Spotlight on Balanced Scorecards
How can a "balanced scorecard" benefit Delaware?
"Balanced scorecards" are a school-improvement tool that allows school leaders to establish strategic priorities and tie them to a series of measurable milestones that can be monitored over time for progress at the school, district and state levels. The focus includes both student outcomes (for instance, raising performance on the state's achievements tests and closing achievements gaps by a certain percentage a year) and the numerous inputs that affect those outcomes (everything from the quality of teacher development to the curriculum that is taught).
As districts and schools strive to turn Delaware's schools into the best in the world by 2015, a management resource such as this allows educators to set and monitor very specific learning priorities and, in the process, keep everyone focused on "the main thing"--improved student achievement.
What is happening in Delaware?
- Under the leadership of state Education Secretary Valerie Woodruff, five school districts (Christina, Indian River, Lake Forest, New Castle County Vo-Tech and Woodbridge) have been working with the University of Virginia business and education schools since summer 2006 to develop their own common metrics. The work is being funded by a grant from the Wallace Foundation. Teams of educators from these districts are developing common measures for the school, the district and the state, but also have the flexibility to supplement these with their own indicators, reflecting local priorities.
- Woodruff expects all districts will be using this type of strategic planning process by Summer 2008. In addition, districts will use the balanced scorecard framework to apply for federal and state funds, part of an ongoing statewide effort to align workplans, reduce paperwork and increase efficiency. All of the work will be Web-based, further streamlining the process and allowing educators to closely monitor progress at every stage of the educational pipeline (school, district and state). This system also will be the basis for DOE's required federal and state monitoring as well as for development of a school accreditation process.
- "This makes so much sense," Woodruff says. "As a school-improvement mechanism, you figure out what your needs are, what you're going to do to address those needs and how to measure if it's paying off. It keeps everyone more focused."
- On a parallel track, the department also will be working with school districts and the business community to develop a companion Vision 2015 priority--a "performance dashboard", which will provide a one-page overview of each school’s and school district's progress. Woodruff expects the dashboard also will be rolled out statewide by Summer 2008 and will essentially serve as a summary of the longer, 20-page school profiles now being used. While the balanced scorecard will be used mainly as an internal management tool, the dashboard will be more of a public accountability resource.
What are other states doing?
- Schools in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, NC, Richmond, VA and about one-quarter of Georgia's districts have been using balanced scorecards for awhile. James Pughsley, former superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg and now consulting on this issue, recently told Education Week: "Most organizations come up with a vision statement, mission or that sort of thing, but they get caught up with that, and don't know how to put it in place. This translates that into goals and objectives so that people can see the same picture."
- Educators from Indiana, along with those from Delaware, also are being trained by the University of Virginia.
What does Vision 2015 recommend?
- The Vision 2015 plan offers several recommendations designed to improve the management of schools. These include:
- More easily accessible data on student performance, staffing and finances to help principals make better decisions
- A common scorecard that shares information about student gains, family-school interactions, fiscal accountability, and the satisfaction of educators, parents and students
- A stronger accountability system that focuses on student achievement, not simply how well educators comply with federal and state rules
- On-site school reviews and school improvement teams that can rapidly improve underperforming schools
- Funds distributed directly to districts and schools, giving principals flexibility for how funds are spent, along with the accountability for results
- A careful analysis of how current education dollars could be spent more effectively
- To learn more:
Click here to read the Vision 2015 plan.
Click here to read an Education Week article on this subject.
