“ This has been some of the best training I have attended. I have used parts/all of the processes in my early childhood and math leadership roles. I hope more educators take advantage of what you offer. ”
No matter how good your process is, it can be better. It can have better quality, lower cost, less time and greater impact. This is continuous improvement. It applies regardless of you/your organization’s mission.
Click on a course below to be directed to the training registration. Please note:
All trainings are FREE for Spartanburg County residents, educators, and community organizations!
Out-of-County registrants should contact Vivian Ann Shaver.
Certificates of Completion provided.
Educator re-certification contact hours have been pre-approved for educators in Spartanburg Districts 1-7.
ONline: CI 101 for Leaders
For educators, nonprofit, civic and community leaders working to build impact.
Nonprofit leaders share how CI works in their organizations, highlighting specific projects.
Continuous Improvement 101 for Leadership supports those working in nonprofit, civic agency and educational settings gain an understanding of the basic principles of continuous improvement science and how they integrate into mission-centered environments and programs. Priority is given to the staff of local nonprofits, schools, community members, agencies, and groups with programs seeking to provide support for positive outcomes for children and families.
Time Commitment: 1 full day, 8AM - 4PM for in-person training.
Online, self-paced format available.
Currently offered in on-line format only.
Designed for educators, this course provides training in how to embed continuous improvement practices and processes into the classroom dynamic. Teachers receive training that ultimately results in PDSA (Plan,Do, Study Act) classroom cycles.
Provides 7 recertification contact hours. This course is provided in a virtual, self-paced environment.
Online, self-paced format.
Online: CI Refresher for Educators
Pre-requisite: CI 101 for educators. This course provides a refresher to SAM's CI 101 for Educators and expands on the first eight steps of a Continuous Improvement classroom by helping students set individual goals and monitor progress as well as by providing educators an overview of high-yield, research-based strategies to incorporate in their PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) cycles of improvement. It also provides some guidance on using CI strategies for remote learning. Provides 6 recertification contact hours. This course is provided in a virtual, self-paced environment.
Available as an online course only.
To schedule an on-site group refresher course, contact Vivian Ann Shaver.
CI 102: tools
Spartanburg Community College, Ledbetter Building Room 254
(Prerequisite: CI 101 for Educators or CI 101 for Leaders- in-person or online) Delve deeper into data analysis, visualization, and decision-making tools. This course is appropriate for both teachers and staff of local nonprofit, community, and government agencies. Provides 7 recertification contact hours for educators.
Time Commitment: 1 full day, AM - 4PM, for in-person training. Online, self-paced format available.
Statistics For Educators
Spartanburg Community College, Ledbetter Building, Room 254
Have you ever seen two people look at the same set of numbers and draw drastically different conclusions? Which person is right? Mark Twain said “Figures don't lie but liars do figure”. In Stats for Educators participants will learn the right questions to ask and how to interpret data. You will learn to create basic charts and graphs and how to interpret them. Hypothesis testing is a method for deciding if conclusions made about data are reliable. Types of hypothesis testing covered includes regression analysis, student t-tests, and ANOVA (Analysis of Variance).
Participants are asked to bring their laptops/chromebooks.
Time Commitment: 1 Full Day, 8 AM - 4 PM, In-person only
LeaN For Educators
Spartanburg Community College, Ledbetter Building, Room 254
W are constantly being asked to do more with less. How can we accomplish this without sacrificing good outcomes? Lean is the set of Continuous Improvement (CI) tools and methods that helps us be more efficient. Participants in Lean for Educators will learn basic Lean tools such as 5S for creating a high performance workplace, Value Stream Mapping for delivering value for stakeholders, Kaizen (Japanese for “good change”), and waste elimination. The class includes an interactive simulation designed to illustrate the power that small changes can have on process improvement and satisfying stakeholders.
Participants are asked to bring their laptops/chromebooks.
Time Commitment: 1 Full Day, 8 AM - 4 PM, In-person only
Continuous Improvement (CI) Leadership Training is designed to support leaders interested in developing and strengthening leadership capabilities critical for outcomes-focused work supported by evidence-based decision making. The course includes focused classroom training and one-on-one coaching and support to provide an in-depth understanding of the Science of Improvement. Participants applying change management, equity, and adaptive leadership principles to a work-specific project. For those interested in the use of CI processes as a part of school, organization, or agency-wide practice, this leadership training provides a project-based foundation. Attendees for this training should be leaders in their own organization with the authority and capacity to lead others in adopting the CI operation model.
Time Commitment: 5 full-day sessions over the course of four months
If you would like to be a part of an upcoming session, please sign up for notifications.
Kaizen Workshops
Kaizen is a Japanese word that means “change for the better.” A kaizen workshop is an event that brings stakeholders together to focus on improving a process, relieving an organizational “pain point” or problem. These can also be effective in launching new projects to build stakeholder commitment. Depending on the desired outcome, kaizen events can be from a half day to five days long. Longer workshops can be broken-up into single day or half day modules to accommodate participant schedules. A neutral facilitator leads the team through the problem solving process.
Buy-in for change is achieved by involving all key stakeholders in discussions and on decisions. An expert facilitator, skilled in matching Continuous Improvement (CI) tools and methods to desired outcomes, leads these highly collaborative events.
A typical workshop will map the current process, brainstorm improvements with the team, create a future state process map, and create an action plan for implementation. Initial event planning is guided by the intention to select high benefit, low effort improvement actions that involve limited risk and investment. An event goal is to implement as many of the improvement actions as possible during the workshop.
Kaizen workshops are tailored to the needs and impact goals of each organization and are applicable to educational and non-educational organizations. To begin planning your event, please provide additional information by requesting a workshop.
Time Commitment: varies by need
CI Green Belt Training
Continuous Improvement (CI) has roots in tools and methods such as Lean Six Sigma. Different color “belts”, like Green Belt and Black Belt, are awarded as participants become more advanced. Green Belt training is a total of ten days. Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification is awarded to participants who successfully pass the exam and complete a project within six months of the completion of the training.
The Green Belt body of knowledge includes Lean concepts for reducing waste, statistical analysis and other Six Sigma methods for improving outcomes, and basic project management tools to drive the achievement of results. Lean concepts include value stream mapping, identification and reduction of waste, rapid set-up, quick improvements, and mistake proofing. Six Sigma methods include FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis), regression analysis, hypothesis testing, student t-tests, control charts, and process capability analysis. Project management tools include stakeholder analysis, voice of the customer analysis, data collection planning, team facilitation best practices, and managing gateway reviews. Participants will learn to lead project teams through the DMAIC problem solving process – Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. They will be able to identify opportunities for improvement, engage key stakeholders and team members, and lead projects to solve problems and improve processes that achieve impactful results.
Time Commitment: 5 two day sessions over the course of six months. Participants are expected to identify a certification project to be completed commensurate with the training.
Supplemental Coaching
Coaching sessions are available to support course completers as they continue their project based implementation of CI strategies. These sessions can be scheduled on an individual basis or for team project sessions.
Time commitment varies by need
the Cradle To Career (C2C) Equity Experience
Note: This is an in-person event and cannot be provided virtually. Due to COVID-19 safety protocols, opportunities are extremely limited.
Become an ambassador for the Spartanburg Academic Movement, the effort to improve academic achievement across Spartanburg County. After participating in the C2C Experience, participants are prepared to develop their next-step plans for serving as ambassadors of the Movement, and becoming more deeply engaged in the work
Suitable for community, educator, civic, church, student and neighborhood groups, board meetings, and philanthropy boards, the C2C Experience personally connects participants to equity issues lying at the heart of Spartanburg County education. Participants learn about factors impacting success along the C2C continuum, opportunities for community engagement, and impact of strategic resource alignment. Time commitment: 2 hours
For those wishing to participate without reserving a group event, or perhaps wishing to participate before booking for your group, consider participating as an individual in one of our public events.
*Requires a group of 15 or more
To request a group presentation, email Savannah Ray.