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Schools That Change
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Schools That Change
Evidence-Based Improvement and Effective Change Leadership

Edited by:
  • Lew Smith - National Principals Leadership Institute, Fordham University, USA

Foreword by Michael Fullan



December 2007 | 320 pages | Corwin

"Schools That Change integrates equal parts passion and intellect. A well-crafted contribution to the literature on successful reform and a sophisticated and nuanced book that should be read with care."
—From the Foreword by Michael Fullan

"Schools have shown themselves to be gifted and talented at resisting and subverting change. Lew Smith hands us the keys to the storehouse of insights about how schools can change—really change."
—Roland Barth, Founder, The Principals' Center, Harvard University
Author, Lessons Learned

Learn from schools that have made meaningful, positive, and lasting changes!

With an in-depth look at eight schools across the nation—winners of the National School Change Awards—this illuminating resource shows how schools can transform themselves from low-performing into exemplary national status.

Qualitative research, specific examples, and portraiture offer an inside view of the day-to-day dynamics of change in schools. This insightful book examines questions such as:

  • Why are some schools able to change while other schools cannot?
  • Why are people challenged by change?
  • What is the best way to measure change?
  • What professional characteristics must principals develop to bring about significant and sustainable change?

Learn how your school can realize substantive change that supports a culture of learning, teacher development, and enhanced student achievement.


 
List of Figures
 
Foreword by Michael Fullan
 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
Introduction
Part I. The Dynamics of Change

 
 
1. Describing Change
 
2. Measuring Change
 
3. Examining Change
 
Part II. The Elementary Schools
 
4. "We're Closing This School": Government Hill Elementary: Anchorage, Alaska
 
5. "This School Must Be a Sanctuary": John Williams School No. 5: Rochester, New York
 
6. "California Dreaming": Skycrest Elementary: Citrus Heights, California
 
7. "We Succeed. No Exceptions. No Excuses": South Heights Elementary: Henderson, Kentucky
 
Part III. The Secondary Schools
 
8. "If the System Doesn't Work, Go Around It": Gustav Fritsche Middle School: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
 
9. "Desegregation or Else": George Washington Carver Academy: Waco, Texas
 
10. "Surrender Was Not an Option": Louis W. Fox Academic and Technical High School: San Antonio, Texas
 
11. "Why Are We Here?": Niles High School: Niles, Michigan
 
Part IV. Bringing About Significant School Change: The Essential Elements
 
12. The Essential Elements: Context
 
13. The Essential Elements: Capacity
 
14. The Essential Elements: Conversations
 
Part V. Bringing About Significant School Change: The Catalytic Variables
 
15. The Catalytic Variables: Internal Dissonance
 
16. The Catalytic Variables: External Forces
 
17. The Catalytic Variables: Leadership
 
Part VI. Creating Meaning
 
18. The Lessons We Can Learn
 
References and Suggested Readings
 
Credits
 
Index

“Provides an in-depth investigation of schools in different regions of the country that have made dramatic improvement in student achievement. The opportunity to share and learn from these promising practices offers practitioners a valuable repertoire for implementation.”

Gerald N. Tirozzi, Executive Director
National Association of Secondary School Principals

“Schools have shown themselves to be gifted and talented at resisting and subverting change. Lew Smith hands to us the keys to the storehouse of insights about how schools changed…really changed.”

Roland Barth, Founder, The Principals' Center, Harvard University
Author, Lessons Learned

“Lew Smith has written about how eight schools have changed from schools of mediocrity to schools of excellence. He presents practical suggestions on how to accomplish the same results through the essential elements of context, capacity, and conversation. The book has a scholarly foundation, but has a practical focus reflecting the author’s own experiences as a successful high school principal.”

Frank J. Macchiarola, President, St. Francis College
Former Chancellor, New York City Public Schools

"Makes powerful connections that bridge research, policy, and practice, enabling those in the field to make decisions to effect systemic improvement of teaching and learning in America’s schools. It is refreshing to have a timely book that not only makes the case for change and improvement, but also provides evidence on how to do it effectively."

Thomas W. Payzant, Professor of Practice
Harvard University

"Schools do change. Some schools, however, take the initiative and look for a better way to serve their constituencies. Lew Smith has given us a revealing and important glimpse of some of these remarkable schools."

Ted Sizer, Chairman Emeritus
Coalition of Essential Schools

“Smith’s book offers educators a variety of inspiring examples of schools that beat the odds and improved teaching and learning. Smith thinks like a designer rather than a problem solver. Problem solvers concentrate on eliminating things—problems—while designers focus on creating things—in this case, exciting new learning environments. For my money, the hopes of our neediest young people are better vested in the dynamics of designers than the predicaments of problem solvers.”

Daniel L. Duke, Professor and Research Director, Partnership for Leaders in Education
Author, The Challenges of Educational Change

"Lew Smith makes it clear that schools in the most desperate of situations have been able to find hope and success through change initiated by courageous leaders using strategies based on commitment to improve the status quo, caring, and trust. I hope others will avail themselves of opportunities to gain inspiration from the change stories told in this book."

Grayson Noley, Chair of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
University of Oklahoma

"School principals and aspiring school administrators looking for real-world school change will find this book among their most trusted resources. This book reveals the challenges of successful school change and provides a recipe for how to become an intelligent leader for complex decision making."

Benjamin O. Canada, Associate Executive Director
Texas Association of School Boards

"Schools That Change integrates equal parts passion and intellect. A well-crafted contribution to the literature on successful reform—a sophisticated and nuanced book that should be read with care."

From the Foreword by Michael Fullan

"Lew Smith's patient attention to developing a framework that captures the dimensions of successful school improvement has paid off handsomely. Both researchers and school administrators will gain insight into the theory and art of change leadership. More importantly, readers will come away with many ideas about how to create the conditions that Smith identifies as critical to substantive change for teachers, students, and families."

Karen Seashore Louis, Rodney S. Wallace Professor
University of Minnesota
Key features
  • In-depth look at what works in eight award-winning rural, suburban, and urban schools
  • Focus on the leadership characteristics essential to effecting significant school change

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ISBN: 9781452280738

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