Every month you (members of our Readers' Group) tell us what you think about Educational Leadership. Under scrutiny this month: the November 1992 issue.
How interesting did you find the theme, “Improving School Quality”? Somewhere between interesting and very interesting, you said. The average rating was 4.36, down from the 4.5 rating given the October issue on “Untracking for Equity” but still quite high on the 1 to 5 scale.
Your Background on the Topic
Comments reflected a wide difference in familiarity with Total Quality Management principles. Several readers expressed the wish that Deming's 14 Points had been listed somewhere since so many authors alluded to them (See March 1992 issue, p.71.) Other readers were looking for more depth, something new about TQM that they hadn't heard before. Still others, for good or bad, thought we comprehensively covered the subject. In your words...
“The first I read about a topic on the cutting edge is usually in Educational Leadership. The issue was a little like coming into the middle of a conversation. It sounded good, but all the nuances were difficult to understand.”
“Good, timely, and explicit. Blueprint 2000 could get a head start with this issue.”
“This is an issue that should get into the hands of the classroom teacher, who, often as not, hears of TQM, but has no conception of what it is. Much is happening under the TQM umbrella that really has no place there. Education is the key.”
“Several articles talked about a process that had barely begun as if it had achieved some great success. (The authors were) guilty of publishing before producing.”
“The entire universe of discourse not included in this issue? There's something else? I personally would like a focus on transformational leadership. As a longtime teacher, it is difficult not to view TQM as a passing fad.”
Favorite Article
Fifteen—yes, 15—articles, were named as someone's favorite. And 16 were identified as least favorite. A number of these articles appeared on both lists. “The Quality Revolution in Education” received the most favorable votes. It was called “easy to read,” “current,” “concise,” and “valuable” for its examples of how Total Quality Management applies to education.
The Contemporary Issues feature (three articles) on “Public and Private Schools” was also singled out for praise. You commended the series for “insight” and “reasoning” and called it “cogent” and “thought-provoking.”
Most Talked About
Far and away the article that stirred up the most conflicting views was “A Matter of Metaphors: Education as a Handmade Process.” A few remarks: “The article sets up a straw man and shoots it down. Adds precious little to the understanding of TQM.”
“This article was challenging and led the reader to come to grips with the heart of what education is and its uniqueness as an institution.”
“I thought it indulged in hair-splitting over semantics while ignoring the larger issues and problems.”
On International Perspectives
“I don't have enough prior knowledge about the British education system to appreciate the authors' points.”
“The Netherlands aspect is critical to seeing the `big picture' approach to learning. It's where ASCD should eventually be thinking of going—global!”
What to Do Next Time
“The conversation with Enid Brown was useful. Now what I'd like to see is a round-table discussion between Glasser, Deming, and Lezotte. Educators need to see how the threads are finally connecting.”
