This post is part of an ongoing series on Quality Management for language schools.

In my last post on quality management for language schools, I put forward some ideas on how to address a school staff when undertaking the development of a ‘home grown’ quality management scheme. I also covered questions aimed at teachers that should be included on a survey with a focus on the academic administration of a school. In this post I will continue to discuss such a survey and questions that relate to all employees concerning the school’s administrative and marketing operations.

To be honest, these two points may raise some hairs on the heads of school owners, specifically because they cut right to the core of a school’s management in terms of control and honesty, otherwise known as fair dealing. It’s true that leaders don’t normally like their authority or ethics questioned. Nonetheless, in relationship to ensuring quality no one is above reproach.

It should go without saying that the ability to delegate tasks and even authority is vital to efficient leadership. Yet, in a similar vein, some leaders are all too quick to cast blame on their underlings, never really questioning their own actions or roles in the operational inefficiency of their organizations. It’s a shame but I’ve had the experience of speaking with school owners who are seemingly interested in ‘whipping their troops’ into shape, but who balk at the prospect of changing their views on who they manage the school and its affairs. In worst cases, there are school owners whose only desire to establish a quality management scheme is to further tighten the noose around their staff, especially with a view towards rooting out inefficient employees. Indeed, there is no place for witch hunts in quality management initiatives.

Successful schools practice what they preach and actually take pride in what they stand for. In the best cases, such schools have ‘bona fide’ reasons, ideally based on experience and research, for the way they operate … and not just because someone at the top thinks “it’s a good idea”.

It’s often all too easy to speak of ‘best practices in the field’. Moreover, in regards to teaching practice, mention is made of teaching mainstream and modern methodologies. Regardless, such idealism does not suggest there aren’t alternatives, even if they are not commonly accepted or endorsed. For example, as a teacher, if you stand by the use of ‘grammar translation’ tasks and have good reasons to do so, it doesn’t matter what the ‘experts’ say. On the other hand, if your only reason for mercilessly pushing grammar translation is that “it was good enough for me when I was a young leaner!”, then a ‘rethink’ is in order.

In continuing my discussion on survey questions, I’ll begin with the area of marketing and then move onto to administration.

Marketing: The whole truth and nothing but the truth!

The issue concerning marketing basically comes down to truth in advertising. Taking this road might cause more than a few ‘marketing experts’ heads to spin, but let’s be honest … honesty is the best policy. Students, like any clients or customers in the business arena, have a right to expect what they pay for.

Now, I don’t want to hijack this post into a discussion on unethical marketing practices, but some of the issues this might relate to are engaging in puffery, bending the truth or withholding details about services and curriculum your school provides. Suffice it to say that if you or your school is engaging in any of these poor practices, you are only hurting your reputation and the ‘word of mouth’ advertising your school really thrives on. Tons of money can be spent on clever advertising campaigns, but ‘the word’ on the street about your school negative, then its just money down the drain.

Making false or dubious claims about your school’s offerings may help beat your competition in the short-term, but long-term sustainability and profit is what your objective should be. There are good reasons why most new businesses fail during their first two years of operation. If its not due to operational issues and mismanagement, it’s due to poor or unscrupulous marketing efforts. The ‘word of mouth’ reputation of any business travels very quickly. Moreover, if you are school owner you really do need to ask yourself what you want to your school to be identified with, a provider of quality education or a schlocky used car dealer?

So, the main question is: does your school provide what it says it provides? The accuracy of the following material should be considered when drawing up questions for the staff to respond to. Here are some suggested questions. In some cases, I’d suggest providing a ranking of 1 to 5 (1 for excellent and 5 for poor). It should also be noted that while I’m making suggestions for survey questions here, the areas covered below should also give school owners pause for thought concerning their own knowledge on these issues or items.

How accessible is information concerning offered courses?

How accurate is the school’s print advertising material pertaining:

• Course descriptions
• Course dates and lengths
• The size of classes (number of students)
• Student demographics of courses (example: are adult learners put into classes with young learners?)
• Living accommodations

With regards to in-house marketing material given to students before and during enrollment, are students given written notice of:

• Tuition fees and payment policies
• Methods of course delivery
• School Facilities (example: a computer lab … suggesting more than the school secretary’s computer)
• Extra-curricular activities
• Trips
• Student health insurance

It’s also good to elicit feedback concerning the perceived efficacy of the school’s marketing material or campaigns. Allow the staff offer their opinion as to what they believe are the strengths and weaknesses in this regard. Ask them to comment briefly on how realistic the school’s programs or courses are.

For example, I’ve worked with schools that advertise a wide range of courses for every conceivable proficiency or academic type certificate examination under the sun. However, no actual syllabuses had ever been written to reflect that any real effort has been made to construct such an offering. Ideally, a school owner advertising a short term preparation course for IELTS should not have to run out at the last moment to quickly hire a teacher with IELTS experience just because a few students decided to enroll for such a course.

The same thing applies to offering courses for other foreign languages. Advertising courses for Japanese or Italian, for example, actually suggests that some effort was put into establishing such programs, and that they are complete with relevant syllabuses and designated teachers. Again, if running a French class only means advertising it and then at the last minute hiring a local French teacher whose only real teaching experience is tutoring private students in their homes then … well I think you all get the picture.

School Administration: Your place in and knowledge of the scheme of things

The topic of administration is a vast one. It relates not only to things like record keeping and accounting, but also to following up with student inquiries and staff related issues. It could be said that this area concerns administrative policies for dealing with all things non-academic related. However, there are certainly areas that overlap. For example, is there a policy and system in place to ensure that if a teacher calls in sick, a suitable substitute is on call? For that matter, does the school even have a policy for sic days. These are just some examples.

Here are some suggested question that may be included for all staff to respond to. These questions gauge both employees’ perception of the school, as well as an understanding of the nature of their employment. Again, in some cases a ranking of 1 to 5 should be given to express satisfaction.

Student Follow Up Related Issues:

Where do students go to get help about administrative or academic problems?

How do students know with whom to speak?

Are there regular hours in which students can speak with with dedicated staff to help them with their issues? Are these hours posted?

How and when is student feedback taken?

Are records kept of such student feedback and actually reviewed by anyone … at anytime?

What happens when a student complains about a teacher?

What is the school’s policy concerning the following student related issues:

• tardiness
• absences
• misbehavior

How would you rate student satisfaction is with the school?

How would you rate the school’s overall reputation?

Knowledge of Administration:

Are all academic and administrative policies written down?

Does the school have a policy on employee sick days?

Does the school have a policy concerning sexual misconduct in the workplace?

What is the policy for dealing with staff grievances?

Have you ever been asked to participate in mock exams, trips or other school related activities without pay?

Which of the following does the school publish?

• A student handbook
• An employee handbook
• A school calendar

How would you rate the communication between management and staff?

How confidential is communication between you and members of the administrative staff?

Who is responsible for maintaining personnel files at the school?

Who do you speak with concerning payroll questions or errors?

Upon employment, were you provided with :

• A valid employment contract
• A written ‘job description’
• A schedule or details of any regular payroll deductions (health, pension, etc.)

How accurate is your job description?

When was the last time you reviewed your job description?

Have you provided to the school:

• A current and valid teaching license
• A current CV / Resume
• A valid proof of identification
• Copies of your degrees and relevant professional qualifications
• Emergency contact information

Are there opportunities for advancement in the school?

When was the last time you received a performance review?

How does your role figure in the school’s long-term plans?

How informed are you concerning the school operations, policies and plans?

When problems arise, who can you speak to with actual authority?

Does the school have a written grievance policy? If not, how are your complaints or complaints against you handled?

How valued do you feel your input and ideas are to school management?

Is there is a system for collecting school suggestions (anonymous or otherwise)?

General Beliefs:

Why do you believe students choose this school?

How competitive do you feel the school is in the local market?

How accurate do you feel the school’s marketing efforts are?

How effective do you feel the school’s marketing efforts are?

How likely are you to recommend the school to students?

How likely are you to recommend the school to a colleague seeking employment?

How confident are you that the school is an ‘equal opportunity’ employer?

Does the school have a ‘mission statement’? Do you know what it is or where it is written?

To what extent to believe you are a factor in the school’s success?

Do you feel the school is in need a quality management scheme?

I hope the above gives both school owners and teachers some insight into issues relating to the school administration. As I mentioned above, what’s important at this early stage of establishing a quality management scheme is the collection of data in terms of opinion, perception and to some extent sentiment. In this sense, knowledge is power, and the more employers and employees alike know and share, the greater the motivation and sense of worth all stakeholders will have in ensuring quality in the school. In the next post on quality management, I will take a closer look at the social dynamics of creating an quality management team.

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