To Improve The Quality Of Education Process

This paper utilizes W. Edwards Deming's 14 Points as a study tool. Based on six organizational elements of goal, leadership, team, process, customer, and data, and aided with diagrams, this paper looks basically and theoretically into how to apply Deming's idea of quality management to schools and educational organizations for their quality improvement process. This paper also explores some possible ways for application.The first part of the paper gives a brief account of the study tool that is Deming's 14 points; briefly introduces four key concepts of process, system, extrinsic rewards and knowledge; and indicates how to achieve quality advancing by establishing effective quality leadership process, enhancing organizational learning, and focusing organizational purpose. The second part begins with three key concepts of customers, suppliers and processes; states customer-driven processes and systems; uses diagrams to further perceive and depict the systems as a series of inter-related processes; then clarifies the importance for schools to build relationships with customers and suppliers. From the perspective of formation of quality culture, the third part discusses two distinctive organizational roles for teams, four stages of team development, team setups, and possible analytical and applicable techniques used by teams during the process of organizational and quality improvement in teamwork. By linking process and measurement, the last part of this paper emphasizes the importance of measurements of value added, quality control and quality assurance.This paper borrows Deming's principles of quality management. Although stemmed from industry, Deming's principles have applicable and useful value in schools and educational organizations for total quality management and continuous quality improvement. This paper emphasizes that educational quality is defined by students, faculty, staff, parents, employers, and entire society. Quality management is by no means use of a technique. It is an idea of management, that is, systematic thought. With the guidance of key elements and guided by processes and systematic approaches, our view would be enlarged and our understanding of quality concept and implications would be more comprehensive and profound. In view of the phenomenon that in educational practice people tend to attach more importance to results than to processes and tend toattend to the superficial or minor aspects rather than tackling the roots of a problem, this paper emphasizes that quality is a process which is undergoing reassessment of educational purpose and improvement processes and that requires participation of all organizational members and concerted efforts of cross-functional departments. This paper uses the metaphor of a continuing and endless journey to describe the quality process. Upon this journey, further exploration and new discovery are always possible. It requires each individual and organization to continue the improvement at both theoretical and practical levels.