Baldrige Criteria Mark the Path for

Abstract: This is a case study of the Rochester Public Schools (MN) continuous improvement journey using Baldrige as described by its Superintendent, Jerry Williams . Influenced by the quality improvement efforts of the Mayo Clinic and IBM in Rochester, the school system began a Baldrige approach to quality improvement in the late 1990’s and set long term goals. The Minnesota Quality Council recently gave affirmation to the school district’s quality efforts using the Baldrige framework and the school system has seen improvements in the academic success of their students, with a continuous rise in the ACT score, which exceed the average state and national levels.

Keywords: Baldrige National Quality Program