Article Abstracts

First to the Top
by Susan E. Daniels

A small, scattered school district in a remote part of Alaska, a suburban school district near New York City, and a mid-sized public university have become the first winners of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in the education category. The focus of the Baldrige program, whether in business, education, or healthcare, is to improve the competitiveness of the United States by helping organizations improve their overall quality and achieve professional excellence. These three diverse institutions achieved their goals by immersing their missions and values into the seven categories of Baldrige criteria. Data clearly demonstrate that improvements went beyond mission and values to providing students with an education that equips them for the modern world. "They are proof positive high caliber performance results are achievable not just in business, but in all settings. And customer satisfaction is as critical in education as it is in business," says Harry Hertz, director of the program.

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