For Immediate Release
ASQ Launches K-12 ImpaQT™ Training
Quality in Education: Modular Approach to Continuous Improvement in Schools
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, November 9, 2007 – Helping students meet the demands of our 21st century world is a growing challenge for educators who are still working in a 20th century school system. For schools that are ready to embrace change, the American Society for Quality (ASQ) announces its new ImpaQT™ Training — a suite of modular courses that use continuous improvement practices to advance results in the K-12 classroom, school, and district.
The first module will be launched at the National Quality Education Conference (NQEC) November 11-13 in St. Louis. ImpaQT™ Training for the Classroom is a three-day on-site training program that is geared to K-12 teachers regardless of how much experience they may already have with continuous improvement efforts. The objective of this training is to enable students to take control of their own learning and self-assessment and to provide established expectations for both teachers and students.
This module includes:
- Development of vision, mission, and goals
- Overview of continuous improvement and quality tools
- Motivation and planning instruction
- Quality tools to display data — data centers and data folders
Two additional modules will be launched in the near future including ImpaQT™Training for the School and ImpaQT™ Training for the District. Both are three-day on-site training programsgeared to principals and superintendents. The objective of these modules is to help school administrators with the following:
- Provide an overview of school improvement planning
- Development and deployment of measurable school plan
- Stakeholder input and involvement
- Plan-Do-Study-Act to improve achievement and processes
- In-process measure
“Our job as educators is to help students to understand and manage change — which may be the only constant in our future,” said Jay Marino, chair of ASQ’s K-12 Education Committee. “To accomplish this, schools need to look beyond piecemeal solutions to a more comprehensive approach to improving performance.”
The ASQ master trainer for all three modules will be Ann Haggerty Raines. Certified in Quality Management, Raines is a quality instructor who has developed and implemented customized programs for school districts, business, and industry. Her background as a classroom teacher and her understanding of quality management principles for the education world make her a vital asset to this training.
For more information about ImpaQT™ Training and how it can benefit your school system, please visit http://www.asq.org/education/why-quality/overview.html
About American Society for Quality
Since 1991, the American Society for Quality has offered training and other quality tools to help educators implement continuous improvement initiatives in their districts. ASQ sponsors the annual National Quality Education Conference, http://nqec.asq.org/, the nation’s leading conference for teachers, administrators, and support personnel to learn about the use of quality tools and concepts that can be applied to improve U.S. schools.
The American Society for Quality, www.asq.org, has been the world’s leading authority on quality for more than 60 years. With more than 93,000 individual and organizational members, the professional association advances learning, quality improvement, and knowledge exchange to improve business results, and to create better workplaces and communities worldwide. As champion of the quality movement, ASQ offers technologies, concepts, tools, and training to quality professionals, quality practitioners, and everyday consumers, encouraging all to Make Good Great®. ASQ has been the sole administrator of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award since 1991. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., ASQ is a founding partner of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a prominent quarterly economic indicator, and also produces the Quarterly Quality Report.
