Boosting the performance of schools with Kaizen

When Dr. Eric J. Becoats, the superintendent of Durham Public Schools in Melbourne, Australia, was first appointed to the job two years ago, he inherited a system that wasn't the most ideal – it had a number of poorly performing schools in its jurisdiction.

One of the first courses of action he decided to take involved using Kaizen to implement continuous improvement programs. He had long been acquainted with the mindsets and practices of Kaizen, describing the methodology as a “systemic approach to daily operations that includes all stakeholders in the improvement process and results in upward trends in productivity.”

Becoats believed the best way to launch his Kaizen was to collectinsight from everyone involved with the school system – parents, teachers, students and the entire community. More than 4,000 people contributed feedback, most of which revolved around the need to increase academic growth for all students. This insight led to the creation of a program designed to identify and implement instructional best practices.

After applying Kaizen, the results have been notable – elementary reading scores are up 3.8 percent, elementary math scores haves jumped 6 percent, middle school reading scores are up 3.3 percent, middle school math scores leapt 5.6 percent and science scores surged 7.2 percent. Similar improvements were found at the high school level, with proficiency scores growing 6.9 percent.

“In terms of school-wide measurements, 45 of our schools made positive gains this year, up from 26 the previous year,” Becoats told the Herald Sun. “In fact, 24 schools made gains of five or more percentage points in proficiency and four schools made gains of 10 or more percentage points. Those four schools deserve special recognition: Holt Elementary, Y.E. Smith Elementary, George Watts Elementary and Hillside High.”

Universal Kaizen

The concepts core to Kaizen, such as continuous improvement, can be applied broadly, from personal development to business enhancements. Kaizen is not just a set of practices and philosophies that can only work in specific settings – almost any business can integrate and implement these mindsets and habits as a means to potentially better their companies. After Kaizen concepts have been internalized and understood, they can then be used in ways that make sense for any particular company.