Applying Deming’s PDCA Cycle in Baldrige Award-Winning Schools and Hospitals
Jenks Public Schools (JPS) , a 2005 recipient of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award,serves 9,400 students with nine schools in the city of Jenks and portion of Tulsa,Oklahoma. The school district’s continuous quality improvement model is based on the work of W.E. Deming,and a central part of its model was its application of Deming’s PDCA cycle to procedures related to key performance measures,such as improving test scores.All staff members participate in the district’s goal setting process and incorporate the PDCA cycle in to their plans for achieving these goals.The PDCA process provided a systematic approach for continuous improvement in teaching, learning, student achievement, and student and faculty well –being. It also supported process efficiency and effectiveness. As a result of its improvement efforts its teacher turnover rate for 2004 was 6% as compared to the national average of 20%; its academic performance scores exceeded state and national levels