The implementation impact of continuous quality improvement (CQI) on teacher perceptions of CQI categories

Abstract

School districts and administrators across the country are struggling to meet the mandates of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Education Act. The mandates and expectations of meeting adequate yearly progress as spelled out by NCLB were clear and the pressure was placed squarely on the shoulders of administrators and educators across the nation. This study was an implementation evaluation of the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) process, within three schools within a large urban school district, in southern Missouri. The goal of the study was to measure what, if any, change occurred in the perceptions of teachers within the buildings that had implemented CQI as compared to the year prior to CQI implementation and as compared to similar buildings that had not implemented CQI. The study concentrated on teachers' perceptions of the seven characteristics of CQI: Leadership, Strategic Planning, Student/Stakeholder Focus, Information and Analysis, Faculty/Staff Focus, Process Management, and Results; while utilizing data from the Missouri School Improvement Staff Survey. An implementation evaluation was chosen due to the school district being very early in its stages of CQI deployment and to ascertain the extent which implementation has changed teacher perceptions.