ASQ Invited to Department of Education Regional Summits

August 3, 2004 - Suzanne Keely, ASQ Market Manager—Education, was a guest presenter at several regional high school summits conducted by the U.S. Department of Education. Keely wove her experience with Koalaty Kid and Baldrige in education into her presentation on the subject of systematic improvement and accountability in education. She found the summits to be “exciting” and “a good fit” for ASQ and the Department of Education.

Out of seven regional summits, Keely attended the sessions in San Diego , Cleveland , and Boston , which hosted educational administrators from a total of 26 states. The summits are part of the Secretary of Education’s America’s Future High School initiative, which supports state and local leaders in preparing today’s youth for tomorrow’s workforce, continuing education, and good citizenship.

Although the focus was on high school reform, Keely observed that one of the summit objectives is to involve the statewide systems in creating effective high schools and giving students a voice in the design of their schools. “The things they were talking about scream ‘Baldrige’,” she said, “even though they’re not using those exact words.”

Each regional summit brings together state leaders to work on their state plan for improving high schools and meeting the requirements of the No Child Left Behind legislation. Keely views NCLB as a stimulus for the more effective use of data collection in education, and she credits the Department of Education with the insight to go beyond collection of data to systems for using data to drive improvement. “They understand it’s important for state leaders and school leaders to know there are processes and systems that need to be put in place in order for them to accomplish the ultimate goals of NCLB,” she said.

Through these summits and other activities, ASQ is becoming more of a known quantity in the education world. “It’s an acknowledgment that ASQ brings a body of knowledge to education that can be helpful,” Keely stated.

Keely was invited to speak by Susan Sclafani, counsel to the Secretary of Education, who also serves as assistant secretary of education for the Office of Vocational and Adult Education. Keely has been asked to videotape her presentation for future use by the Department of Education.

Press contact: John Ryan at jryan@asq.org