2001
Malcolm Baldrige National Quality
Award Education Category
BACKGROUND
Since 1988, the President and Secretary of Commerce annually have
presented U.S. organizations with the Malcolm Baldrige National
Quality Award, the nation's premier award for performance excellence
and quality achievement. Named after the 26th Secretary of Commerce,
Congress established the award program in 1987 to recognize U.S.
organizations for their achievements in quality and performance
excellence and to raise awareness about the importance of quality
and performance excellence as a competitive edge. Award categories
include manufacturing, service, small business, and starting in
1999, education, and health care. Three awards may be given in each
category each year.
Since 1999,
a total of 37 applications have been submitted in the education
category. This is the first year that winners have been named in
the education category.
Any for-profit
or not-for-profit public or private organization that provides educational
services in the United States or its territories is eligible to
apply for the award in the education category. This includes elementary
and secondary schools and school districts, colleges, universities,
and university systems, schools or colleges within a university,
professional schools, community colleges, technical schools, and
charter schools. Applicants must show achievements and improvements
in seven areas: leadership; strategic planning; student, stakeholder,
and market focus; information and analysis; faculty and staff focus;
process management; and organizational performance results.
All applicants
for the Baldrige Award undergo a rigorous examination process that
ranges from 300 to 1,000 hours of outside review. Final-stage applicants
are visited by teams of examiners to clarify questions and verify
information. All applications are reviewed by an independent board
of examiners primarily from the private sector. Each applicant receives
a report citing strengths and opportunities for improvement. The
Baldrige program is managed by the National Institute of Standards
and Technology, an agency of the Department of Commerce's Technology
Administration, in conjunction with the private sector.
For more information,
contact Jan Kosko, NIST
Public and Business Affairs, (301) 975-2767.
2001
BALDRIGE AWARD WINNERS IN EDUCATION
Chugach
School District, Anchorage, Alaska
The Chugach School District is located in southcentral Alaska and
includes Anchorage, Whittier, Fairbanks, and Valdez. Chugach's 214
students are scattered throughout 22,000 square miles of mostly
isolated and remote areas. With 30 faculty and staff, CSD is the
smallest organization ever to win a Baldrige Award. CSD provides
education to students from preschool up to age 21 in a comprehensive,
standards-based community school, home school, and school-to-work
or college education program. Half of the students are Native Alaskans.
Highlights:
- The percentage
of CSD students who take college entrance exams increased from
0 to 70% since 1998.
- CSD uses
technology, including the Internet and laptop computers, to enhance
and improve student learning and to improve administrative efficiency.
- CSD's faculty
turnover rate has decreased from about 55% during 1975-1994 to
about 12% starting in 1995.
- CSD involves
all stakeholders - including parents, students, community members
and businesses - in its strategic planning process.
Web
Site: www.chugachschools.com
Contact: Debbie Treece, Quality Schools Coordinator, (907)
522-7400
Pearl
River School District, Pearl River, New York
Located 20 miles north of New York City, the Pearl River School
District has five schools: three elementary schools (kindergarten
through grade 4), one middle school (grades five through seven),
and one high school (grades eight through 12). The district has
about 330 employees and approximately 2,370 students. Ninety-four
percent of the students beginning their schooling in Pearl River
complete their high school education in the district.
Highlights:
- The percentage
of students graduating with a Regents diploma, a key objective,
has increased from 63% in 1996 to 86% in 2001.
- PRSD has
improved Advanced Placement course performance from 34% of the
students achieving a "3" or better in 1997 to 76% in
2001 while dramatically increasing the percentage of students
taking AP courses. Also, 75% of PRSD's special education students
take the SAT I exam ( a rate that substantially exceeds the state
and national averages of three and two percent respectively.
- PRSD student
satisfaction has increased from 70% in 1998 to 92% in 2001. Parent
satisfaction has increased from 62% in 1996 to 96% in 2001. Over
the past four years, staff satisfaction has increased from 89%
to 98% and faculty satisfaction from 86% to 96%.
- PRSD uses
curriculum maps, developed by teams of teachers and senior leaders,
to align its entire K-12 curriculm to state and national standards
and to align instruction within and across all grade levels.
Web Site: www.pearlriver.k12.ny.us
Contact: Sandra Cokeley Pedersen, Director of Community Relations,
(845) 620-3932
University
of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, Wisc.
One of 13 publicly supported universities in the University of Wisconsin
system, University of Wisconsin-Stout has about 1,200 faculty and
staff and about 7,700 students. Located in Menomonie, Wisconsin,
UW-Stout offers 27 undergraduate and 16 graduate degrees through
three academic colleges: the College of Technology, Engineering,
and Management; the College of Human Development; and the College
of Arts and Sciences. In addition to undergraduate and graduate
degree programs, UW-Stout also provides a variety of outreach programs
and services to business, industry, and society, and provides a
full range of support services to students.
Highlights:
- UW-Stout's
"Mission Driven-Market Smart" focus is aimed at developing
students for careers in industry and education and has led to
a graduate placement rate at or above 98% since 1996.
- To enhance
UW-Stout's ability to deliver and expand educational services
and programs, the university has 27 partners including technical
colleges and other universities, professional and trade associations,
and businesses.
- UW-Stout
emphasizes "active learning," where traditional instruction
is reinforced with extensive technology laboratory work and industry
partnerships.
- Employers
have consistently rated 99 to 100% of Stout graduates as "prepared
for work."
Web Site: www.uwstout.edu
Contact: John Enger, Executive Director, University Relations,
(715) 232-2381
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back to Fact Sheet page
Date
created: 3/01/01
Last updated: 12/4/01
Contact: inquiries@nist.gov
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