Change Forces: Probing the Depths of Educational ReformDebunking popular reform efforts, this book argues that education reformers are fighting a fruitless uphill battle. Neither top-down regulation nor locally based reforms will transform schooling. The insurmountable problem is juxtaposing a continuous change theme with a continuous, conservative system that defies change. In partnership with all community agencies, educators must initiate the creation of learning societies as part of a larger social agenda. Following an introductory chapter, chapter 2 discusses the essential partnership of moral purpose with change agentry. Chapter 3 treats the complexity of the change process, identifying eight basic lessons of a new change paradigm: (1) you can't mandate or force change; (2) change is a journey, not a blueprint; (3) problems are our friends; (4) vision and strategic planning come later; (5) individualism and collectivism must have equal power; (6) neither centralization nor decentralization works by itself; (7) connections with the wider environment is critical for success; and (8) every person is a change agent. Chapters 4 and 5 discuss the school as a learning organization and the two-way relationship between a learning organization and its environment. Chapter 6 argues that continuous teacher education is essential to produce moral change agents. The final chapter treats the productive individual's role in shaping and checking schooling and other social institutions. Contains 168 references and a subject index. (MLH) |
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action agents alliances American Educational Research become better capacity change agentry change forces change process chapter classroom collaborative colleagues commitment concept continuous learning culture difference dynamic complexity educational change Educational Research Association effective efforts environment essential experience external Faculty of Education focus forces of change Fullan and Hargreaves goals Goodlad groupthink ibid ideas implementation improvement individual initiative innovations inquiry institutions involved Joe Clark knowledge leaders leadership learning organizations learning society Lesson Local School Councils mandate mastery ment mentoring moral purpose National Curriculum Nias organizational organizational learning outer learning paper presented partnerships Pascale post-modern practice principals problems productive programs purpose and change relationships restructuring role San Francisco Sarason Senge shared visions skills social solutions Stacey staff development strategic planning strategies successful systems thinking teacher education teacher preparation teaching and learning tion universities University of Toronto