Changing Minds, Changing Schools

When we talk about "schools" and "change," we intuitively recognize that not all change makes a difference, and that not every change is for the better. Each day, we invest incredible energy in efforts to "change" schools that make absolutely no difference in their ability to educate young people well. When we refer to schools, we do not simply mean change --- we mean improvement. Change in this context specifically addresses mistakes that must be corrected, gaps that should be closed, and new futures that must be addressed. For these kinds of changes, we must turn our full attention to making differences that cure traditional ills and that respond to genuinely new conditions. Families and communities, teachers and administrators and activists and policy-makers need a formula that allows us to manage the seemingly "naturally occurring" changes (the impact of technology and entertainment, changing family patterns, downturns in the economy) as well as evaluating the outcomes of planned, sought after improvements (new approaches to teaching and assessment, new funding strategies, new leadership) while simultaneously managing our inner reactions to all of those. Those who are serious about making a difference must cultivate a threefold territory: 1) identifying shifts in our own psyches and value sets, 2) grasping the profound changes in the external environment of schools, families, communities and nations, and 3) understanding effects of the processes we employ to improve. The ten essays in this collection examine ways in which these kinds of changes are related, necessary and possible. They forge a specific link between the internal shifts in our thinking and feeling about education and those systemic and organizational changes that will improve teaching and learning for all students.