Education System Improvement

We are in the business of improving the way people and organizations improve.

We are a small firm that creates improvements in other companies, organizations, and individuals by shifting the way learning strategies are applied. We look at existing learning and communication systems, organizational cultures, and results/expectations before analyzing new objectives, proposing higher standards, and employing strategic paths for improvement.

Organizational Change
Utilizing change management and leadership development practices, we slowly begin altering the organization's direction and shifting its values hierarchy. The most common organizational response to changes is a pervasive fear and reticence which we overcome by inclusion and subtle changes in the initial phases.  As perceived threats are allayed and minimized, the organization become more and more willing to trust.  Building upon this trust is key for both short-term and long-term transformation.

We understand the importance of these strategies and advocate for them to be a central influence in the improvement process.
Working with education technology and improvement strategies in corporate environments have provided us with insights that could also be useful in improving school systems.  Corporate America, for the sake of increasing competitive advantages, changed the way they approach employee education.  What was once an expensive, delivery-centric training process became a measurable, ROI-justified, learner-centric process that proved its worth by:

• Lowering its own departmental costs
• Lowering overall company costs
• Increasing employee effectiveness company-wide
• Improving organizational decision making and operational efficiencies
• Increasing  market agility and customer satisfaction
• Retaining and improving the employee talent pool

Looking at our education system in the United States, specifically the K-12 public education system, we quickly saw many places where the same strategies that proved so effective in Corporate America could be successfully applied.  What we didn't expect was the cultural response.

Corporations operate on the premise of profitability. As such, all companies understand the need for competitive response.  Even non-profits that give out funding need to have enough income to sustain their operations.   Yet, public schools are not motivated the same way.  They rely on sustaining a consistent process.  They value continuity of expectations over continual improvement.  They value employee retention over improved effectiveness.  One more aspect that caused the school systems to fail to keep pace with changing times was a lack of effective leadership.

Clark Learning specializes in improvement strategies, but schools were not willing to follow new strategies.  They had no reason to change.  Leaders were brought in who wanted to improve things, but the principals and teachers were not eager to accept these initiatives.  Then No Child Left Behind and the fiscal crises began to pinch the schools and motivate them to accept changes.

Clark Learning then began working with local schools to implement change through inclusion and subtle, acceptable improvement strategies.  As schools look for ways to become regionally and globally competitive again, their need for guidance and effectiveness grows also.  We look forward to guiding schools and school leaders to find their best viable options, to continuously improve, and to serve their students with impressive effectiveness.