Is it really possible for nearly all students to succeed at high school?
Are there some guaranteed methods to get teenagers "high" on achievement instead of on drugs,
gangs and crime? And ways to slash dropout rates even among those entering high school way behind
others? Is it actually possible for nearly every student to love high school? Fortunately, our research
says: Yes. And outstanding high schools are already achieving these results by using:
Common sense lessons from the world's best businesses.
Methods that captivate youngsters' emotions so they want to stay in school.
Sound link-ups between university research breakthroughs, competent high school teachers and
new technology.
New group study techniques that are lifting examination "failures" into the ranks of high-achievers.
Methods that focus on what we want for youth, not what we don't want.
Short graduated courses where everyone can achieve step-by-step success - at any age.
Outstanding, concentrated out-of-school SuperCamps that result in marked increases in academic
results, motivation and confidence.
New teaching techniques to make sure that all individual learning styles are catered to.
For working models of teenage success stories we've chosen examples from as far apart as the south-
east panhandle of Alaska, the
1. Using Japan's business methods to improve school
If you had to nominate any American state as a revolutionary high school leader, Alaska would
not top many lists. In area it's the biggest of the 50 United States - twice the size of Texas. But it
has the second lowest population: about half a million people, and only one metropolitan area,
Anchorage, with a population of around 200,000. Its native population is diverse: Caucasian,
Eskimo, Eleuts and several Native American Indian tribes, many of them centered around small
community towns of only 150 to 200 people, living on extremely low incomes, in a climate
where the temperature in winter can reach -17 degrees Fahrenheit or -20 degrees Centigrade.
Hardly a recipe for soaring educational success.
Yet one school in Alaska in recent years has earned an accolade as a world leader. It has also
shown how great ideas can stem from other fields - in this case from Japan's quality revolution
inspired originally by the American W. Edwards Deming.
TQM (Total Quality Management) and CIP (the Continuous Improvement Process or Kaizen)
have been among the main processes used to transform Japan from a devastated, shattered and
beaten society into a world economic leader within 40 years.
Now Mt. Edgecumbe High School, in Sitka, Alaska, has pioneered similar methods for
education.1 Mt. Edgecumbe is a public boarding school with 210 students and 13 teachers.
Eighty-five percent of its students come from small villages. Most are Native Americans,
descendants of the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimpshean tribes as well as Eskimo tribes and Aleuts.
Forty percent of its students had struggled at other schools; now the school boasts one of
America's highest levels of graduates moving on to higher education.
In many ways it was transformed by the vision of two people: former Superintendent Larrae
Rocheleau and former teacher David Langford. Mt. Edgecumbe was originally opened in 1947
as a school for Native Americans. But in 1984 it was converted into an "alternative"
experimental school, with Rocheleau in charge. Visitors to the school have described him as a
practical idealist. One of his first objectives was "to turn these students into entrepreneurs who
would go back to their villages and make a difference".2 These dreams succeeded in part, but
they really started to take off about four years later when teacher Langford, on a visit to Phoenix,
Arizona, attended a business TQM meeting. He became convinced that the same processes that
had transformed Japan could transform a school. He persuaded Rocheleau to attend a further
seminar, and Mt. Edgecumbe has never been the same.
How do you summarize a school that has turned nearly every other educational system upside
down and inside out? Let's try:
Teachers and students are all regarded as co-managers. They set their own targets and
goals, individually and collectively. And they evaluate themselves regularly against agreed
standards of excellence. There are no "incompletes" and "F" grades at Edgecumbe. Each
task is not complete until it is regarded as meeting standards of excellence way above those
ever achieved in any school examination.
The first computer course begins by teaching speed typing. All students do their homework
on a computer, using word processors, spreadsheets and graphic programs to produce 100
percent perfect results - just as their future businesses will demand excellence in typing, spelling,
accounting, financial and sales reports.
Collectively the school has identified its "internal" customers (students, teachers,
administrators and other staff) and its "external" customers (universities and colleges, military,
industrial and service work force, homes and society in general).
All activities at the school have been planned in conjunction with those "customers".
Students and staff have drawn up their own "mission statement". Among many other
points, it stresses that: "The school places high expectations upon students, administrators and
staff. Program and curriculum are based upon a conviction that students have a great and often
unrealized potential. The school prepares students to make the transition to adulthood, helping
them to determine what they want to do and develop the skills and the self-confidence to
accomplish their goals. Students are required to pursue rigorous academic programs that
encourage them to work at their highest levels."3
The first week of school each year is used for building self-esteem and quality training.
Says a joint student-teacher report: "By spending the first week focusing on why students attend
school, they are ready to learn and seem hungry to begin. We focus on reaching out to find out
what you are truly capable of accomplishing, not just getting it done."
As part of this initiation all students and all staff take part in a Ropes course - very similar
to some Outward Bound courses and some Super-Camp activities. They describe it as a great confidence
builder. Says TQM specialist Myron Tribus: "It does for all students what competitive athletic contests
are supposed to do for a few. But it does it better. As I see it, the school is trying to develop autonomous
team players."4
Students decided it was inefficient to have seven short study periods a day, so the school
switched to four 90-minute classes. This schedule allows time for lab work, hands-on projects, field
trips, thorough discussions, varied teaching styles and in-depth study. The reorganized schedule also
allows for an extra three hours of staff development and preparation time each week.
Because students are viewed as customers, the school tries to provide what they want. Students
have repeatedly requested more technology, so the school has added dozens of computers, and opened
the computer lab, library and science facilities at night for all pupils. As one report puts it: "Quality
implementation is heavy on resources because students do the work and learning, not the teachers. The
average number of hours of homework has risen to 15 per week. Studying, working together, and
achievement have become a habit."5
CIP has prompted teachers to rethink their teaching styles. One science teacher says he has
changed from being an 80 percent lecturer to a 95 percent facilitator.
Discipline problems? "Improving the entire education system, with student/customer needs first,
has virtually eliminated classroom discipline problems . . . students acquire a sense of belonging and see
the value in each class. Students help control and prevent discipline problems through positive peer
pressure."6
All students set improvement goals, such as receiving all A's, avoiding conduct reports and
reducing tardiness.
All students receive 90 minutes per week of quality-improvement training and school-wide
problem-solving.
All staff members have been trained in flowcharting. Flow charts of long-range projects are posted
so that everyone can see how their part fits into the whole of each project.
Because one of the school's goals is to develop "Pacific rim entrepreneurs" the students have set
up four pilot "companies": Sitka
All students learn either Chinese or Japanese, and their curriculum is strong in the history, culture
and languages of the Pacific rim, English, social studies, mathematics, science, marine science,
computers, business, and physical education.
The school's mission statement stresses that "opportunities for leadership, public service and
entrepreneurship are integrated into the program, both during and after regular school hours".
Each student is assisted, guided and challenged to make choices about future academic or
technical schooling and alternative methods of making a living. Enter a business class and you'll watch
students preparing
spreadsheets to reflect what it will cost them to live in their chosen lifestyle after graduation, taking into
account mortgage payments, taxes, cost of living changes and projections for such variables as the cost
of transportation and schooling.
Frequently whole classes work without supervision - as they will be required to do in the outside
world - so the teachers are free to put extra time into study and further course preparation.
Each curriculum is constantly being revised. As a result of student surveys and requests, Russian,
physics, calculus and advanced quality training have been added.
In the CIP media class, students teach other students. There is no administrator or teacher in the
room. Twenty-five student trainers have assumed responsibility for training other students in the quality
sciences.
Staff training receives top priority. Teachers are constantly encouraged to internally challenge
and justify each and every learning process. The school has developed two research and development
classes, science and technology and media CIP. These continually experiment with new technologies in
equipment and human relations.
Each teacher has his or her own computer, with training in many applications. The school has also
pioneered multiple uses for multimedia technology such as laser discs, hypercard applications and
presentation software.
Every student receives a "Stats for Success" handbook. It is used to record homework, weekly
plans, organize their time and graph progress. The entire emphasis is on self-discipline and self-
motivation.
And the success ratio? Mt. Edgecumbe's simple goal is stated boldly: to produce QUALITY
individuals. Almost 50 percent of all graduates have entered college and are still there or have
graduated - much higher than the national average. There have been hardly any dropouts. And the
school is confident that all its students will continue to grow and learn. 9 Says Competitive Times
magazine: "Mt. Edgecumbe's innovative teaching methods challenge students and draw raves from
business leaders."10 Adds Tribus: "I wish I could find the same thirst for learning in the rest of the
country."11
Mt. Edgecumbe is, of course, a boarding school, but its TQM and CIP-Kaizen principles have lessons for
educational systems at every level - and especially for turning previous "failures" into successes.