Continuous improvement in the history and social studies classroom

Continuous Improvement
in the History and
Social Studies Classroom

H1394_McCaulley.indd 1

6/4/10 9:20 AM


Also available from ASQ Quality Press:
Continuous Improvement in the English Classroom
Janelle R. Coady
Continuous Improvement in the Science Classroom, Second Edition
Jeffrey J. Burgard
Continuous Improvement in the Mathematics Classroom
Melody J. Russell
Continuous Improvement in the Language Arts Classroom
Vickie Hedrick
Permission to Forget: And Nine Other Root Causes of America’s Frustration with Education
Lee Jenkins
Improving Student Learning: Applying Deming’s Quality Principles in the Classroom, Second Edition
Lee Jenkins
Process Management in Education: How to Design, Measure, Deploy, and Improve Organizational Processes
Robert W. Ewy and Henry A. Gmitro
Stakeholder-Driven Strategic Planning in Education: A Practical Guide for Developing and Deploying
Successful Long-Range Plans
Robert W. Ewy
Charting Your Course: Lessons Learned During the Journey Toward Performance Excellence
Robert W. Ewy and John G. Conyers
Running All the Red Lights: A Journey of System-Wide Educational Reform
Terry Holliday and Brenda Clark

ASQ Education School Self-Assessment Guide to Performance Excellence: Aligning Your School and School
District with the Malcolm Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence
Peter G. LaBonte, ASQ
Claire Anne and the Talking Hat
Barbara A. Cleary
Living on the Edge of Chaos: Leading Schools into the Global Age, Second Edition
Karolyn J. Snyder, Michele Acker-Hocevar, Kristen M. Snyder
Thinking Tools for Kids: An Activity Book for Classroom Learning, Revised Edition
Sally J. Duncan and Barbara A. Cleary
Transformation to Performance Excellence: Baldrige Education Leaders Speak Out
Sandra Cokeley, Margaret A. Byrnes, Geri Markley, and Suzanne Keely, editors
The Quality Rubric: A Systematic Approach for Implementing Quality Principles and Tools in Classrooms and
Schools
Steve Benjamin
Boot Camp for Leaders in K–12 Education: Continuous Improvement
Lee Jenkins, Lloyd O. Roettger, and Caroline Roettger
To request a complimentary catalog of ASQ Quality Press publications, call 800-248-1946, or visit
our Web site at />
H1394_McCaulley.indd 2

6/4/10 9:20 AM


Continuous Improvement
in the History and
Social Studies Classroom

Daniel R. McCaulley

ASQ Quality Press

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

H1394_McCaulley.indd 3

6/4/10 9:20 AM


American Society for Quality, Quality Press, Milwaukee 53203
© 2010 by American Society for Quality
All rights reserved. Published 2010
Printed in the United States of America
16 15 14 13 12 11 10
5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McCaulley, Daniel R., 1947–
Continuous improvement in the history and social studies classroom /
Daniel R. McCaulley.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-87389-789-1 (alk. paper)
1. United States—History—Study and teaching. 2. Social sciences—Study
and teaching—United States. 3. School improvement program—United States.
I. Title.
E175.8.M4 2010
973.071—dc22
2010018755
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Publisher: William A. Tony
Acquisitions Editor: Matt Meinholz

Project Editor: Paul O’Mara
Production Administrator: Randall Benson
ASQ Mission: The American Society for Quality advances individual, organizational, and community excellence worldwide through learning, quality improvement, and knowledge exchange.
Attention Bookstores, Wholesalers, Schools, and Corporations: ASQ Quality Press books, videotapes,
audiotapes, and software are available at quantity discounts with bulk purchases for business,
educational, or instructional use. For information, please contact ASQ Quality Press at 800-248-1946,
or write to ASQ Quality Press, P.O. Box 3005, Milwaukee, WI 53201-3005.
To place orders or to request a free copy of the ASQ Quality Press Publications Catalog, including
ASQ membership information, call 800-248-1946. Visit our Web site at www.asq.org or http://
www.asq.org/quality-press.
Printed on acid-free paper

H1394_McCaulley.indd 4

6/4/10 9:20 AM


Dedication

This book is dedicated to my favorite teacher, my wife
Jane McCaulley. She not only allowed me to torture her
with my angst, preoccupation, absence, and frustration
during this process, she did so in the midst of two major
life changes of her own. Her willingness to be in the pilot
group mentioned elsewhere in this book is indicative of
her faith in me and her support. Thanks, I love you.

H1394_McCaulley.indd 5

6/4/10 9:20 AM

H1394_McCaulley.indd 6

6/4/10 9:20 AM


Contents

List of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

xi

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

xiii

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

xv

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

xix

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

xxi

Chapter 1 History: The Quality Movement and How It

Has Impacted Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1

Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1

Deming Speaks: The Quality Movement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2

Ripped from Today’s Headlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3

Deming’s Fourteen Points and Their Application to Education . . . . . . . . . . . .

3

Enter Lee Jenkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7

Where Are We Now? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8

Chapter 2 Thinking Systemically: A New Way of Looking at
K–12 Education (and Your Classroom) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9

An Analogy with Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

10

Parts Defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11

Your Classroom as a System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

14

vii

H1394_McCaulley.indd 7

6/4/10 9:20 AM


viii Contents

A Quick Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

16

Getting to Know Your “Customers” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17

Chapter 3 Getting Started: A “From the Ground Up” Tool Kit for
Implementing Continuous Improvement in Your Social
Studies Classroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

21

What Have We Learned? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

21

Permission to Forget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

22

Creating Your First List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

24

Chapter 4 By the Numbers: What Is Math Doing in
My Social Studies Classroom? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

33

So, You’re Not a Statistician . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

33

Creating Your Basic Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

34

How to Use the Various Charts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

43

For the Truly Nerdy . . . More Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

51

Summative Flyover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

55

Chapter 5 What Else Can We Measure (and How Can We Do It)? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

57

Measuring Enthusiasm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

58

The Plus/Delta Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

62

The Uber Plus/Delta Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

65

The One-Minute Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

66

There Is No Finish Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

67

What if the Whole Department Were Measured? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

69

Bird’s-Eye View of Chapter 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

71

Chapter 6 The Seven Deadly Sins of Continuous Improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

73

You Want to Make ’Em Hate History? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

73

Countering Teachers’ Objections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

73

The Dreaded List: The Seven Deadly Sins of

Continuous Improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

77

Instant Replay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

85

Chapter 7 Hooray! Celebrating Success in Social Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

87

What’s the Difference between Rewards and Celebration? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

87

What Should We Be Celebrating? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

89

H1394_McCaulley.indd 8

6/4/10 9:20 AM


Contents ix

Why Should We Be Celebrating? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

90

Ways to Celebrate Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

91

A Macro View of Chapter 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

92

Chapter 8 Where Do We Go from Here? Continuous Improvement and the
Accountability Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

95

The Great Debate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

95

Issues in History and Social Studies Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

96

Issues in Continuous Improvement and Accountability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

98

The Seven Essential Facts about Continuous Improvement and
Why You Should Use It for Social Studies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

99

Parting Shot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

104

Appendix A Dan McCaulley’s U .S . History Facts and Ideas—Partial List . . . . . . . . . . 105
Appendix B College-Level List of Map Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Appendix C History Mystery—A Sample Weekly Quiz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

111

Appendix D Common Assessment of Core Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Appendix E Quality Tools for the Substitute Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Appendix F Sixth-Grade Illustrated List of Essential Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Appendix G Masterpiece Memory Bonus Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

131

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

137

H1394_McCaulley.indd 9

6/4/10 9:20 AM


H1394_McCaulley.indd 10

6/4/10 9:20 AM


List of Figures

Figure 2.1

Education as a system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

13

Figure 2.2

Classroom system aim diagram. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

15

Figure 2.3

Seating chart challenge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

18

Figure 3.1

Flowchart for getting started with continuous improvement . . . . . . . . . . . .

25

Figure 3.2

Page from an example list of essential facts and ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

26

Figure 4.1

Student data folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

35

Figure 4.2

Class run chart showing a “mythical” continuous improvement
or constancy line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

37

Figure 4.3

Student run chart—blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

39

Figure 4.4

Student run chart—actual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

40

Figure 4.5

Continuous improvement check sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

42

Figure 4.6

Sample quiz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

44

Figure 4.7

Fishbone chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

45

Figure 4.8

Comparative item analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

48

Figure 4.9

Histograms (class record) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

49

Figure 4.10 Portion of Geo 207 world map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

50

Figure 4.11 Geo 207 student run chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

51

Figure 4.12 Scatter diagram example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

52

Figure 4.13 Pareto chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

54

xi

List of
Figures

H1394_McCaulley.indd 11

6/4/10 9:20 AM


xii ListofFigures

Figure 5.1

Basic enthusiasm in social studies survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

59

Figure 5.2

Data chart with two scales for enthusiasm in learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

60

Figure 5.3

Data chart showing enthusiasm despite no learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

61

Figure 5.4

School history form for enthusiasm in learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

62

Figure 5.5

Uber plus/delta chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

66

Figure 5.6

PDSA cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

68

Figure 6.1

Item analysis sheet done by a student . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

74

Figure 6.2

Item analysis sheet done by two students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

75

Figure 6.3

The author’s first-grade grandson reads The Worst Day of My Life . . . . . . . .

77

H1394_McCaulley.indd 12

6/4/10 9:20 AM


Foreword

ContInuouS Improvement SerIeS

The Continuous Improvement series is written by teachers for teachers. The books are a compilation of action research, team building, effective use of data, and just plain fun.
The term “continuous improvement” is chosen on purpose. It simply means always
striving to improve and having evidence of such improvement. This improvement can be
small or large; it matters not. What matters is students and their teachers have public evidence of improvement.
In the United States there are three common practices that work against continuous
improvement. A short description of them is provided to assist readers in appreciating the
power of what the teacher-authors have accomplished in their various schools.
1. Bell-curve mentality. When educators subscribe to grading on the curve, they have
no intention of improving and no way of knowing if they improve. In fact, the very
structure ensures only a few can be successful.
2. Ranking. In this belief system, the goal is to be in first place. One can actually go
backward and still be in first place, if others go back farther.
3. Number out of the air. This is typical goal setting used in business and education alike.
People say things like, “We’ll improve by 5%” (or some such number).
Continuous improvement merely states the current condition, and then methods are tested
to see what brings about improvement.
Assume a school district has each school count how many instructional minutes are
wasted each day due to student tardiness. With a bell-curve mentality, the district needs
xiii

H1394_McCaulley.indd 13

6/4/10 9:20 AM


xiv Foreword

some schools to waste a lot of minutes and some to waste only a few. With ranking, the
school system merely ranks the schools from number one to the last school. With artificial
goals, each principal is held accountable for having 5% fewer wasted minutes.

Continuous improvement is different. Each school knows how many minutes are wasted
each week of school, and the goal is to improve. Improvement could be as simple as wasting
just one less minute. If a school went from 345 minutes wasted in a week to 344 minutes,
this is improvement. However, 344 would not be the goal for long. Now the goal is to at
least reduce to 343 minutes.
At first, continuous improvement may seem easy. After all, wasting just one less minute is improvement. However, as will be seen in the Continuous Improvement series, after a
number of improvements, gaining the next one is not so easy. It is hard work that can be
accomplished only by the teacher and students working as a team.
Lee Jenkins
From LtoJ Consulting Group, Inc.
Scottsdale, AZ

H1394_McCaulley.indd 14

6/4/10 9:20 AM


Preface
If a nation expects to be ignorant and free . . . it expects
what never was and never will be.
—Thomas Jefferson

F

rustration! It is part of every educator’s work environment. An argument can even be
made that teachers of history and social studies experience more than their share of
it. Why do I say this?
First, it is well known that students frequently come to us with anything ranging from
apathy to hatred for our beloved discipline. The reasons for this are the subject for another
book but will be touched on in later chapters here. Second, it has been well documented

that American students’ knowledge of history, especially the history of their own country,
is abysmal. Research shows that seniors in America’s elite colleges and universities do
not understand American history1 and that, of all their subjects, they like social studies
the least.2
It gets worse and even more embarrassing. In the “Elite College History Survey,” Block
and Franciosi reported that in Arizona’s three publicly funded state universities, 93% of
those surveyed correctly identified the rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg (what he was calling
himself then), while only 41% could pick the correct date for the end of the Civil War, only
21% could identify a line from the Gettysburg Address, and only 14% could identify James
Madison as the “father of the U.S. Constitution.”3 This was multiple choice, folks, and only
four choices were given. Tragically, these results were duplicated all over the United States,
from Harvard to Stanford and elsewhere.
More recently, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute released its dismal findings on civic
literacy among Americans. Fully 71% of the 2508 citizens from all walks of life and educational backgrounds failed the 33-question quiz.4 The overall average was 49%. This alone is
alarming, but consider that 164 of those surveyed identified themselves as elected officials
and, of those, only 30% knew that the phrase “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”

xv

H1394_McCaulley.indd 15

6/4/10 9:20 AM


xvi Preface

comes from the Declaration of Independence. Overall, these public leaders (I use the word
loosely) scored 40% on the quiz, nine points lower than the national average.
And don’t even ask about geographic knowledge! On the National Geographic–Roper
Survey of Geographic Literacy, half of the young Americans surveyed could not find New

York City on a map, and only 37% could find Iraq on a map of the Middle East even though
U.S. troops have been there since 2003.5 There is more of this, but I shudder to reveal it now
for fear that you may get out of teaching altogether and go to selling insurance.
This book is, in part, the story of my epiphany and journey into a whole new way of
looking at teaching and learning that continues to unfold and amaze me. It may also be
worth mentioning that this “discovery” occurred after more than 30 years as an educator.
So, you see, there is definitely hope.

my patH of DISCovery
Like all good and conscientious teachers, I instinctively believed that my students were
learning. My enthusiasm for my subject and my warm and friendly approach to students
led to good rapport. Even students who didn’t necessarily love history liked coming to my
class, and I had few serious discipline problems. Since the state where I was teaching (Indiana) had no high-stakes year-end test for social studies (yet), I could go on my merry way
believing that my students were becoming lifelong consumers of history and geography.
They were walking encyclopedias and atlases of knowledge, ready to dip into their vast
storehouses of historical and geographical facts to make an astute application. The planets
were aligned, and all was well with the world.
But, into my illusory world, several disturbing and undeniable facts began to emerge.
First, since there was no “big” test yet required by the state or my school, I gave students my
own year-end version. The results were discouraging and I wasn’t sure why. For example,
the details and circumstances of the Civil War (which I taught as though my life depended
on them) were just not there for my young historians on the day of the final. Worse yet, they
still didn’t know that Antietam is in Maryland and Gettysburg is in Pennsylvania. Ugh!
Next, it became obvious during vertical articulation sessions with high school and
elementary teachers that students, even good students, were just not retaining even the
most rudimentary facts that should have been taken for granted and built upon by successive teachers. Big-ticket ideas such as the details of the Declaration of Independence and
the Constitution were forgotten, and the Monroe Doctrine . . . ? Don’t push your luck! Of
course, we all blamed one another.
Finally, before taking one of my captivating final tests, one of my more outspoken and
self-assured students asked me how he was supposed to prepare for it when I hadn’t told

him what was most important to me (from the mouths of adolescents). Naturally, I pointed
to the review guide. He indicated, respectfully, that it was too little too late. In retrospect,
this young man was probably the first advocate for continuous improvement and total
quality education I had ever encountered.

H1394_McCaulley.indd 16

6/4/10 9:20 AM


Preface xvii

Then, one beautiful spring day, I was leading a workshop with our new teachers as part
of their induction program. My superintendent, Carmine Gentile, walked into the room and
began telling us about a speaker he had heard at a conference. He thought his name was
Lee Jenkins. He proceeded to effusively shower us with gibberish consisting of phrases like
“permission to forget,” “preview/review,” and “random sampling.” Well, he went on like
this for about 20 minutes and used up the rest of my time.
The new teachers left, and he apologized to me for interrupting but then asked if I would
put together a core group of teachers who would be willing to read Dr. Jenkins’s book that
summer and implement something called “From L to J” in the fall.
I still marvel that anyone responded to my call, given my meager and incomplete understanding of the matter, but some brave souls did. I call them the “Fearless Six.” In addition
to me they were Tim and Kristi Wittenberg, Anne Dick, Cassandra Knolinski, Nancy Smith,
and my wife, Jane McCaulley. Disciplines represented at that first meeting were art, language arts/reading, science, and social studies. It was fortuitous that these teachers were
from so many different disciplines and from all three levels.
As we read Jenkins’s book, Improving Student Learning, second edition (ASQ Quality
Press, 2003), we began to understand some of the root causes of the frustration we all shared.
For example:
• Why and how we were inadvertently giving students permission to forget
• Why students (and we) didn’t really understand what we thought was most

important
• Why we really didn’t know whether the latest educational fad was working
• Why we really weren’t sure and couldn’t document that students were learning
• Why we had to spend so much time as the “referee” and so little time as the
“coach”
The rest, as they say, is history (no pun intended) and will be detailed in subsequent chapters. It is not an exaggeration to say that the concepts we will examine in this book rocked
my professional world and changed my teaching forever. I have since moved to higher
education and have found these principles to be just as effective and proactive there. I will
never again enter any classroom without them. Please read on.
Dan McCaulley
Carl Junction, MO

H1394_McCaulley.indd 17

6/4/10 9:20 AM


H1394_McCaulley.indd 18

6/4/10 9:20 AM


Acknowledgments

I

was first introduced to the basic concepts of L to J by my former superintendent Carmine Gentile. I will be forever grateful to him for that moment when he interrupted my
professional development session with new teachers and their mentors to share with us
these strange new concepts.
I am also eternally grateful for those hardy souls who believed in me enough to walk the

plank out into shark-infested waters with continuous improvement: Anne Dick, Cassandra
Knolinski, Kristi Wittenberg, Tim Wittenberg, Nancy Smith, and my wife, Jane McCaulley.
It wasn’t long after I began this journey that I had the good fortune to become acquainted
with Dr. Lee Jenkins. During a break at a conference, Anne Dick and I got up the courage to
approach him with a question. We were pleased to learn that he was a genuine, down-toearth person as he patiently addressed our point of concern. I have had many more occasions to collaborate with Lee both in person and by e-mail, and I have always found him to
be responsive to all of my questions, usually in record time in spite of his busy speaking and
travel schedule. Of course, it was he who suggested I write this book, and I will always be
humbled and thankful for his expression of confidence in me.
I also had the privilege of building a substantial L to J teachers network at Maconaquah
School Corporation in Bunker Hill, Indiana, both by word of mouth and through the professional development classes I facilitated. It is unfortunate that I cannot name each teacher
here. I would surely miss someone. Thank you all not only for believing in me and in L to J
but also for your innovative ideas.
I am also thankful to the men’s group at Journey Church in Joplin, Missouri, who prayed
me through this project. And since writing can be such a lonely endeavor, I am also grateful
to the other authors in this series—Jeff Burgard, Janelle Coady, Melody Russell, and Vickie

xix

H1394_McCaulley.indd 19

6/4/10 9:20 AM


xx Acknowledgments

Hedrick—for their offers of support and encouragement during this yearlong process. Misery, as it turns out, truly does love company.
Finally, I would like to thank my education students at Ivy Tech Community College,
past, present, and future. They allow me to bounce research and ideas off them, and I,
whether they know it or not, learn much from them as well. This, in turn, allows me to
fulfill one of my life covenants: to never stop learning. They continually remind me that it

is a profound privilege to “pass the baton” to the next generation of America’s classroom
teachers. (My apologies for not quite letting go on my end just yet.)

H1394_McCaulley.indd 20

6/4/10 9:20 AM


Introduction
We cannot become what we want to be by remaining
what we are.
—Max Dupree

W

hat you are about to read is not intended to be a textbook, nor is it intended to
be a technical journal. It is not a work of science or dogma. It is not a “how-to”
book even though that is an essential part of it. It is intentionally not written in
“education-ese,” and it is my hope that you will find its conversational style user-friendly,
approachable, and accessible.
As a professional educator, I do not intend to sell you on continuous improvement or
data-driven decision making in the social studies classroom. I respect you far too much for
that. And it is certainly not my intention to replace or improve on the previous book in this
series covering this topic. Shelly Carson’s book still stands as a work in and of itself, and I
recommend it to you. There are facets of her book that I intentionally stayed away from, but
which, I believe, I have complemented with this edition.
This book is not intended to be the last word on continuous improvement, as that appellation itself would create an oxymoron. Also, I am not holding myself up as some sort of
poster child for quality in the classroom, as I know this would be pure hubris. There are
hundreds if not thousands of educators pursuing this dream daily and admirably.
Rather, it is my intention to describe my journey into an enlightenment, an enlightenment of process, of attitude, of philosophy, and of community. After more than 30 years in

education, I came across something that makes sense for teachers and students. I share it
with you here with the deepest respect and admiration that one can have for his colleagues.
You, the classroom practitioner, are my target audience.
If you believe, as one of my former colleagues did, that you have learned all that is
necessary for a teacher to know, this book is not for you. If you have stopped growing professionally and are satisfied with the status quo and last year’s lesson plans, I direct your

xxi

H1394_McCaulley.indd 21

6/4/10 9:20 AM


xxii Introduction

attention elsewhere. However, I must warn you that the path you are treading is fraught
with peril for you and your students.
But if you are still in search of the “holy grail,” the key to unlocking the potential in your
students, and the unity, love of learning, and sense of purpose that made you want to go
into teaching in the first place, I daresay that you will benefit from the time you will invest
in your students through the information gleaned in this volume.
There is no greater investment in the entire world than to invest one’s time, energies,
intellect, and heart into the lives of young people. It’s not only priceless, it’s eternal.

H1394_McCaulley.indd 22

6/4/10 9:20 AM


Chapter 1

History: The Quality Movement
and How It Has Impacted
Education
Quality is everyone’s responsibility.
—Dr. W. Edwards Deming

BaCkgrounD
It is to weep! Despite our love for our discipline and our enthusiasm in conveying
it to our students, they are just not “getting it” or even valuing it on a widespread
scale. Senator Lamar Alexander perhaps portrayed it best when he said, “American history is our children’s worst subject.”6 Other social science disciplines such as
geography, civics, and economics don’t fare much better. The 2007 Miss Teen USA
pageant gaffe is a case in point. When asked why one-fifth of Americans cannot find
the United States on a world map, a contestant gave a rambling and nonsensical
answer that did little to put a happy face on social studies education and more to
confirm our worst fears. Despite the fact that she was described as a student athlete
with a 3.5 GPA, she certainly was not prepared for that question. As a social studies educator, I find this more troubling than humorous. Even after allowing that the
question was highly suspect, that she was likely nervous, and that she had a deerin-the-headlights reaction, I still found myself relieved that she hadn’t been one of
my students.
So, what is happening here? At a time when the advent of the internet should have
made access to information on history, economics, current affairs, and world geography a snap (or a click), American students are embarrassing us in comparisons with
students of other industrialized nations.7 The question is no longer whether we should
take action to improve social studies literacy; the question is how shall we do it?

1
Chapter
One
H1394_McCaulley.indd 1

6/4/10 9:20 AM

2 ChapterOne

DemIng SpeakS: tHe QualIty movement
I remember once having a rather heated conversation with a gentleman who, at a
school board meeting, rose to say that if we just ran our schools more like a business, we would succeed. My reaction was something like, “Try running your factory successfully when every part that comes down the assembly line is unique and
totally different than the one before.” In other words, I bristle at the comparison
because, as teachers and administrators, we deal with the most complex organism
in the world: human beings. After all, when was the last time a transmission casing came down the line with emotional baggage? Nevertheless, there are a plethora
of leadership lessons drawn from the best thinkers that educators must embrace if
they are to succeed.
So said Dr. W. Edwards Deming, widely acknowledged as the leading thinker
in the post–World War II quality revolution. In fact, many of his ideas and concepts
are so taken for granted in today’s business environment that we tend to forget their
genesis. He is regarded as the “father of TQM” (total quality management), although
he despised that term.
Briefly stated, Dr. Deming used his statistical skills to help the American military
succeed through quality control of wartime production. His work on the compilation
of the American War Standards, which involved the use of sampling techniques and
control charts (remember those for future reference), would later be used to revolutionize industry and management.8 Despite his efforts, he was rebuffed by U.S. manufacturers, who were basking in the glow of a postwar economy in which America
was dominant and Japan and Europe were rebuilding.
Never a prophet in his own country, Deming was invited to Japan by the Union
of Japanese Scientists and Engineers. He was asked how long it would take for Japan
to shift the world’s perception of “made in Japan = junk” paradigm to one of innovation and quality. He told them it would take only five years. He later confessed,
“They surprised me and did it in four.”9
While in Japan, Deming moved beyond the scientific community and delivered
a series of lectures to captains of industry. What he told them changed Japanese
business and manufacturing forever. Some of these revolutionary concepts were the
following:

• You can increase quality while simultaneously reducing costs
• You must view manufacturing as a system, not as bits and pieces
• There is no arbitrary goal, only continuous improvement
• Inspection at the end of the line does little good; quality must be built in
throughout

H1394_McCaulley.indd 2

6/4/10 9:20 AM


History:TheQualityMovementandHowItHasImpactedEducation 3

rIppeD from toDay’S HeaDlIneS
As I write this, two of the “Big Three” automakers are in Washington asking the government for an additional $25 billion bailout. At the same time, Honda is celebrating the opening of a new plant in Greensburg, Indiana, which will produce 200,000
vehicles annually.10 How did it get to this point? Could it have been avoided? Why
can’t American automakers compete with Toyota, Honda, and Nissan? At the risk
of oversimplifying a complex problem, I believe Deming would have an answer. He
would say that their problems are systemic, and to improve their situation they would
have to work on the process that delivers the product. Oklahoma senator Jim Inhofe,
a member of the standing Committee on Environment and Public Works, concurs.
He believes that instead of just treating symptoms, U.S. automakers should evaluate deeper-seated problems. “I think they need to have systemic change; a change
in the way they do business.”11 Indeed, Joseph B. White, senior editor of the Wall
Street Journal, agrees as well. He observed that “GM refused to accept that to survive
it could not remain what it was in the 1950’s and 1960’s.”12 W. Edwards Deming,
always the proactive statistician, advised them of this early on, but it was not until
the 1980s that his ideas were adopted by American business.
To take a closer look at Deming’s answer, we must visit his famous “Fourteen
Points” (not to be confused with Woodrow Wilson’s list by the same name).

DemIng’S fourteen poIntS anD tHeIr
applICatIon to eDuCatIon
So, what does any of this have to do with the improvement of social studies education? Plenty! You see, you’re not at fault. You’re not to blame. The problems you have
were inherited. They are systemic. Once we realize this, much of the frustration we are
dealing with begins to make sense and then becomes manageable.
Educational reform is now in its third decade, and during that time achievement
rates of students have not improved and dropout rates have actually risen, especially
among urban and minority youth.13 If I were to characterize it, I would say that education is currently where the U.S. auto industry was in the 1970s: still building gasguzzlers but waking up. It’s time for a new look at the problem, a fresh approach.
Let’s build a basis for this new paradigm by applying some of Dr. Deming’s Fourteen
Points to the educational endeavor. I will begin with Deming’s words and then, if I
may be so bold, give the “Dan” application to social studies education.
Deming’s 1st point: Create constancy of purpose toward improvement of product and service, with the aim to become competitive and to stay in business, and
to provide jobs.
Dan’s 1st point: Schools and teachers should aim at continually improving
processes with the goal of producing students who will go on to become valuable

H1394_McCaulley.indd 3

6/4/10 9:20 AM