Already successfully piloted in leading school districts, the North Star plan uses Process & Performance Management (PPM) Learning Collaborative to achieve results.  The PPM is based on decades of success in other sectors through APQC's work with thousands of organizations.  The results achieved in education thus far show that a focus on process and performance management can create demonstrable improvement across the nation. 

North Star using PPM works because:

It is truly transformational - not just an incremental, bolt-on reform that has existed in the past.  It breaks boundaries and constraints that are limiting change.  It can get off the mark quickly without a lot of design, planning time, and coalition building.

• It is system-wide, not just focused on the curriculum/instruction side or the administrative side, but on both.
• It has been proven to work in other sectors, and APQC has adapted it to fit education.
• PPM focuses on both efficiency and effectiveness.
• It addresses stakeholders/customers and employee participation and empowerment, with measures of both process and performance.
• Finally, it offers a way to cut the tremendous amount of waste and non-value-added activities in education that continue to cause administrators to seek even more funds.

How it Works

North Star plan uses PPM which is centered on a basic but critical truth that organizations worldwide have come to realize is essential for real change and improvement to occur.

Outcomes are created by processes, and if you do not improve the processes that

generate the outcomes, you can't improve outcomes.

The fundamental weaknesses in education for decades has been the lack of focus on the processes that are essential for improvement, efficiency, and effectiveness.  Through our pioneering work for the last 32 years with other sectors and our last decade of work in education, APQC has created a plan to overcome and eliminate these weaknesses.  Our proven methodology helps school districts quickly and efficiently implement process performance management and achieve transformative change.

From addressing a single target area for improvement to system-wide needs, we help create a structure that increases the ability to address efficiencies and effectiveness in a cross-functional, process-focused approach.

Process & Performance Management (PPM) Learning Collaborative is the heart of North Star.  Click here to learn more details about this workshop. The Learning Collaborative is a results-oriented initiative to:

• Help districts solve their toughest operational and academic challenges,
• Teach key individuals practical process and performance based concepts and tools for improvement, and
• Help build capacity to grow and sustain results

APQC's approach uses the model of process performance management as outlined below:

A representative list of districts using PPM includes: 

Aldine ISD, TX                                                Alief ISD, TX

Clark County School District, NV                    Fort Bend ISD, TX          

Fulton County Schools, GA                            Hampton City Schools, VA  

Henrico County Public Schools, VA                 Houston ISD

Iredell-Statesville School District, NC             Jenks Public Schools, OK     

Montgomery County Public Schools, MD        Poudre School District, CO

Districts using Process & Performance Management (PPM) approach have achieved dramatic results including:

• Energy costs reduced by $624,000/year
• Immediate dropout rates reduced by 3% with 6 year projection of 20%

Stay informed.  Register for research updates.  Click here to get the latest news on North Star and PPM by receiving upcoming white papers and Webinar alerts, plus learn about APQC's mission to transform our public education system.  Find out how APQC's PPM could make a difference in your district.  Email Melanie at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 800-776-9676 or 713-685-4647.