Quality School Line

Suboptimization: We know it as all the eggs in one basket

Barbara A. Cleary, Ph.D.

Is your school district putting all its eggs in one or two baskets?

When a single outcome is more highly valued than others, the temptation is to expend energy toward that outcome alone, often taking resources from other programs or outcomes or ignoring them entirely. This approach is derived from the concept known as suboptimization, a term derived from economics and statistics.

The rule of suboptimization suggests that optimizing (maximizing) the outcome for a subsystem will in general not optimize the outcome for the system as a whole. If subsystems compete, the entire system will in fact suffer. What does this mean?

A traditional economic parable, known as "The Tragedy of the Commons," illustrates the principle. Individual sheep owners cooperate to allow their animals to graze on commonly-owned land, in order to assure that each will prosper. But if one owner decides to raise more animals-in order to optimize his own earnings-there will be competition among individual farmers, and ultimately the commons will be destroyed by over-grazing

In manufacturing, the principle applies when a company devotes greater resources to a single process-paint quality, for example--and pinches funding for another. In the automotive industry, what results is often the familiar recall of a product for replacement of a part that did not receive sufficient attention. A team can be using all the best methodologies for improvement, garnering impressive positive results. Having the best brakes in the automotive world does not make the best car, after all.

In another example, a child who wants to win a swimming medal may eliminate many other activities from his or her schedule, including playing with friends, eating with family, doing homework, going to camp, etc., in order to get the most out of swimming opportunities, swimming morning, noon, and night to improve speed and endurance. While that child may indeed win the swimming medal, and will certainly be a fine swimmer, this success has been gained at the cost of developing as a well-rounded individual.

How does this translate into what school districts are tempted to do in the face of public pressure for performance on standardized tests?

As a Pittsburth Post-Gazette article (as well as a rash of other national journals and news sources) points out, schools are learning to eliminate programs, especially in the arts, in order to devote resources to math and reading scores: "…school districts around the nation have cut classroom time and funding for art and music. School officials say they need to focus attention and money on reading and math because students are tested annually on these subjects under the NCLB law" (Karen McPherson, July 8, 2004).

While it may be rational to expend resources in areas where they "count," one should remember the professional mission of schools: not simply to achieve success in a single area, but to develop young people who will be able to function as mature adults, and to pursue a variety of career opportunities in life

Of course, if it is only math and reading scores that are rewarded, educators will find a way to maximize instruction in those areas. And if the stakes are high, they will indeed put all their instructional eggs in those baskets.

At some point, it is worth stepping back to examine the ways in which education of the whole child may become skewed, with unfortunate results for the child's development in key instructional areas. Brain research suggests that music and art indeed improve children's capacity to expand other cognitive areas, such as math and even reading. So by suboptimizing these areas of instruction, we may indeed be undercutting our own efforts to maximize math and reading scores.

And unfortunately, we won't be able to simply recall our product for repairs later.

To comment on this article, email k12@pqsystems.com. We'd love to hear from you.

Got stories?

Many of you have used the Process and Tools to improve classroom processes and support learning. We’re opening Quality School Line to a series of these stories, and invite you to send details of your experiences with the improvement tools. If we use your story, we will send you a copy of Alfie Kohn’s book, Punished by Rewards, a stimulating discussion of the role of external and internal motivation in student learning. All you need to do is describe how you’ve used a particular tool, tell us a little about your school (its location, number of students, and a little about its quality journey), and indicate your position in the school. We can identify you and your school or not, as you prefer. Your colleagues who are looking for concrete ways to apply these tools will thank you! If you have applications of your own that you’d be willing to share with other teachers e-mail them to K12@pqsystems.com

Here's this month's issue of Quality SchoolLine, a newsletter from PQ Systems, Inc. that provides quarterly tips, examples, and suggestions to classroom teachers and administrators. Watch for classroom projects, downloadable templates, and discounted software for your classroom.
Newsletter Spotlight
Do you have teacher in-service days to fill? Sally Duncan is available to train your school in Process and Tools short-cycle assessments, data folders, math standards, and quality tools. With the school year upon us, her calendar is filling up rapidly, but she still has a few days available. Be sure to call now for your first choice of training dates. What others have to say about Sally's training: "Lima City Schools has found Sally Duncan to be an excellent trainer. She has provided in-depth instruction to interested teachers who in turn have become a network of trainers and support for the entire Lima City School District quality initiative. Her knowledge and application of quality processes and tools continue to be a valuable resource." - Larry Cress, Lima City Schools "Sally Duncan seems to be a very popular presenter in this area. Teachers can't seem to get enough of her, no matter what her workshop topic may be" - Dan Vincent, Medina County Educational Service Center Call now to book Sally for your school or district. For more information or to discuss available dates, call Marilou at 800-777-3020 ext. 113.
Tip of the Month
Suboptimization: We know it as all the eggs in one basket Barbara A. Cleary, Ph.D. Is your school district putting all its eggs in one or two baskets? When a single outcome is more highly valued than others, the temptation is to expend energy toward that outcome alone, often taking resources from other programs or outcomes or ignoring them entirely. This approach is derived from the concept known as suboptimization, a term derived from economics and statistics. The rule of suboptimization suggests that optimizing (maximizing) the outcome for a subsystem will in general not optimize the outcome for the system as a whole. If subsystems compete, the entire system will in fact suffer. What does this mean? A traditional economic parable, known as "The Tragedy of the Commons," illustrates the principle. Individual sheep owners cooperate to allow their animals to graze on commonly-owned land, in order to assure that each will prosper. But if one owner decides to raise more animals-in order to optimize his own earnings-there will be competition among individual farmers, and ultimately the commons will be destroyed by over-grazing In manufacturing, the principle applies when a company devotes greater resources to a single process-paint quality, for example--and pinches funding for another. In the automotive industry, what results is often the familiar recall of a product for replacement of a part that did not receive sufficient attention. A team can be using all the best methodologies for improvement, garnering impressive positive results. Having the best brakes in the automotive world does not make the best car, after all. In another example, a child who wants to win a swimming medal may eliminate many other activities from his or her schedule, including playing with friends, eating with family, doing homework, going to camp, etc., in order to get the most out of swimming opportunities, swimming morning, noon, and night to improve speed and endurance. While that child may indeed win the swimming medal, and will certainly be a fine swimmer, this success has been gained at the cost of developing as a well-rounded individual. How does this translate into what school districts are tempted to do in the face of public pressure for performance on standardized tests? As a Pittsburth Post-Gazette article (as well as a rash of other national journals and news sources) points out, schools are learning to eliminate programs, especially in the arts, in order to devote resources to math and reading scores: "…school districts around the nation have cut classroom time and funding for art and music. School officials say they need to focus attention and money on reading and math because students are tested annually on these subjects under the NCLB law" (Karen McPherson, July 8, 2004). While it may be rational to expend resources in areas where they "count," one should remember the professional mission of schools: not simply to achieve success in a single area, but to develop young people who will be able to function as mature adults, and to pursue a variety of career opportunities in life Of course, if it is only math and reading scores that are rewarded, educators will find a way to maximize instruction in those areas. And if the stakes are high, they will indeed put all their instructional eggs in those baskets. At some point, it is worth stepping back to examine the ways in which education of the whole child may become skewed, with unfortunate results for the child's development in key instructional areas. Brain research suggests that music and art indeed improve children's capacity to expand other cognitive areas, such as math and even reading. So by suboptimizing these areas of instruction, we may indeed be undercutting our own efforts to maximize math and reading scores. And unfortunately, we won't be able to simply recall our product for repairs later. To comment on this article, email k12@pqsystems.com. We'd love to hear from you. Got stories? Many of you have used the Process and Tools to improve classroom processes and support learning. We’re opening Quality School Line to a series of these stories, and invite you to send details of your experiences with the improvement tools. If we use your story, we will send you a copy of Alfie Kohn’s book, Punished by Rewards, a stimulating discussion of the role of external and internal motivation in student learning. All you need to do is describe how you’ve used a particular tool, tell us a little about your school (its location, number of students, and a little about its quality journey), and indicate your position in the school. We can identify you and your school or not, as you prefer. Your colleagues who are looking for concrete ways to apply these tools will thank you! If you have applications of your own that you’d be willing to share with other teachers e-mail them to K12@pqsystems.com Copyright 2006 by PQ Systems, Inc., 10468 Miamisburg-Springboro Rd., Miamisburg, OH 45342 All rights reserved.