Changing Schools from the Inside Out: Small Wins in Hard Times

By Robert Larson

Book Overview

At any time, public schools labor under great economic, political, and social pressures that make it difficult to create large-scale, 'whole school' change. But current top-down mandates require that schools close achievement gaps while teaching more problem solving, inquiry, and research skills_with fewer resources. Failure to meet test-based standards can produce consequences such as school closure or staff replacement. With this real-world challenge to education foremost, this book presents pertinent research and instructive case studies of two 'good' high schools. It advocates a proven strategy of small-scale, incremental change_small wins_which increases the likelihood that schools will improve despite a climate of 'do more with less.' Chapters describe the current societal context; the history of major change projects since the 1970s; the organizational and social characteristics of schools and classrooms; human factors that encourage and support improvement; the effects of technology; forces affecting teachers and principals; commonplace components of and vehicles for change; and practical 'levers and footings' for change that can have a high positive payoff.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1607095289
• ISBN13: 9781607095286
• Release Date: June 2011
• Publisher: R & L Education
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 8.9"