, and later adopted by W. Edwards Deming, the model provides a framework for the improvement of a process or system. It can be used to guide the entire improvement project or to develop specific projects once target improvement areas have been identified. The Toolkit can provide you with needed guidance in each of the steps, whether it be through a diagnostic, action steps, or vignettes from other schools. The Change Wheel contains the ten spokes that are necessary to build a strong foundation and build momentum to keep change rolling forward, reminding us all that change is an ongoing process and never complete.

The more tools in your toolbox that are linked together to enable educators to make change, the easier the process becomes. Just as your educational toolbox contains multiple teaching tools, the Change Toolkit contains multiple tools to help tie all of your change efforts together to ensure success.

-- Kathy Jenson worked in industry for multiple companies until 2001, at which time she became an independent consultant. She does consulting work for both education and industry, specializing in leadership, and strategic planning. Kathy is current an adjunct faculty member at two colleges teaching Organizational Development/Change Leadership and Strategic Marketing Management. She has been a member of the Board of Examiners for the Baldrige National Quality Program from 1995 through 2005.