Taking Business to School

“High-performing systems always require sustainability with a strong focus on the future,” he recently told Springfield Business Journal.

Ridder has borrowed the philosophy – known as continuous quality improvement, or CQI – from former U.S. Commerce Secretary Malcolm Baldridge and adapted it for the district, which launched a five-year strategic planning process last week. The plan’s objectives are to increase academic achievement, improve graduation rates and efficiently use district resources.

Baldridge, who had a manufacturing background, was credited with transforming a financially troubled brass mill into a highly diversified manufacturer of consumer, housing and industrial goods. And as Commerce secretary, he won numerous awards for working to strengthen the U.S. economy and make government more efficient.

Preaching CQI

Since becoming schools superintendent in July 2005, Ridder has preached the Baldridge model and explained CQI to anyone who will listen, said Morey Mechlin, executive director of the Foundation for Springfield Public Schools.

Mechlin said she was unfamiliar with CQI until Ridder provided her with some reading material and pointed her to Web sites about the strategy, which essentially solicits input from stakeholders to chart an improvement plan. But, as Ridder points out, CQI sets itself apart by measuring performance through efficiency and accountability.

“Accountability doesn’t mean control,” he noted.

To illustrate the model’s attributes, Ridder compared General Motors and Toyota. Recent news reports have laid out examples of GM missteps that indicate the auto manufacturer has lost touch with its customers, Ridder said.

Subsequent fallout is handled with blame and fear, he added.

“That’s where Toyota has done exceptionally well,” Ridder said, suggesting the Japanese automaker has taken a more constructive, customer-oriented approach to achieve its goals.

Ridder said his leadership style, which he described as “visionary-humble,” is better suited for CQI than the manager-disciplinarian setup preferred by some school superintendents.

Like their new leader, district employees seem to have embraced CQI and Ridder’s desire to mold the public school system with the community’s vision.

Anita Kissinger, executive director of quality and development for the district, said the systematic approach seeks to align administrators, faculty and eventually classroom curricula with customer needs. Four schools – McBride, Mann, Study and Hillcrest – are serving as demonstration sites for the CQI initiative, she said.

To better gauge the community’s needs, the district has invited students, parents, businesses, nonprofits and churches to voice their opinions about the future of public education in Springfield – opinions will shape the five-year strategic plan.

The district will be gathering input through March via focus groups and an online survey at www.springfieldpublic

schoolsmo.org.

“We need to know where the community wants our schools to go in five, 10, 15 years from now,” Ridder said at an Oct. 24 news conference at Wanda Grey elementary school.

Ridder has taken steps to identify and listen to stakeholders in the community, but more importantly, he’s put the tools in place to keep those channels open, said Marc Maness, director of community development for the district.

“I think we’re definitely on the right track with the continuous quality improvement businesslike model,” said Maness, who’s been with the district for 12 years. “There’s definitely been a learning curve, but I think … it will leave an indelible mark on the district.”

Ridder said he thinks the district will gradually find ways to incorporate the model into its day-to-day operations.

“I’m going slow and letting the community get comfortable with it instead of ramming it down people’s throats,” he said.

As the first phase of the strategic plan moves forward, the foundation will continue its fund-raising efforts. The group, led by a board of business and community leaders, has already raised $50,000 for the effort and has pledged to secure another $100,000 from local businesses and organizations.

“This is the business of education, and who understands that better than our businesses?” Mechlin said.

What is continuous quality improvement, or CQI?

A strategic improvement plan built on stakeholder input that requires alignment, communication and transparency at all levels. Success is measured by efficiency and accountability.

How is Springfield Public Schools applying CQI?

• State and federal academic testing requirements

• Aligning classroom curricula with community needs

• Attracting and retaining high-quality employees

• Reducing number of dropouts each year, now estimated at 400

Want to Contribute?

To learn more about the Foundation for Springfield Public Schools’ fund-raising efforts, call Morey Mechlin at (417) 523-0144 or visit www.foundation4sps.org.[[In-content Ad]]