Optimizing Student Learning

A Lean Systems Approach to Improving K-12 Education, Second Edition

Betty Ziskovsky, Joe Ziskovsky

• Publisher: Productivity Press
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781138330238
• eBook ISBN: 9780429826306
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Government & Business
• Index: Business

This book is a fictionalized account of how a licensed school teacher developed, implemented, and refined the application of Lean principles and applied them to her classroom instructional practice to complete the delivery of her assigned curriculum while at the same time ensuring her students achieved mastery learning of the material presented. While the first edition focused on instructional process improvement, this second edition expands on that foundation to include application of the Lean principles and strategies to enable students to improve their individual learning processes and thus become more successful learners.

This second edition lays out a blueprint for schools and teachers across the USA, and indeed around the world, who are struggling with how to use traditional education techniques to improve student learning outcomes. This elusive goal has been the number one focus of the American education industry and trillions of dollars of investment for the past 50 years. Up until the previous decade, educators refused to look outside their own industry for solutions. But financial challenges have forced them to look outside that box. Many schools and districts are now discovering the benefits of adopting Lean into their business model to achieve greater efficiency with taxpayer dollars on the administrative side. Some larger districts have established Lean offices or departments within their organization. This has helped with budgeting, but the model has not yet been used on a large scale to improve student learning performance – every school/district's primary mission. This book lays out the blueprint for teachers and administrators to use simple Lean strategies and tools to achieve that elusive goal. The application is no longer theoretical. It has been proven to be effective by those who have used it.

Lean principles and strategies, as applied to education through this real-life case study, are explained in easy-to-understand terms, not in manufacturing Lean jargon. Scenarios used are from real life events common to all educators. Examples of forms, tools adapted to the needs of educators, and results are included. The book is written in an easy to understand narrative style. Reviewers of the original version – educators who knew nothing about Lean – stated they could easily understand the concepts presented and implement the model using nothing more than the book as a guide. The book's presentation eliminates teacher procrastination resulting from having to figure something out and how to apply it to your work yourself when you have no extra time available for that purpose. It also eliminates the need to hire a Lean consultant – a plus for districts strapped for cash but desiring to implement an improvement solution.

1

How It All Began

The school year was coming to an end for Metro Middle School. Students had been dismissed for the summer the previous afternoon. This morning, Todd, the principal, had gathered his faculty in the library for a final staff meeting before they tackled the breakdown and cleanup of their classrooms. Routine end-of-the-year housekeeping items had been addressed, and the final topic of discussion on the agenda was a familiar one at this time of year; namely, whether students at each grade level had learned everything they were supposed to.

“Well, we had to spend a tremendous amount of time on research writing. I tried to get everything in, but there just wasn’t enough time to get everything done,” commented Margaret, an eighth-grade language arts teacher.

“We covered probably three-fourths of the science text,” added Judy.

“I didn’t even get to start the sixth-grade math curriculum in my remedial class until December so, no, they don’t have what they should have,” stated Don.

Todd looked around the room of tired faces. “Why do you think this is happening? And what are we going to do to correct it?”

The group was silent for a few moments.

“These kids come in with learning deficits that we have to take time to shore up. If they had learned what they were supposed to in the previous grades we wouldn’t be having this discussion,” piped in Leo, the PE/English instructor.

“All these pullouts are stealing instructional time. I can’t get everything done!”

The floodgate was opened and Todd heard all too clearly how things outside of classroom control were preventing the full scope of learning from happening. However, Lisa, a seventh-grade social studies teacher, offered a different insight.

“I couldn’t complete my curriculum either. Like other people have pointed out, there really were a lot of interruptions to our instructional time. That needs to be addressed. But I think I have to shoulder some responsibility for what happened or didn’t happen in my classes. Personally, I’m pretty exasperated with myself. I know there are things beyond my control, but I’m not sure I managed the things within my control very well. After we hit mid-April and I saw where I was in the curriculum schedule, I started questioning whether I had planned and managed my time well enough. Frankly, I’m frustrated and disappointed in myself for being in this boat two years in a row now.”

“You can’t plan around everything, Lisa!” admonished Colleen, her social studies colleague. “We all just have to do the best we can.”

“But that’s just it, Colleen,” interrupted Lisa. “I’m not so sure that what I’ve been doing is the best that I can.”

“What do you mean?” Todd interjected.

“Well, as part of my master’s coursework I have been reading about this Lean process-improvement approach used in manufacturing and now in service industries like healthcare, insurance, and law enforcement. In fact, I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and I’ve come to the conclusion that education really is a combination of developing and constructing a product and processing a lot of paperwork.”

“What!?” Several voices exploded simultaneously.

Lisa patiently went on. “Think about it for a moment. What we do is take a student at a given stage of education and add prescribed learning — our individual curriculum — that ultimately results in the development and production of an educated individual. We’re all part of a 13-year production line, and each of us is responsible for doing the work assigned to one of those 13 years.”

“Are you serious?”

“I sure am!”

“So what does this have to do with our problem?” asked Judy.

“It has everything to do with it,” explained Lisa. “We did not deliver our product — a student educated to grade-level standards — on time in a complete form. It’s just like ordering a car and not getting it when promised, and when you got it, it was missing items you ordered.”

“Lisa, we’ve all tried, but none of us, including you, got the curriculum done,” countered Judy.

Intrigued, Todd interjected, “Lisa, what do you propose we do?”

“From my reading, and in discussing how Lean process improvement works with actual practitioners, I think a tool that is used to smooth production might be useful to us in helping us keep on track so we can complete our curriculum by year’s end. It will mean some changes in how we plan and deliver our instruction and even how we interact with the students, but I think it will work.”

“I don’t think learning can be equated with a production line, Lisa,” commented Leo.

Mumbles rose from within the group.

Todd motioned for quiet. He wanted to hear more and encouraged Lisa to explain further.

“It is called level loading. I propose we take one class and apply this tool and its techniques as a trial for next year.”

Skepticism abounded.

“How do you know it will work?” queried Leo. “I’m uncomfortable changing what I have done all these years without proof.”

Committed to exploring improvement possibilities, Todd took a positive and supportive stance. “Lisa, since this is your idea, are you willing to develop and pilot this in one of your own classes starting in the fall?”

Lisa nodded her acceptance of the challenge.

“Well, then, we are done here, folks,” concluded Todd. “Thank you all for the hard work and dedication you’ve put in throughout the year. I appreciate your efforts very much. Don’t forget to finalize and submit your grades and student cumulative files before you leave. Have a great summer!” Then turning to Lisa he added, “Can you come down to my office for a few minutes? I’d like to hear more about your idea.”

Seated in her principal’s office and encouraged by his interest in trying something new, Lisa briefly explained that the load-leveling tool she wanted to apply was a technique used to smooth out the flow of work to help keep a process on schedule. “That’s essentially the problem everyone, including me, was talking about, Todd. Interruptions in the teaching schedule have prevented the curriculum delivery process from being completed,” she pointed out.

“I’m looking at what I can do to reduce those interruptions for next year, but I simply can’t eliminate all of them,” offered Todd.

“I know,” Lisa assured him, “but I think load-leveling will help me plan more effectively for them and how to work around them. And if this will enable us to complete each year’s curriculum, then everyone will be able to start the year teaching their assigned curriculum rather than finishing up the curriculum from a previous year.”

“Yes, I can definitely see the longitudinal benefit if it works. Okay, Lisa, let’s try it. I’m hoping you’ll be willing to develop your plan this summer. I know your stated goal is to finish delivering your assigned curriculum, and I assume it will be done in such a way that the kids learn it.”

“Oh, yes, the student mastery component is equally important to me in this.”

“What class do you propose to pilot this in?”

“Well,” Lisa thought out loud, “I think I’d like to tackle world geography. No one who has taught that class here has ever completed the curriculum, including me. I’d like to see if I can be the first. Plus, as you know, our school score in geography on the state performance assessment was in the ‘Needs Improvement’ category. If I can finish the curriculum, I’m sure our score will be higher. We can easily measure whether I complete the curriculum, and next spring’s school score in geography will tell us whether or not learning was improved at the same time.”

“That sounds like a good check,” agreed Todd. “Is there anything further I can provide or do to support you in this? I want you to be able to succeed.”

“I know you do. I’d like to be able to get in the building during the summer to have access to everything while I work on this.”

“That’s fine, keep your key. You just won’t have access on weekends.”

“Thank you, Todd. I can’t think of anything else right now,” replied Lisa, “but I’ll let you know if I do. I just need to figure out how to do this. I have a friend who is a Lean master, and he’s been explaining to me how this load-leveling works in his business. He has volunteered to be my Lean teacher and coach to guide me if I want to try it. I know already it’s going to be a lot of work. He’s said that most of the effort is in the pre-planning. We both know this will have to be a collaborative learning effort — he’ll be learning about the education process, and I’ll learn how to improve my abilities and complete the curriculum on time, completely, and with student mastery. That’s my goal.”

“And it’s an admirable one! We do have some finite funds for professional development of this nature. I will email you with the amount of the subsidy I can offer. Keep me updated on your progress, Lisa, and let me know if you need anything during the summer. I’m proud of you for taking this on — it shows real leadership and genuine concern for your students’ learning.” Todd walked Lisa to the door. “Good luck.”

Lisa smiled. “Thank you. I have every confidence that this is going to work, Todd.”

2

Embarking on the Journey

Two weeks later Lisa welcomed Bill, her Lean mentor and coach, to her classroom for their first work session. Bill began by refreshing his friend’s understanding of what level loading is and how it could be used in delivering a course of study.

“Level loading, or balanced production as it is sometimes called, is a method used to balance the production process or, in this case, to balance your curriculum delivery so that you can complete it within the defined school year. Do you remember our talks about the importance of understanding process?”

Lisa nodded, recalling their previous discussions.

Bill quickly reviewed the concept. “Everything we do is a process. Making a sandwich is a process. Filling up your car with gas is a process. Grading papers is a process. Understanding the concept of process is critical to any Lean-improvement activity. You have to understand what a process is before you can see one, and you must be able to visualize a process as a series of steps from beginning to end before you can adjust any of those steps to make an improvement. Do you feel comfortable from our previous conversations that you understand that concept of process?”

“Yes.”

“Great. Then what you need to do first is define the specific process that will be the target of your improvement project. And that process would be … ?” Bill’s voice trailed off as he awaited her answer.

Lisa looked quizzical. Process … ? She thought. “I teach, they learn, Bill. I have to teach the scope and sequence of material, the curriculum for the grade and course.”

“Have you identified the course that we are going to work on?” asked Bill.

“Yes, social studies. World geography is the class I’m targeting.”

“Tell me what you have to teach for this course.”

“There are a lot of things — people, maps, culture, history — a lot of things. What does what I actually teach have to do with Lean or load-leveling?”

“You’ll be surprised. What you have to do to teach has everything to do with Lean and load-leveling, as you will see. Is there a curriculum right now for this class?”

“Yes, sort of.” Lisa retrieved a large textbook from a bookshelf across the room and handed it to Bill. “This is the text and there are additional support materials that we can also use, but we never get through it all.”

“Why?”

“Because there is so much to cover, I guess. Then there are interruptions during the year, tests to give, papers and projects to review with my students, and … well, I guess I really don’t know...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• About the Authors
• Prologue
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• What Is Lean?
• How Can It Be Applied to Education?
• Chapter 1. How It All Began
• Chapter 2. Embarking on the Journey
• Chapter 3. Defining the Curriculum
• Chapter 4. Bill’s First Lesson
• Chapter 5. Establishing the Syllabus
• Chapter 6. Zeroing In
• Chapter 7. Establishing “Standard Work”
• Chapter 8. Fleshing Out the Details
• Chapter 9. What Is a Week?
• Chapter 10. The Report Out
• Chapter 11. Winning Approval
• Chapter 12. The First Day of School
• Chapter 13. Introducing Lean and the Load-Leveling Plan to Students
• Chapter 14. Settling In
• Chapter 15. The First Problem Arises
• Chapter 16. Improving the Improvement
• Chapter 17. Carpe Diem
• Chapter 18. Setting the Stage
• Chapter 19. The Principal’s Due Diligence
• Chapter 20. Introducing Lean Learning©
• Chapter 21. The Regimen of Process Improvement
• Chapter 22. Revelation
• Chapter 23. A Final Meeting, a New Beginning
• Lisa’s Epilogue
• Bill’s Epilogue
• Appendix
• Glossary
• Additional Reading and Resources
• Index