“I think they do, but they don’t have a methodology to make the transformation,”
APQC Education, the education arm of the 35-year-old non-profit, has launched a $44 million plan to transform the nation’s education system. The collective plan consists of 10 interrelated projects that must happen in order for the system to truly transform.
Recalling a known tendency, Grayson says, “If you continue to do what you’ve always done, you will get what you always got. We need an entire national transformation plan—or we will fail in our role as a world leader.”
And he wants to do this within the next 5 years.
“Ambitious—
Opponents to this plan often rely on educational reforms that are heavily based on inputs or outcomes—a thought entirely opposite of what Grayson and his organization advocates.
“While inputs and outcomes are both important, the missing link is an essential focus on the middle—the processes,” says Grayson.
The fundamental methodology guiding Grayson’s bold plan is not a big secret.
The vision to transform the U.S. education system is driven by Process and Performance Management (PPM). Yes, PPM—a leadership approach that promotes effectiveness and efficiency by linking process measures to performance alias outcomes. The key premise is that processes such as teacher hiring, professional development, or curriculum alignment must improve in order to improve outcomes such as graduation rates, test scores, or dropouts.
As Grayson always says, “In order to improve outcomes, you must first focus on improving the key processes that generate outcomes.”
Formerly the U.S. chairman of Price Commission under President Nixon, Grayson speaks with experience when he says, “Our plan is not dreamy, wishful, untested, or a theoretical policy—APQC has 35 years of research and direct field experience to carry out this plan.”
For more information on APQC Education’s Transformation Plan or to interview Dr. Jack Grayson, founder and chairman of APQC, please contact Farah Lalani at flalani@apqc.org or 713-685-4632.
