UnCommon Theory of School Change

Kevin Fahey, professor emeritus at Salem State University, works with school leaders to use critical friendship, facilitative leadership, and equitable practice to lead student, adult, and organizational learning. Angela Breidenstein is a professor of education at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Jacy Ippolito is an associate professor and department chair at Salem State University, where he coordinates programs in educational leadership. Frances Hensley was a founding member and director of the School Reform Initiative.

“…provides the reader with an alternative to the well-practiced Common Theory of school reform…The stories shared in each chapter provide the reader with real-life examples of how the three components of the deep dive can be used to reinvent schools. Moreover, the book offers an approach to change that can make a difference in the way our students are educated."—Teachers College Record

• ContentsForeword Joseph P. McDonald  viiPreface ixAcknowledgments xi1. Navigating the Waters of School Change 1The 21st-Century Context for Schools 2What is the Common Theory for Improving Schools? 4What This Book Is About: An UnCommon Theory of School Change 112. The Deep Dive: An UnCommon Theory 14Where the Common Theory Ends and the UnCommon Theory Begins 14Challenging the Common Theory and “Solutionitis” 15The UnCommon Theory: Exploring the Deep Dive in Schools 15Theory and Practice: The Deep Dive in Context  22Deep Dives Over Time 233.  Observing: The First Phase of the Deep Dive 27Observing at Prospect Hill Academy 27Observing at Mathis High School for International Studies  28Observing Culture, Building Capacity, and Managing Anxiety  30Culture, Capacity, and Anxiety: It All Works Together 414. Observing: In Practice 42Tools for Observing and Uncovering  43Protocols in Action: A Trajectory of Risk  46Supporting Observing with Protocols 53Preparing for the Turn: The Second Phase of the Deep Dive  555. Turning: The Second Phase of the Deep Dive 56The Turn at Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School 57The Turn at North Reading Middle School 58School Culture  59What to Expect in the Turn  62Why Is This So Hard? 666. Turning: In Practice  67Shaping Culture  68Developing External Capacity 72Managing Anxiety  75A Final Word About Turning  807. Enacting: The Third Phase of the Deep Dive 82Enacting the Future at Attucks Middle School 83Enacting the Future at Barrow Elementary School 84Enacting and Realizing the Dimensions of Culture, Capacity, and Anxiety 85Utilizing Strategies for Enacting the Future  86Enacting a Better Future  928. Enacting: In Practice—Co-Enacting 93Co-Enacting a Better Future at Barrow Elementary School  93Co-Enacting a Better Future at Attucks Middle School  96Co-Enacting an Aspirational Future  97The Good News About This Hard Work: Creating Enduring Capacity 1049. A Book for Activists 105Beyond Turning Up The Heat 106Contradictory Advice on Navigating the Deep Dive  107Reminders About Contradictory Advice and Reframing 115What Was It All About? 116References 119Index  123About the Authors and the Educators Profiled 129