CB>Correct, yet we can build quality into the process of education so
CB>that each child's education (the product) is at the highest quality
CB>possible.
 DT> That sounds good to me......but I don't like the 
 DT> comparison of graduates
 DT> to factory products (or any product) at the end of 
 DT> an assembly line.  I 
 DT> believe that education has progressed far beyond 
 DT> that kind of thinking. 
 DT> Perhaps I have missed something in the analogy.  I 
 DT> do like the idea of 
 DT> quality education (but what do we mean when we say that?).   
Here is what "The Team Handbook for Educators" says about quality:
"Once you understand what processes are a part of the learning environment 
and who the customers are, you will be able to appreciate what quality means 
in the new education world.  Only those who benefit from your work--the 
customers--can determine what quality is.  The community, parents, and 
students are all partners in defining the qulity of education and the 
learning process.  Only they can tell you what they want and how they want 
it.  That's why a popular slogan of the quality movement is 'Quality begins 
with the customer'.  you cannot focus solely on a learning outcome from a 
lesson or a classroom activity in isolation.  quality is determined by both 
process and outcome.. You must build quality into every activity of the 
process in the educational system.  You must work with all internal and 
external customeres to determine their needs, and collaborate with them and 
with internal and external suppliers to develop a continuously improving 
education system.  With this systems perspective, any person in a school 
delivering a service will be able to deliver quality to his or her customers, 
while respecting the needs of the whole educational system. 
 
Providing quality outcomes and services in today's society requires you to 
think of quality's two dimensions: quality of educational outcomes, and 
quality of instructional and administrative processes.
 
To Be Continued.....
--- Maximus 2.02
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