Quality Management for Education Reform

Principles of quality management have been successful in the business realm, producing quality products and services through a structured and comprehensive delivery system. Standardization reduces the variance of each task and improves overall effectiveness. Performance and attention to the bottom line are the measurement of success. Principles of quality management have been applied to student learning in an effort to produce widespread educational reform, but teachers have reported negative results when it comes to the effect of standardization on their job perceptions. In an effort to quantify how standardization of the American educational system has affected classroom teachers’ perceptions of their jobs, a study was done based on data from a sample of 184 elementary teachers (K-6) from 16 different elementary schools in a medium-sized suburban district. Contrary to the rhetoric, some very surprising results were discovered. Teachers who implemented standards-based education to a higher degree reported decreased levels of stress, increased levels of job variety and career commitment, and no effect on job autonomy.