COMENIUS 2000 QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME FOR SCHOOL EDUCATION

INSTITUTIONAL MODEL II - TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT

THE STRUCTURE OF THE MODEL

The processes of implementation and operation of the Institutional Model II differ significantly from each other, partly because of the extensive nature of the model, and partly because of the situation; the pre-history ('antecedents') of the institutions undertaking the development of the model may be very different. Therefore, when describing the Institutional Model II, a separate chapter is devoted once, to introducing the process of implementation of the model and secondly, to turning the already implemented model operational.

The description of the implementation process of the model (Chapter I) provides assistance in the establishment and introduction of the quality management system, with special regard to the fact, that the institutions do not only have to develop their quality management systems, but during this activity they also have to obtain the necessary skills allowing for further development and improvement in the course of system maintenance. It is the acquisition of skills, which provides a guarantee for the institution not to lose the energy invested in the development of the system, but -regarding it as a good investment- to make use of its multiple benefits.

Chapter II contains the description of the model defining the operation of the already implemented model. It is structured to discuss three fundamental skills, which need to be acquired: process control, developing organisational culture and continuous improvement. In contrary to the practice followed in case of the Institutional Model I, it does not contain any recommendations concerning the possible methods to be used in its implementation. The reason for this is that the consultants are qualified for the provision of technical assistance to the institutions in the implementation of the Institutional Model II and they propose and help to acquire quality management methods, which are most suited to the actual situation of the given institution. The Ministry of Education will publish the most successful methods in a separate part of this Quality Improvement Manual.

THE AIM OF THE MODEL

The present model is based on the Institutional Model I of the COMENIUS 2000 Quality Improvement Programme for School Education and is the extension thereof.¹ Its implementation can be successful only, if the institution has already met the requirements of the Institutional Model I, or, it starts to implement the Institutional Model II by aiming a partner-focused thinking and operation. Therefore, the aim of the present model is to provide assistance in the development and implementation of a quality management system, concerning all area of the operation of an educational institution.

By the implementation of this model the institution, as an organisation, becomes capable to:

• control its processes,

• improve continuously the controlled processes based on the expectations of the partners,

• develop consciously and improve continuously the institutional culture based on the expectations of all stakeholders - participants of the every day life of their institution.

All institutions, after having developed partner-focused thinking and operation of the Institutional Model I, will become able to develop a high level child/pupil- friendly and partner-focused internal operation by implementation of the Institutional Model II, and also be able to renew their processes continuously.

This model-description aims at the development and implementation of total quality management, and also spells out a number of requirements part of them is to be regarded as a new feature / approach in the life and way of thinking of the Hungarian educational institutions. The headmasters and the associates of the institutions, embarking on the development and implementation of a total quality management system in accordance with this model-description, have to understand clearly that they start implementing a programme, which is long-term one, and requires considerable internal resources. For success the commitment of the headmaster and the active support of the teachers is also indispensable.

The model also expects of the organisation to develop two complementary elements of the organisational operation, namely the control and continuous improvement of the processes based on the expectations of the partners, and the development of the organisational culture (Figure 1). The development of the organisational culture and the control of processes overlap at several points (such as the development of human resources), whereas the demand for continuous improvement is valid both for process control and the development of the organisational culture.

The development of the organisational culture and process control may jointly result in the development of the ability of continuous improvement.

Figure 1

In order to accomplish the aims defined in the model, several approaches may be used (Figure 2).

The Institutional Model II is open towards the various quality management systems. It offers an opportunity to implement systems based on the criteria of different models of quality awards (e.g. Malcolm Baldrige, the EFQM Excellence Model, etc.) interpreted by the TQM approaches, or on the requirements of the ISO 9001:2000 standard, but it does not demand independent -third party- certification.² At the same time the model broadly allows for various consultants' approaches -such as QPSA, CED, 7 key processes-, too. Therefore, regarding the methods chosen and to be applied, the model guarantees the necessary freedom to the institutions in the implementation. As a result - along common principles, requirements and adjusting these methods to the great variety of the institutions - unique, tailor-made systems may be developed and implemented into the every-day practice of kindergartens, schools and hostels.

Figure 2

Whatever approach the institution applies, the primary task of its management is to create a balance between the degree of process control and the development of the organisational culture. The management has to ensure that during process control there is proper attention paid to the definition of the shared values and the improvement of the internal operation of the organisation based on human relations and co-operation. No long-lasting professional success can be achieved if this delicate equilibrium will be ignored. The processes of the institution will be controlled in vain if in the meantime the organisational culture, capable of guaranteeing that the expectations are met, has not been developed.

The management of the institution has to pay attention also to another dimension of creating balance between the institutional responsibility and the teachers' autonomy. The framework of the quality management system, the 'joint undertakings' and the professional responsibility required for their realisation can be developed through co-operation with the partners. Incorporating partners' expectations and satisfaction into the every-day operation will promote the crystallisation of the common principles of the institution, and the definition of the shared values regarding education and teaching. The co-operation with the partners and the clarification of the shared values would make for the institution possible to define the framework of its professional operation, the set of requirements and conditions, compulsory for all, but under which the professional autonomy of the teachers, stipulated in the law, can be enforced. The equilibrium between the joint responsibility and the individual professional freedom is a basic precondition to make the operation of the institution predictable. To develop and make this balance work is one of the main tasks of the quality management system. The partners' expectations and the challenges towards the tasks of teaching and education - thus towards kindergartens, schools and hostels -, are continuously changing, but the institution cannot be the scene of constant change and uncertainty. The monitoring and management of the awareness of new expectations can be guaranteed by the control and efficient operation of the processes of the institution, whereas the organisational culture and the ability of continuous improvement is an everyday element of the operation of the institution.

I. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMENIUS 2000 INSTITUTIONAL

MODEL II ("TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM")

- Model description -

The procedure of the development and implementation of the Institutional Model II may - in case of institutions of different circumstances - differ from one another. The implementation of the model can be successful in such institutions, where the partner-focused approach and way of thinking has already been developed - either as a result of the implementation of the Institutional Model I, or of any other earlier development activities -, and the operation of the institution has been transformed accordingly.

1. GATHERING INFORMATION

Prior to the implementation of the quality management system, the institution should obtain information about

• the tasks / duties to be expected,

• the human and other resources required,

• the results that can or should be achieved ³.

The institution should set up a management team to promote the efficiency and effectiveness of the process of gathering information. This team will in a later stage direct, support and supervise the implementation process.

After having obtained the necessary information, the management of the institution should decide - knowing the results -, whether the institution and its conditions are considered to be suitable for the implementation of the Institutional Model II. During the process of making this decision the following should be taken into consideration: in case the partner-focused thinking has not yet become the general feature of the institution's organisational culture, then the successful development of the model is feasible likely only under extremely favourable conditions⁴. This is shown by experience.

2. CONTROLLED SELF-ASSESSMENT, ASSESSMENT OF ACTUAL CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE INSTITUTION

Having gathered the necessary information, the institution should perform a(n)

A) controlled self-assessment, after having implemented the Institutional Model I and in order to undertake the task of the development and implementation of the Institutional Model II. In this case the controlled self-assessment, included also in the model-description of the Institutional Model I, should be performed only once, according to the requirements spelt out in Section 3.1 of the model-description of the Institutional Model II;

B) assessment of circumstances of the institution, in the case when the implementation of the Institutional Model II is not based on the implementation of the Institutional Model I. The aim of the assessment is to survey and explore the actual situation, the results and the capacities of the institution (with special regard to investigate whether or not the partner-focused operation - on which the implementation of the Institutional Model II may and should be based on -, has been developed).

3. STRATEGIC PLANNING

3.1 Definition of the strategy of the model implementation

Based on the facts explored by the assessment of the actual situation, the management of the institution, using the skills acquired during the training given by the consultant, and from the daily management practice, should define the strategy of the institution, also the aim of the implementation process and the main tasks need to be carried out within the programme. The management of the institution should - with full knowledge of the actual state and the available human and material resources of the organisation as well as the partners' expectations - define their strategy related to the process of implementation of the Institutional Model II. Prior to making this decision, the headmaster should inquire the opinion of the teachers in order to ensure that they will support the implementation process.

The following items should be included in the strategic plan:

• the set of the aims of the quality management system (in priority order),

• the schedule of the implementation,

• the organisational structure and

• the human and other resources required for the implementation.

3.2 Setting up a supporting (quality) organisation

The institution should shape its organisational structure in the way that it should promote and support the implementation process. It should create the necessary conditions for ensuring that

• the process of model implementation should be transparent and manageable,

• those who participate in the implementation should get all the support (managerial and professional) required,

• the achievements should be incorporated into the processes and the culture of the institution.

The development of the organisational structure supporting the implementation, should be defined with due regard to the available resources.⁵

4. LAUNCH OF TEAMS / TEAMWORK

The institution should - within its own organisation - set up teams (quality circles) for the consideration and realisation of the individual tasks.

The teamwork can be launched after the training given by the management, the supporting organisation and the consultant. The institution, in order to promote the work both at the beginning and in later stages, should develop or adapt methodological guidance material to this training.

Before launching the quality circles and the work is getting started, the task to be performed should be outlined in writing. (In the initial phase one should aim at the realisation of tasks of such an extent that it can be successfully performed within 3 to 6 months, thus - through the realisation of the objectives set within a visible span of time - the keeping up with the motivation, ultimately the success of the implementation process, can be guaranteed.⁶

5. OPERATION OF TEAMS

Depending on the strategy of implementation chosen, the development of the system can progress along three parallel lines as follows:

• development of the organisational culture,

• through the work of the quality circles applying techniques of continuous improvement, through overcoming the weaknesses,

• process control.

In all three areas the teams should work on the basis of the PDCA logic.

The management of the institution, or the person, who is responsible for the implementation of the quality management system, should monitor and continuously support the operation of the programme according to the plan. In addition to monitoring and assessment, the management should ensure a supporting environment necessary for the implementation (for instance, a reduced number of lessons, professional support and motivation, declaration of the commitment of the management, etc.) and an efficient intra-organisational communication.

In order to provide support to the operation of the quality circles, the management of the institution should establish forums for sharing, exchanging experience and promoting the 'learning from each other'.

II. OPERATION OF THE INSTITUTIONAL MODEL II

- Model description -

The Institutional Model II describes the operation of the total quality management system adapted to educational institutions. The aim of the model is, that:

• the institution should introduce a documented quality management system comprising all the processes that may affect the education and teaching activities of the institution,

• the management and the staff of the institution should become capable of applying continuously the PDCA-SDCA cycle in every field of the institutional operation,

• the management with the involvement of the staff, should consciously develop the organisational culture of the institution.

Both the development of the organisational culture and the operational practice of continuous improvement are closely related to each other and intertwined with process control. The development of the organisational culture is mostly based on the processes described under the following sections:

• responsibility and commitment of the management of the institution (1.1.),

• development of human resources (1.3.),

• safe institution (1.6.),

• education and teaching (1.7.),

• measurement, analysis and corrective action (1.8.).

Whereas the continuous improvement is based on the processes described under the following sections:

• management of partnerships (1.2.),

• provision of other resources (1.4.),

• operation of the institution (1.5.),

• education and teaching (1.7.).

1. PROCESS CONTROL

The institution should identify and control the processes, which affect the standard and quality of education and teaching as well as the satisfaction of the partners, in such a depth, which keeps up with the expectations defined by the partners and by the institution itself. In the course of process control the institution should prepare a written procedure for each of the processes described above. This procedure should rely on the already existing regulatory documents (such as Rules of Procedures, job descriptions, internal rules)⁷.

When controlling the processes of the institution, independently of the fact whether the respective activity touches upon the regulation of the individual processes, or the continuous improvement of the institution's activities as a whole, the PDCA logic must be applied. In case of the institution-level activities this is basically the obligation of the management (Section 3.1.). In case of the individual processes, however, it is the task of the teams set up for the regulation of a particular process, or of the associates assigned to this task and empowered (with authority and responsibility) by the management of the institution.

During process control the management of the institution should examine thoroughly the following questions:

• what are the most important expectations of the partners with respect to the given process,

• what are the most important steps in the control process,

• what does the institution do in order to promote that the expectations are being met,

• to what extent should the activities of the institution be documented,

• what are the points of offering opportunities for corrective action(s) and improvement.

1.1 Responsibility and commitment of the management of the institution

The management of the institution should declare their commitment to quality by assuring the following:

• observation of the external and internal legal requirements and the (specifications of) standards regarding the operation of the institution,

• preparation of the mission statement, pedagogical programme and annual work plans as well as the definition of the quality policy,

• elaboration of the procedures and provision of the conditions for the operation of the institution, including the resources required for the realisation of continuous improvement and the development of the organisational culture,

• preparation of evaluation / assessment reports, initiation of the necessary corrective actions,

• raising the awareness on the partner-focused approach and making it a conscious one.

1.1.1 Legal requirements

The management of the institution should ensure that the legal documents, such as Acts, laws, decrees of different levels and the internal regulations of the maintainer or of the institution itself, should be accessible so that the staff of the institution should know and observe them.

1.1.2 Strategic planning

The management of the institution should arrange for the control of the process of strategic planning. The process of strategic planning describes the procedure of the preparation of the documents determining the operation of the institution in the long run, the content of these documents and their interrelationship.

These documents include particularly the:

• long-term mission statement of the institution,

• pedagogical or education programme drawn up by the teaching staff on the basis of surveying the partners' demands,

• document defining the quality policy of the institution (guidelines for quality improvement)⁸,

• strategic tasks included in the application document for the headmaster of the institution,

• annual work plans implementing these tasks, and the measurable quality-related targets included in these plans.

The information gained in the course of getting acquainted with the partners' expectations should also be used when preparing the individual elements of strategic planning and planning the implementation cycles of the Institutional Model II.

A further task of the management of the institution is to communicate the strategy and the goals within the institution.

1.1.3 Assuring the internal procedure of the operation of the institution

The management of the institution should design and assure the internal procedure of the operation of the institution. The institution should also define the organisational conditions and the way how the operation supports the implementation of the quality management system. The management should appoint a person or an organisational unit, which will be responsible for providing the necessary support to the quality management system. Irrespective of their other duties and responsibilities they have defined authority and sufficient competence for the implementation and operation of the quality management system.

It is the task of the management of the institution to elaborate the rules of internal documentation, in such a way that all the staff members should get acquainted with the procedures of the processes defined by the quality management system. The documents regulating the operation of the organisation should be reviewed continuously or according to necessity, they should be prepared in conformity with the legal regulations and by involving all those concerned.

These documents should unambiguously regulate:

• the authority, responsibility and competence of the individual members within the organisation,

• the forum for the intra-organisational co-operation, communication, and the procedure of their operation,

• the interrelationship and network of contacts of intra-organisational bodies and communities.

1.1.4 Management review

The management of the kindergarten, school or hostel should define and communicate (inside the institution) the responsibilities and authorities related to the operation of the institution and to the review of its processes. The management should also indicate those areas of operation, which are to be investigated during the review and should define the related methods to be applied. The management should make it clear, which phases of the processes are to be monitored personally by the headmaster (or by a delegated person) on a continuous basis, in which areas the headmaster wishes to carry out regular audit based on random sampling, and how would he/she use the records produced in the processes for his/her own control system. The management should also define how the information gathered in the course of the management review will be used and - as a follow-up of the review - identify the steps of the necessary corrective actions.

1.1.5 Assessment of the operation of the institution

The management of the institution should review the practice of the institutional operation at definite periods of time and on the basis of pre-defined set of criteria, in the interest of assuring its continuing suitability, conformity with the requirements of the regulations and the expectations of the partners as well as its effectiveness and efficiency. The institution prepares regular reports and evaluations on these issues and arranges for the forums necessary to their processing.

The purpose of the assessment of the performance in every half year or each year, is to study how effective and efficient the institution and its individual processes are, and whether there is a demand for the modification of the institutional operation. The assessment of the institution should be performed by the management annually, the related reports should be prepared as required by the various partners (such as maintainer, parents, Ministry, etc.) and be published.

The assessment has to be based upon the following criteria:

• results of the management review (1.1.4) and the internal audits (1.8.4),

• feedback received from the partners,

• results of the indices of the indicator system,

• results of the evaluation meeting at the end of the academic year,

• results of corrective actions and improvement (preventive) activities,

• study of the implementation of the measures decided to be taken by previous assessment reports,

• taking into account the conditions that may have changed in the meantime,

• results of the quality improvement work.

1.1.6 Controlled self-assessment

The institution has - after certain periods of time, but at least in every two and a half year (in conformity with the management cycle) - to perform a controlled self-assessment comprising all the processes and areas of the operation of the institution. In addition to the requirements defined in the Institutional Model I, the controlled self-assessment has to perform also the tasks (assessment of the actual situation) necessary to getting started with the implementation of the Institutional Model II, therefore it should be extended over the assessment of the following areas, too:

• extent of the process control,

• level of the development of the organisational culture,

• level of the implementation of continuous improvement.

The controlled self-assessment should be prepared on the basis of the set of criteria included in the supplement of the present model-description.

1.1.7 Improvement of the operation of the institution

The management of the institution should - on the basis of summarising the experiences gained from the external and internal measurements and the internal assessments concerning the kindergarten, school or hostel - identify the processes and areas to be improved where corrective action on behalf of the headmaster or the management is required. The aim of the corrective actions and the preventive decisions of the management is to reduce deficiencies, to eliminate failures or to hinder their repeated occurrence. In order to support this, the management should ensure the operation of the set of tools promoting continuous improvement within the institution (learning from each other, overcoming the weaknesses, review of process control, etc.).

1.2 Management of partnerships

1.2.1 Identification of partners, survey of their demands and satisfaction

The institution should control the processes related to the identification of partners, to getting acquainted with their requirements and to surveying their satisfaction. In the course of surveying partners' satisfaction, the institution should also explore the causes of satisfaction and dissatisfaction, together with the opportunities for consequent improvement and change.

Requirements related to the identification of partners, to surveying their demands and satisfaction, further on to the analysis of the results are given in the model-description of the Institutional Model I. This should be applied and implemented in case of the Institutional Model II without any alteration.

1.2.2 Communication with partners

It is the task of the institution to control all the processes, which define the communication with its direct and indirect partners, including the handling of complaints as well.

In the interest of communication with the direct partners - with special regard to children, pupils, parents, teaching and supporting staff directly participating in the teaching and education process - the institution should define

• the process of the internal flow and updating of the information required for the efficient daily operation,

• the information requirements and the persons to be informed,

• the possible channels of communication, and

• the way of involving those concerned in spreading and using the information.

In the course of its communication with partners, the institution should ensure full publicity and accessibility to any information concerning its partners.

The institution should elaborate a special regulation for those processes, which aim at a controlled communication with a defined group of direct and indirect partners (institutional marketing). The popularisation of the institution, the publication of the results and success stories in wide circle (PR) also belong to this activity.

The institution should also develop a system of internal control / monitoring, which checks the information before it will be published, whether it corresponds to reality and whether the institution is capable of keeping the promises made. The institution should also elaborate a procedure in case when the changes occurred would influence the obligations undertaken before. In such cases the partners should be notified in due time.

1.2.3 Monitoring, study of suitability

The institution should define those processes, which would make possible to monitor the progress of the children and pupils at least in the next stage of their career or study. It should also define how the information obtained during the monitoring activities and indicating the success of the education and teaching work of the institution, or the results coming from the analysis of the experience are incorporated into its own operation and processes (study of suitability).

1.3 Development of human resources

1.3.1 Operation of the procedures of selection and training

The institution should define - considering the legal regulations as well as the mission statement and the shared values of the institution - the selection criteria of the teachers and supporting staff. It should develop and introduce an obligatory training for all employees, which will ensure that everyone in the organisation gets acquainted with the institutional traditions, the jointly accepted and represented - shared - values, and the rules and conditions of safe work.

1.3.2 Operation of a system of extension training

The institution should develop the procedure for the extension training of the partners who are decisive from the point of view of the operation of the institution, such as teachers and employees who are not teachers (supporting staff), members of the school chair and of the pupils' / students' self-government, etc. During this activity it should rely on the opportunities and regulations offered by the system of in-service teacher training (choice of in-service training courses, obligation of preparation of plans both for extension and in-service training), and on making use of the internal training opportunities.

1.3.3 Operation of an internal system of assessment

The management of the institution, in co-operation with its partners, should elaborate and operate a procedure for the assessment of the work of the teachers and the non-teaching staff employed by the institution. The assessment criteria should be known by everyone and be based on the fundamental documents of the institution (mission statement, teaching or education programme, Rules of Procedures, etc.), and on the fundamental values communicated by them.

1.3.4 Operation of a system of incentives

The institution should develop and operate a system of incentives in order to motivate the teachers and other staff members, together with the basic principles of their recognition (both financial and moral) to be based on the relevant legal regulations. The management of the institution should base its own system of appraisal and incentives on the system of assessment, incentives or quality award schemes being developed on national or local levels.

1.4 Provision and efficient use of other resources

The management of the institution, particularly in the course of medium and long-term planning, should decide upon the priorities of resource allocation by collating the initial situation of the opportunities and capabilities of the institution. The management should make the partners aware of everybody's responsibility for the protection of the common property and of the infrastructure, for its efficient utilisation and for hindering waste.

1.4.1 Provision of economic resources

The management of the institution should prepare the economic and financial plans necessary to the implementation of the pedagogical programme (such as budget planning, opening up of tendering opportunities and external resources). In order to provide and efficiently exploit the resources, their utilisation should be measured.

1.4.2 Provision of assets, equipment and building

The management of the institution - in co-operation with the maintainer - should provide the infrastructure and the assets necessary to the functioning of the institution, which may be covered by the budget available for procurement. The planning and provision of the infrastructure and assets should be done with due regard to the extent of utilisation of the existing assets.

1.4.3 Provision of work environment

The basis for the development and the maintenance of a proper work environment is to ensure - day by day - the order, cleanliness and regularity necessary to an effective operation. The management of the institution should continuously assess the realisation of these three conditions, thus encouraging the users of the institution to respect and promote the commonly accepted set of values.

1.5 Operation of the institution

The kindergarten, school and hostel should develop - within the framework stipulated by law - the processes affecting the operation of the institution. In case of necessity these processes should be modified taking all the circumstances into consideration.

1.5.1 Preparation of the procurement plan

The institution should survey the external assets and services regarded as necessary to its effective everyday operation and prepare a procurement plan, which is optimal in view of its budgetary limits. During the procurement process the management of the institution should

• define the requirements concerning the product or service to be purchased (specification),

• give to the potential supplier the requirements (specification) of the contract or order in writing (quality, quantity, financial, delivery and other conditions),

• where a real choice is possible, the important suppliers (of catering, textbooks, educational materials) should be assessed from the point of view of a safe and healthy institution (see Section 1.6.),

• decide upon further contracts on the basis of the supplier's performance.

1.5.2 Economic and financial processes

The institution should -within the limitations of its economic autonomy- control the processes of providing the conditions and financies required directly and indirectly for its teaching and education activities (financial settlement, bookkeeping, accountancy, records of operation, labour / employment related questions, etc.).

1.5.3 Administration

The institution should control its processes and document them in an adequate depth, to which the procedures of documentation and certification, together with their retention time should be developed, in line with the characteristic features of the institution.

During the control of the documents regulating the processes of planning, implementation, inspection and corrective actions, the institution should make sure that the documents and certificates are

• professionally checked before they are issued,

• regularly reviewed and, if necessary, updated,

• available at any place where activities, decisive from the point of view of the quality of the operation of the institution, are performed,

• hindered in use when they have lost their validity,

• registered.

The management of the institution should make sure that the rules of documentation are observed, and should control - in accordance with the requirements of the relevant legal regulations - the identification, storage (archiving), accessibility, protection, retention and selection of the certificates (justifying the performance of certain activities) proving the lawful and effective functioning of the institution.

1.5.4 Other supporting processes

The institution should identify and control other activities of its operation related to the process of teaching and education, which provide the assistance to the institution in its professional work (with special regard to the content of the Section 1.6). This includes the non-pedagogical activities which serve and support teaching and education, the activities related to the maintenance of the infrastructure as well as the monitoring of the amortisation, also within the budgetary limits of the ideal planning and realisation of the replacement of the assets and the renewal of the building.

1.6 Safe institution

The kindergarten, school and hostel should define the processes by which the operation of the institution under safe and healthy conditions can be ensured. When this regulation is prepared, beside the physical conditions, as an equal task special attention should be paid to the change of the mentality and the way of thinking.

1.6.1 Provision of healthy and safe conditions for work and study

The institution should identify the hazards / risks (such as use of instruments, lighting, traffic) which are related to the physical safety of the children, pupils and the employees of the institution. In order to prevent and reduce the risks, a policy should be prepared and introduced, built in into the processes determining the operation of the institution. The institution should co-operate with the local authorities (such as local government, police) in the interest of taking the necessary preventive measures.

1.6.2 Mental health

The conditions for the safety and health have to be created in respect of the mental health as well. The institution should survey what kind of mental health related issues should be dealt with (such as handling of conflict, handling of stress) in the interest of the children, pupils and the employees of the institution. Wherever it is possible, these activities should be presented in the professional programme of the institution and should be controlled as outlined under the Section 1.7. During this activity the institution should co-operate, according to necessity, with the national professional organisations.

1.6.3 Changing the way of thinking and preventive activities

The institution should define what kind of local and social demands are present for the programmes aiming at the change of the mentality, the way of thinking or offering prevention (such as personal hygiene, environment-conscious thinking, physical exercise, sexual culture, drug prevention, prevention of AIDS) in the interest of the healthy functioning of the society. The method should be written in the professional programme of the institution and controlled as outlined in the Section 1.7. During this activity the institution should co-operate, according to necessity, with the national professional organisations.

1.7. Teaching and education

The institution should define and operate the processes, which are of key importance in view of the realisation of the aims of teaching and education and of the mission of the institution.

1.7.1 Planning of the local education offer

The kindergarten, school and hostel should develop - in accordance with the deed of foundation, mission statement and pedagogical or education programme - the method(s) of planning and adapting its training programmes (including the local curriculum as well), further on the scope of the extra-curricular supplementary activities and services falling outside its compulsory role.

The institution should define - on the basis of continuous assessment and the feedback from partners - the steps of the improvements planned. The institution should plan that depending on its pedagogical cycle how regularly it would measure the suitability of the curriculum and the activity plan, and on the basis of what information and under what conditions what kind of modifications would be decided upon. The steps of modification should be defined by implementing the PDCA logic.

1.7.2 Enforcement of the joint requirements of teaching and education

Methodological tools and culture

Participants of the teaching and education process should summarise the methodological experiences and tools conforming to the set of aims and scope of duties of the institution, and should spell out requirements in respect of their use. They should develop the forums for sharing the methodological experience.

Support to learning

The institution should summarise the procedures and tools of learning used within the organisation. This supports the acquisition of knowledge by the pupils on their own (helping the acquisition of learning techniques, supporting the independent performance of the learning tasks, etc.). The institution should elaborate a monitoring system, which would follow the pupils along their individual routes of learning.

The role of the responsible teacher for leading a group

The teaching staff of the institution should jointly define their requirements and expectations (qualifications, abilities, etc.) regarding the role of the teachers responsible for leading a group or a class (group leader, form-master, etc.). The set of methodological experiences and tools, promoting the work of the teachers being in charge of leading a group of children, should be developed. Based on the activities of the teachers-group leaders, form-masters, etc. and in the interest of monitoring, the institution should collect and pass on the information related to children / pupils.

Co-operation of teachers

The institution should develop the professional framework for the co-operation of teachers, and should spell out the related requirements. The definition of requirements should be extended over the

• co-operation of teachers who are teaching in the same class,

• co-operation of professional working groups (including the working groups of form-masters and of day-care teachers, of teachers teaching the same subject and of those conducting vocational - on the job - training ),

• definition of the regulated framework of co-operation (forums of co-operation, frequency and procedure of meetings, etc.),

• assessment and review of the procedure of co-operation.

1.7.3 Annual pedagogical planning of the progress of a given group

The institution should identify the common requirements towards the regulation of the content of the activity plans, their elaboration and continuous updating in respect of the given group of pupils. The teachers of the institution should elaborate their activity plan on the basis of the education offered and the local curriculum. These documents provide for the content regulation of the teaching-education of a given group or class, i.e. create the basis for different kinds of professional co-operation.

1.7.4 Definition of the common requirements and the tools of measurement necessary to the assessment of children/pupils

The institution should define the common requirements necessary to the assessment of children/pupils with due respect to the national legal norms, local regulations, shared values of the institution and the character of the teaching and education work carried out in the given institution. It should elaborate the tools of measurement and should regulate the procedure of their use (with special regard to providing information to the partners and to keeping the diary).

1.8 Measurement, analysis and corrective action

The institution has to define and introduce the processes and tools of

• measurement,

• assessment,

• control,

• qualification,

• analysis,

• preventive actions and

• corrective actions,

by which it assures the realisation of the assessment (C) and corrective action (A) phases of the PDCA cycle on institutional level. The precondition for realisation is that the measurement, analysis and the subsequent corrective action should be implemented on the level of the institutional processes, too⁹. This activity should be carried out jointly by the teachers and non-teaching staff of the institution, who are involved in the implementation of the process.

1.8.1 Audit and measurement of the institutional processes and activities

The institution should define in line with the nature of its different processes and activities the:

• frequency,

• methodology,

• points of measurement,

• executor's responsibility and

• obligatory documentation

of auditing the individual processes.

The audit and measurement activities should be controlled within the individual processes in such a way that they provide opportunities for intervention and corrective action to be taken by the responsible actors, and should supply information to the system of indicators of the institution. The primary executors of the audit tasks are the associates of the institution who are involved in the implementation process. This activity of self-inspection is supplemented by the management review (1.1.4.).

1.8.2 Set of indicators

The institution should develop - on the basis of the audit of the processes and activities as well as the results of the survey of the partners' expectations and satisfaction (parameters / criteria to be measured) - the set of indicators in the framework of which the collection, process and analysis of the data will be done. The set of indicators has to be adjusted to the legal requirements, to the maintainer's expectations and to the national system of measurement and assessment in the interest of assuring the comparability of results. The set of indicators should cover the following areas:

• professional considerations (corresponding to the education / teaching / pedagogical nature of the institution),

• meeting partners' expectations,

• partner` satisfaction, or dissatisfaction,

• development of human resources,

• economy of financing,

• development of the organisational culture of the institution,

• improvement of the processes of the institution.

The institution should measure its achievements as frequently as defined by the system of indicators, and the data obtained from their analysis should be utilised in the assessment of the institutional operation.

1.8.3 Continuous improvement of the processes and activities of the institution

The institution should introduce continuous improvement into its daily practice, in other words, it should implement corrective actions and improve its activities and processes on the basis of the experiences gained from the implementation of the different activities and processes on the operational level. The implementers of the different activities and processes should have the abilities and the authority necessary to the correction and the improvement of the processes. The failures identified should be corrected on the basis of the experiences coming from the implementation of the individual processes and the internal audits as well as from the feedback from other sources. In the interest of hindering the repeated occurrence of the failures in a later stage, they should carry out preventive action, with performing the processes in a better quality than earlier (more safely and on a higher quality level). The institution should ensure that the staff involved in the implementation of the corrective and preventive actions has the proper skills and the experience required for the execution of these tasks.

1.8.4 Internal assessment (audits)

The institution should perform internal assessment, with a frequency determined by itself, in order to survey:

• how far its processes correspond to the internal regulations,

• how effective and practical the applied processes are, including their control, how far do they promote the realisation of the goals set by the institution.

Internal assessments should support the associates carrying out the different activities and implementing the different processes in improving their activities, in finding the failures and in being able to correct them. Further on, the positive achievements should be identified, together with the possible areas for improvement. The internal assessment should be extended over the study of the effectiveness and efficiency of the intra-organisational co-operation among the various organisational units, and of how far the requirements have been met. The institution should plan its programme of internal assessment to cover all the fields of the institutional operation, and that the results of the individual audits make it possible to draw conclusions on the entire quality management system within the framework of the assessment of the institutional operation.

2. THE ABILITY OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

Internal disturbances (functional disturbances, deviations from the plans) may occur even in the life of a well-regulated institution or conditions influencing its operation may change (such as legal requirements, demographic changes and partners' demands). It is the ability of continuous improvement, which makes the organisation capable of successfully adjusting itself to the continuously changing external and internal demands and expectations. The degree of the implementation of the total quality management system is well characterised by the fact that to what extent the continuous improvement has been integrated into the daily practice of the entire organisation, of the teams and of the individuals.

The ability of continuous improvement is therefore:

• built on the analysis of the data coming from the partners and from process control,

• based on the training of the associates in methodology and their involvement,

• the sum of the abilities required for the consistent work of the development of the organisation and improvement of its functioning.

2.1 Planning of continuous improvement

The management of the institution should plan and operate a system of measurement and control, to support the identification of the possible areas for continuous improvement. In this framework it should organise the collection of the facts and data which allow for the monitoring of the changes in the partners' expectations and satisfaction, and for the assessment of the operation (effectiveness, efficiency) of the institutional processes on a regular basis.

The data obtained should be analysed and assessed by comparison to the plans and targets of the institution, and partly with the results of others (benchmarking).

2.2 Identification and ranking of the improvement tasks

The management of the institution should identify, categorise and prioritise the possible improvements in order to ensure that the

• occasional and recurrent,

• individual and system-level,

• implementation or strategic planning related

tasks may be handled by adequate means and methods.

When defining the main directions of improvement, the tasks should be put in a priority order depending on

• to what extent they affect the daily operation of the institution and partner satisfaction,

• whether they can be achieved with the help of the available human and other resources,

• how urgent and important they are, and how big an effort they require.

2.3 The strategy of continuous improvement

The management of the institution should define its strategy of continuous improvement. When doing so, they should pay attention to the fact that

• a 'step by step' improvement can be successfully implemented if a well-defined part, element, or result of a given process is to be 'corrected',

• while a 'breakthrough improvement' (when the available resources are concentrated on a given area) can be successfully implemented if the process is non-existent as yet, or it became obsolete, or one of those concerned (stakeholders) is essentially dissatisfied with the results achieved.

2.4 Implementation of continuous improvement

The management of the institution should define the tools and methods most suited to the nature of the improvement task and to the strategy chosen. In order to reduce the resistance against change, and to ensure an effective improvement work, the management of the institution should make sure that the associates have the necessary knowledge in methodology required for the accomplishment of the improvement task in question and the practice in applying these methods in a safe manner. ¹⁰

The management of the institution should develop the organisational framework for improvement. In case the improvement activities are carried out in quality circles, special attention should be paid to the composition of these teams¹¹, to the selection of the person - team-leader¹² and to his/her empowerment.

The management of the institution should continuously monitor and assess as well as support the improvement activity.

3. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE

The effectiveness and efficiency of the operation of an organisation is determined not only by the rationality of its aims and the control of its operation, but also by the interrelations of the associates working in the organisation. Each organisation is a network of persons and groups being in mutual interdependence, and competing and / or co-operating with each other. In case of the well-established organisations co-operation may even have a significant predominance, as the aims, the organisational structure, the procedure of the information flow, the responsibilities and authorities, the division of tasks, etc. are clearly defined. At the same time, in case of the new, or restructuring organisations, where the new aims require a new hierarchy and/or a good number of new colleagues, the associates, in addition to the performance of their individual daily tasks, also have to deal with the issues of the expedient operation of the organisation.

Institutions joining the COMENIUS 2000 Programme for Quality Improvement in School Education - in the knowledge of the demands and satisfaction of their partners - regularly review and redefine their aims. The identification and implementation of the tasks necessary to accomplish their goals require surveying the organisational operation and strengthening the co-operation with the partners. It means that the management of the institution and its staff also have to strive for the development and continuous improvement of the organisational culture¹³, in addition to the control of the processes of the institutional operation.

3.1 Assessment of the actual situation

The management of the institution should assess the organisational culture at a given (point of) time¹⁴ along the following points of consideration.

• The assessment should be extended over the survey of the following elements of the organisational culture:

• to what extent the associates identify themselves with the set of aims or with the individual aims of the organisation,

• priority of the individual, or group aims, organisation of the work individually or in group,

• priority of tasks and/or human relations in the decisions (taken by the management),

• concentration on short, or long-term aims (time horizon),

• system and motives of incentives,

• turn towards the external environment or the internal operation,

• assumption of risk, encouragement of innovation (openness towards it, or rejection of change),

• conflict handling (facing or avoiding it),

• stringency and nature of control (regulation, rules, supervision),

• autonomy-independence (authorisation, empowerment) or dependence on co-ordination in actions,

• focus of the attention of the head (the final result or the processes are more important).

• The assessment should give an overall picture on the perception of the importance of the individual elements and on the satisfaction related to the accomplishment of the values.

• The assessment should rely on the results of the surveys carried out in the course of the implementation of the Institutional Model I ("Partner-focused operation").

• The management of the institution should involve in the assessment

• both the teachers and the supporting staff being currently employed by the institution,

• the direct partners of the institution.

• When evaluating the results of the assessment, the management of the institution should keep in view the following:

• the organisations are different and every organisation operates in a different environment, therefore the organisational culture of the individual institutions can be interpreted only in itself,

• the organisational culture is a given condition which can be 'good' or 'bad' for the organisation in different ways,

• the organisational culture builds upon the past, therefore it is natural that part of it gets from time to time obsolete as a result of the change in the conditions, expectations and values, therefore a contradiction can often be experienced between the various elements of the organisational culture and the values required to meet the expectations of the present ('today') and the future ('tomorrow').

3.2 Definition of the set of aims for the development of the organisational culture

Based on the results of the assessment of the situation, the management of the organisation should define (and put it in writing) the main aims to be achieved through the development of the organisational culture (and the hierarchy of these aims). When defining the aims, the development of such an organisation should be encouraged,

• which is able to renew itself, to implement organisational solutions suited to the performance of the given tasks,

• the atmosphere¹⁵ of which is characterised by a high degree of co-operation but not competition to the detriment of the others,

• which aims at identifying and solving conflicts,

• where the decisions can be made at the most ideal level (responsibility, information).

Naturally the management of the institution, with full knowledge of the given situation, may define different aims as well.

3.3 Corrective action

3.3.1 Drawing up a development plan (programme)

The management of the institution should draw up a plan for the development of the organisational culture.

The development plan should

• be adjusted to the mission of the institution,

• be valid for a longer period of time (2-3 years),

• contain the elements of the system of incentives (should not reward only achievements but also recognise the improvement activities),

• aim at changing the attitudes and behaviour,

• put experience-based learning in the foreground.

It is the task of the management of the institution to make the development plan known to the associates and to help them in becoming committed to the realisation of its content.

3.3.2 Definition and application of the tools and methods

The management of the institution should define the tools, which help and support the successful implementation of the changes in the interest of developing the organisational culture. The main tools and methods are:

• study of the shared values and norms of the organisation (values professed and followed)¹⁶,

• study of convictions and assumptions characteristic to the organisation (rituals, symbols, myths),

• strengthening the conscious use of role-modelling and the commitment of the management (participation and support),

• targeted use of the effective team work,

• conducting training in the field of the development of the organisational culture,

• organising training.

3.4 Assessment and improvement

It is the task of the management of the kindergarten, school and hostel to assess the results of the development of the organisational culture. The assessment should be performed at two levels:

• linked to the individual corrective actions, or

• concerning the process as a whole.

The management of the institution should create the forum for the assessment and the public processing of the experiences gained.

The development of the approach necessary to the continuous improvement of the organisational culture is the responsibility of the management of the institution. The role of the management is directing, role-modelling, supporting, controlling and assessing. The management should perform this work on a continuous basis, as every decision made by them is related to the organisational culture: either it is based on it, or built in it, or influences it. This activity of the management is adequate when every partner is made aware of and acknowledges the success and the effectiveness of the organisation. Because all partners consider it as a great asset when the institution is able to react and give proper answers to the internal and external challenges it faces.