An UnCommon Theory of School Change: Leadership for Reinventing Schools

by Kevin Fahey, Angela Breidenstein, Jacy Ippolito, Frances Hensley, Joseph P. McDonald

Overview

This book is for educators who believe that schools need to be improved and are hopeful that real change can be achieved. The authors argue that if educators want to create more equitable, socially just, and learner-focused schools, then they need a more robust, transformational theory of school change—an UnCommon Theory. After describing the limits of current school improvement initiatives, the authors explain what is needed to actually engage in deeper school reinvention work. They take a deep dive into the most difficult work that school leaders do: questioning, rethinking, and reinventing the fundamental assumptions upon which our schools are built. The result is a practical book that provides readers with the knowledge and tools needed to do more than just tinker at the edges of school improvement.

Book Features:

• Provides a unique conceptual framework (the Deep Dive) that helps educators understand what it takes to challenge the pervasive standards-based school reform model.
• Advocates for an approach to school reform that brings together adult developmental theory, transformational learning theory, and social change theory.
• Shares the stories of activist leaders and the strategies, tools, and approaches they have used successfully in a variety of settings.
• Includes diagrams and graphics that enhance understanding and make concepts memorable.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807761243
Publisher:	Teachers College Press
Publication date:	04/19/2019
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	1,137,857
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Kevin Fahey, professor emeritus at Salem State University, works with school leaders to use critical friendship, facilitative leadership, and equitable practice to lead student, adult, and organizational learning. Angela Breidenstein is a professor of education at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Jacy Ippolito is an associate professor and department chair at Salem State University, where he coordinates programs in educational leadership. Frances Hensley was a founding member and director of the School Reform Initiative.

Table of Contents

Foreword Joseph P. McDonald vii

Preface ix

Acknowledgements xi

1 Navigating the Waters of School Change 1

The 21st-century Context for Schools 2

What is the Common Theory for Improving Schools? 4

What This Book Is About: An UnCommon Theory of School Change 11

2 The Deep Dive: An UnCommon Theory 14

Where the Common Theory Ends and the UnCommon Theory Begins 14

Challenging the Common Theory and "Solutionitis" 15

The UnCommon Theory: Exploring the Deep Dive in Schools 15

Theory and Practice: The Deep Dive in Context 22

Deep Dives Over Time 23

3 Observing: The First Phase of the Deep Dive 27

Observing at Prospect Hill Academy 27

Observing at Mathis High School for International Studies 28

Observing Culture, Building Capacity, and Managing Anxiety 30

Culture, Capacity, and Anxiety: It All Works Together 41

4 Observing: In Practice 42

Tools for Observing and Uncovering 43

Protocols in Action: A Trajectory of Risk 46

Supporting Observing with Protocols 53

Preparing for the Turn: The Second Phase of the Deep Dive 55

5 Turning: The Second Phase of the Deep Dive 56

The Turn at Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School 57

The Turn at North Reading Middle School 58

School Culture 59

What to Expect in the Turn 62

Why Is This So Hard? 66

6 Turning: In Practice 67

Shaping Culture 68

Developing External Capacity 72

Managing Anxiety 75

A Final Word About Turning 80

7 Enacting: The Third Phase of the Deep Dive 82

Enacting the Future at Attucks Middle School 83

Enacting the Future at Barrow Elementary School 84

Enacting and Realizing the Dimensions of Culture, Capacity, and Anxiety 85

Utilizing Strategies for Enacting the Future 86

Enacting a Better Future 92

8 Enacting: In Practice-Co-Enacting 93

Co-Enacting a Better Future at Barrow Elementary School 93

Co-Enacting a Better Future at Attucks Middle School 96

Co-Enacting an Aspirational Future 97

The Good News About This Hard Work: Creating Enduring Capacity 104

9 A Book for Activists 105

Beyond Turning Up The Heat 106

Contradictory Advice on Navigating the Deep Dive 107

Reminders About Contradictory Advice and Refraining 115

What Was It All About? 116

References 119

Index 123

About the Authors and the Educators Profiled 129

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This book will serve as a trusty coaching guide. The writing is clear and powerful. The testimony of the courageous and inventive school practitioners the authors studied is rich and exceedingly useful. “
―From the Foreword by Joseph P. McDonald, New York University

“This book is wonderful, well written, thoughtful, and practical, with vivid case studies of school leaders who have changed the culture of their schools to become uncommon places of inspiration for all. Those educators contemplating or already on the journey of re-imagining their schools will find comfort and guidance to forge ahead.”
― Carl Glickman, The University of Georgia

“School reform is complex, and as a result, most schools closely resemble their predecessors from decades ago. However, fundamental change in schools is possible, and the deep-dive process proposed in this book will equip readers with the tools necessary to create powerful transformations. An UnCommon Theory of School Change can help each of us become the advocates for change that result in a better future for every student in every school.”
―Douglas Fisher, San Diego State University

"In An UnCommon Theory of School Change, the authors have captured beautifully what real school change looks like: messy, muddy, deep work that is often challenging to name and hard to implement. There are no quick fixes, and tweaking around the edges does not create lasting change. With thoughtful stories of real people, combined with specific tools and processes, this book will support educators to think differently about what it means to not only improve schools, but also to move toward sustainable change that has the capacity to truly support the learning of each and every student."
—Kari Thierer, former executive director, School Reform Initiative

Editorial Reviews

…provides the reader with an alternative to the well-practiced Common Theory of school reform…The stories shared in each chapter provide the reader with real-life examples of how the three components of the deep dive can be used to reinvent schools. Moreover, the book offers an approach to change that can make a difference in the way our students are educated."

—Teachers College Record

“Articulates clear behaviors to show leaders how and when they might work differently as they manage their most tangled dilemmas in the schools.”

—School Administrator

From the Publisher