How Our Schools Keep Getting Better

Excellence in Adventist education doesn’t happen by accident. It’s cultivated through thoughtful planning, reflection and a commitment to continual growth. As you likely picked up on when you read the articles about Design Thinking in the January/February issue of the Record, Southwestern Union schools are on a journey to excellence. We are achieving this by building a culture that encourages continual, planned improvement. The use of a Continuous School Improvement (CSI) cycle helps our schools meet their goals for excellence.

The CSI cycle is a research-based tool that uses data analysis to drive staff engagement for improvement. In our schools, this cycle is divided into five phases.

Phase 1: Where are we now?

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Central to the CSI process is the continuous collection and analysis of data. Multiple measures of data—demographic, perception (surveys), student learning and program/process—are used at every phase of the CSI cycle.

Data analysis gives schools a clearer picture of how their work is affecting student achievement. By examining each data category, schools can identify strengths, challenges and implications. Looking at those implications together helps schools understand why they are getting current results and pinpoint the programs and processes that need attention to achieve better outcomes.

Phase 2: Where do we want to be?

In this phase of the CSI cycle, staff collaborate to review or create a shared mission and vision. 

The mission defines the fundamental purpose of Adventist education, describing why a school exists. It doesn’t change; it endures through time. The language may be adjusted, however, to fit the context.

The vision, which is the mission put into action, defines the desired future plan for Adventist education as it relates to teaching and learning. A vision is subject to the context of the times, so it is frequently reviewed and revised based on data analysis and research on best practices.

Phase 3: How did we get to where we are?

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After data is analyzed and a vision is created, a school can determine the gaps. Gaps are the difference between where the school is (data) and where it wants to be (vision). To eliminate a gap, it’s important to understand the underlying reasons the gap exists.

A problem-solving cycle is used to analyze contributing causes. The cycle engages all stakeholders in thinking through a gap and understanding its origins before jumping to solutions.

Phase 4: How do we get to where we want to be?

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Based on data analysis, the school vision and problem-solving, staff collaborate to develop and implement a Continuous School Improvement (CSI) plan. The purpose of the CSI plan is to transform the school’s vision of excellence into strategic goals and action steps that introduce change related to areas of need. Highly effective CSI plans indicate how goals will be implemented, monitored and evaluated.

Phase 5: Are we making a difference?

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Ongoing evaluation assesses the alignment to the vision and the results the school is achieving.

Within the context of Continuous School Improvement, the focus is on internal assessment of programs and processes designed to support implementation of the CSI plan. Metrics are developed for each CSI goal to measure whether the school is achieving intended results.

For Adventist families, this ongoing work means schools are not standing still. They are regularly examining how well they are serving students, strengthening what works and addressing areas that need growth. Through this commitment to continual improvement and accountability, Adventist schools strive to provide an environment where students can thrive academically, spiritually and socially.

By Carol Campbell, Ph.D., Southwestern Union Vice President for Education