Education and the Deming Philosophy*

[David Kerridge <dfkerridge@mac.com>]

>How may we improve education? The reader will be aware that
>improvement of education, and the management of education,
>require application of *the same principles* that must be used for
>the improvement of any process, manufacturing or service.
>Innovation and improvement of education will require leaders

This is from page six of  "The New Economics", just with
my highlighting of "the same principles".

I believe that this is a fundamental challenge, in two ways.

Education and manufacturing seem poles apart, and in some
senses are. If the above statement doesn't come as a shock to
you, then I suspect you haven't thought about it. It runs counter
all we have been taught.

It takes time (a few years, at least) to understand that the
above quotation is obviously, necessarily, and exactly true.

If we take this time,  we will not only understand education
better. I think we  will understand the true depth of the Deming
Philosophy applied to manufacturing, or government.

Techniques are often particular to one field. Principles are
of wide application. By checking whether what we think is
a principle really applies to *all* fields, we can tell whether
it is truly a principle, or just a technique.
-- 
Best wishes

David

dfkerridge@mac.com