Social Network Theory and Educational Change offers a provocative and fascinating exploration of how social networks in schools can impede or facilitate the work of education reform.Drawing on the work of leading scholars, the book comprises a series of studies examining networks among teachers and school leaders, contrasting formal and informal organizational structures, and exploring the mechanisms by which ideas, information, and influence flow from per...

Highlighting leadership from a social and relational perspective, this book has a particular emphasis on the innovative role that social networks play in systems change. The social systems engaged in this volume cut across a wide array of stakeholder groups, ranging from student learners, pre-service/in-service teachers, administrators, community leaders, and out to organizations and communities that reflect well beyond the education sector, showcasing diverse perspectives from multiple ar...

In educational policy, research and practice circles, there has been much attention in recent times to the power and potential of social networks for supporting educational improvement. Improving the Relational Space of Curriculum Realisation foregrounds the potential of the relational space, and its improvement, in the context of curriculum realisation in particular.Curriculum reform is a key lever in systems’ efforts to meet ambitious goals for student achievement, progr...

This one-of-a-kind collection of chapters takes the reader on a tour to explore innovative practices from classrooms, schools, districts, communities, and faraway places in the world. Each of the chapters-organized under six headings-tells an authentic, compelling story of a pioneering and successful initiative that breaks the traditional mold of instructional delivery and time-honored school organization. Breaking the Mold of School Instruction and Organization guides readers thr...

As the generating force of its plot, Twelfth Night uses a device which has since become a staple in comedy: gender confusion. Viola and her twin brother Sebastian, are shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria, a country ruled by the melancholy Duke Orsino. The twins are separated and Viola is led to believe that her brother has perished. She disguises herself as a male under the name of Cesario and makes her way to the ducal court, where Orsino employs her as a messenger, to communicat...

This volume argues that districts are important as a lever for change given the limited success of school-by-school efforts. Policies that focus on skill development, recognize and support performance, create opportunities for collaboration, build leader capacity, and create networks of knowledge sharing hold great potential for improving districts but it will require a paradigm shift in the way we view our public school system and those who work within it - away from blame and toward comp...

Leading Holistically explores systems thinking in educational leadership—a comprehensive framework that enables leaders to improve their practice by taking a holistic perspective, instead of relying on a one-size-fits-all solution to discrete aspects of their organization. Aiming to expand the existing literature on systems thinking in educational leadership and policy, renowned educational leadership scholars come together in this valuable book to examine systems thinking at the school, d...

Calls to improve undergraduate STEM education have resulted in initiatives that seek to bolster student learning outcomes by promoting changes in teaching practices. Written by participants in a series of ground-breaking social network analysis (SNA) workshops, Researching and Enacting Change in Postsecondary Education argues that the academic department is a highly productive focus for the spread of new, network-based teaching ideas. By clarifying methodological issues related to...

Clay Christensen's groundbreaking bestselling work in education now updated and expanded, including a new chapter on Christensen's seminal "Jobs to Be Done" theory applied to education."Provocatively titled, Disrupting Class is just what America's K-12 education system needs--a well thought-through proposal for using technology to better serve students and bring our schools into the 21st Century. Unlike so many education 'reforms,' this is not small-bore stuff. For t...

"A rich, much-needed remedy for the standardized institutions that comprise too much of our school system today… ideal for teachers and parents intent on resurrecting and fostering students' inherent drive to learn…An essential resource."-Daniel H. Pink, author of DRIVE and A WHOLE NEW MIND“Schools that Learn is a magnificent, grand book that pays equal attention to the small and the big picture - and what's more integrates them. There is no book on educatio...

Take your professional learning community to the next level! Discover a systemwide approach for re-envisioning your PLC while sustaining growth and continuing momentum on your journey. You’ll move beyond isolated pockets of excellence while allowing every person in your school system—from teachers and administrators to students—the opportunity to be an instrument of lasting cultural change.

"What year are you preparing your students for? 1973? 1995? Can you honestly say that your school's curriculum and the program you use are preparing your students for 2015 or 2020? Are you even preparing them for today?"With those provocative questions, author and educator Heidi Hayes Jacobs launches a powerful case for overhauling, updating, and injecting life into the K-12 curriculum. Sharing her expertise as a world-renowned curriculum designer and calling upon the collective wi...