Prelims

Half Title Page

ACCELERATING CHANGE IN SCHOOLS: LEADING RAPID, SUCCESSFUL, AND COMPLEX CHANGE INITIATIVES

Series Page

ADVANCES IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION

Series Editor: Anthony “Tony” H. Normore

Recent Volumes:

Title Page

ADVANCES IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION VOLUME 27

ACCELERATING CHANGE IN SCHOOLS: LEADING RAPID, SUCCESSFUL, AND COMPLEX CHANGE INITIATIVES

BY

LINDA DUDAR

St. Mary’s University, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

SHELLEYANN SCOTT

Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

DONALD E. SCOTT

Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2017

Copyright © 2017 Emerald Publishing Limited

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-78635-502-7 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-78635-501-0 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-78714-308-1 (Epub)

ISSN: 1479-3660 (Series)

List of Figures

List of Tables

List of Cases

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the leaders, teachers, students, parents, and other stakeholder group members we interviewed in Dudar’s study, the Alberta Student Assessment Study, and the International Study of the Preparation of Principals. Without your willingness to tell your stories this book would not have been possible. It was a remarkable experience to meet such amazing people.

We would like to thank Ms. Gaylene Weasel Child for her insightful contribution to this book. Thank you for your wisdom and desire to make a difference to your students.

We would like to thank Ms. Cindy Provost for your valuable feedback on aspects of this book. We welcomed your authentic and interesting views.

We would like to thank our dear colleague Dr. Jacqueline Ottmann for her invaluable insight and feedback in reviewing our First Nations case. You are an incredible friend and great supporter of Indigenous perspectives.

And last but by no means least, we would like to thank our families – Randy, Paul, Jennifer, Mark, Anthony, and Christopher – for your patience, feedback, and tireless support throughout this project. We love you all!

Foreword

One of most significant challenges facing educational leaders today is the ever-increasing demand for rapid organizational change in the face of a constantly evolving environment. These demands challenge the ingenuity and creativity of school leaders while also creating great stress for teachers, students, parents, and other key stakeholders. Educational leaders are increasingly searching for resources that not only help understand the complex currents they are facing but also provide practical and effective responses.

Accelerating Change in Schools tackles this important topic through the perspective of three interrelated research projects: The principal author’s doctoral dissertation research focusing on rapid change in Alberta schools, the Alberta Student Assessment Study, and the International Study of Principal Preparation. The primary thesis of this book is that, contrary to what the past educational literature has claimed, it is possible to implement rapid changes in schools in a manner that both gains significant buy-in from stakeholders and can be sustainable over time.

Writing about dynamics of educational change in a way that addresses the interests and needs of both education scholars and frontline school administrators is a challenging task. Theoretically sophisticated scholarly studies often lack sufficient practical usefulness or are too ahistorical in orientation. In turn, books designed to provide school leaders with practical advice may not be grounded in a sound theoretical foundation. In approaching the topic of rapid change in schools, Accelerating Change in Schools offers a timely and unique blend of theoretical reflection, historical analysis, and practical strategies. The first part of the book examines the complex factors driving the demand for rapid change in schools, various theories of the change, and the role of numerous stakeholders and participants in the change. This provides the foundation for a detailed presentation of a theoretical model for rapid change based on the ground-breaking research of Dr. Linda Dudar.

The second half of the book builds on Dr. Dudar’s model in order to draw out pragmatic strategies that can be used by school administrators to promote rapid, but effective, school change. This advice is rooted in a series of case studies developed by Linda Dudar, Shelleyann Scott, and Donald E. Scott involving a variety of types and sizes of schools, facing differing challenges. These cases provide the basis for linking very practical ideas and strategies to the larger context of the rapid change model being proposed. The final chapter of the book is the most practically focused, speaking directly to school principals and other educational leaders, providing them with detailed checklists for further action and self-reflection on the change process.

Accelerating Change in Schools is one of those rare books that tackles a complex topic from a solid theoretical and historical foundation while providing very practical advice and strategies for those working on the “frontlines” of organizational change.

Readers interested more in the theoretical discussion of rapid change will find a wealth of material and sources as well as a good review of the literature. For those interested in the very real challenges faced by school administrators, the book is a rich resource of practical advice and suggestions. Finally, those who feel daunted by the challenges that rapid change poses will find a positive vision of hope that will encourage them in their work. Accelerating Change in Schools is likely to remain the “go to” resource on the topic of rapid school change for many years to come.

Mark Charlton

Retired Vice President,

Academic, Calgary, Alberta, Canada