| Traditional Approach
Quality Schools Approach Boss management
* Lead management
“Learn or I will hurt you” “Learn and it will
add quality to your
life”.
Schooling: rote memorization
Education: learning in an
of facts; segregated subjects
integrated fashion for
example, through thematic
interdisciplinary units;
emphasis on application of
information, higher level
thinking skills
“Covering ground”
Achieving competence and
doing some
quality work
Punishment for violation of
rules
* Problems solved by talking
them out; choice theory
used
by staff and
students;
members of “learning
families” help guide other
students’ behavior
Fixed grade levels and schedules
Multi-age classes, flexible
of promotion movement between grades;
students progress at
their
own pace
Teachers operate in relative isolation.
Team teaching; time allotted
on a
regular basis for
planning, training,
decision-making, and
other
collaborative
efforts
Few students or parents experience
Students, parents, teachers,
real "ownership" of the school
and administrators have
an investment in
the school.
Curriculum is pre-determined Students provide input into
lessons designed
to meet their needs,
students may choose
among options
to achieve
learning goals
Students often find material boring
* "Students are asked to do
and irrelevant
only work that is relevant
to their lives"; relevance
of schoolwork is explained
Progress measured by standardized
Alternative assessment used;
and other paper-and-pencil tests
tests
focus on higher level
thinking;
concurrent evaluation
is ongoing
Special education is a separate
As a general rule, regular teachers work
component.
with all students; all students receive
help when needed.
Low parent involvement with the Significant parent involvement in the
school
school, e.g., volunteering, attending
workshops, helping to make decisions,
working on parent action teams
Emphasis on achieving a grade and
* Continuous improvement
“moving on”
Characterized by formality and a
Characterized by flexible schedule and
rigid structure
curriculum; welcoming, accessible,
supportive administrators
Information for this comparison has been compiled from
Quality Is The Key:
Stories From Huntington Woods School by Sally A. Ludwig
& Kaye W. Mentley (1997),
and the works of William Glasser, including:
Schools Without Failure (1969);
Choice Theory in the Classroom
(1988); The Quality School: Managing Students
Without Coercion (1998); and
Choice Theory: A New Psychology of
Personal Freedom (1998).
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