Continuous improvement is not an event – it is a way of thinking and behaving. It engages individuals, teams, departments and entire organizations in the ongoing process of learning – building a community of continuous learners.
S.M.A.R.T. Schools provide a way to link learning and improvement with valuable tools, processes and methods that enable schools and districts to increase their capacity for improvement.
S.M.A.R.T. Goals Make SMART Schools
S.M.A.R.T. goals provide a basis for assessing progress and tools for assuring that team efforts are focused on strategically important targets. S.M.A.R.T. goals become the engine that drives continuous improvement. These goals are:
- Strategic and Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Results-based
- Time-bound
Consortium for Educational Change and Quality Leadership by Design partner the S.M.A.R.T. Way!
The Consortium for Educational Change has partnered with Quality Leadership by Designand their founders and managing partners, Anne Conzemius and Jan O’Neill, authors of The Handbook for SMART School Teams. CEC and QLD have designed a series of SMART Schools Trainings to help schools, districts and organizations in building a culture of shared responsibility for continuous learning and improvement.
The Framework for Shared Responsibility
The Framework for Shared Responsibility addresses the following elements needed to build and sustain a culture of continuous learners.
Focus: Be clear on where you want to go
Reflection: Use data and information to understand where you are now and what impact your actions have.
Collaboration: Working together to create learning and improvement
Leadership Capacity: Develop skills and knowledge to take effective action and have the authority to act on ideas that will support the organization’s vision. Leadership capacity grows as the other three elements work together.