Francis M. Duffy - Böcker

This book answers two basic questions for educational practitioners. The first is how educators may re-design an entire school system to perform at the highest optimum levels. The second — and no less important — is what exactly educational administrators may do not only to manage, but also to reward the performance that sustains those very improvements. This book should be of interest to the K-12 administrator, the teacher and school board member, the consultant, professors teaching topical courses, or any layperson interested in the issue of school improvement.

The history of instructional supervision has been relatively constant. From the days when the first colonists arrived and established schools for their children until today instructional supervision has consistently focused on the critical examination of a teacher’s classroom behavior with the assumption that supervising individual teachers could significantly improve teaching and learning throughout a school system. That assumption has proven to be flawed.The author believes that the focus of instructional supervision needs to shift off of individual teachers to focus on transforming the organization design and functioning of entire school systems. Instead of observing teachers working in their classrooms a re-imagined instructional supervision process would focus on transforming three sets of key system variables: Transform the system’s environmental relationships, transform the system’s core and support work processes, and transform the system’s internal social infrastructure. Supervising Knowledge Work describes the salient features of a re-imagined supervision process called Knowledge Work Supervision that is designed to transform entire school systems.

The history of instructional supervision has been relatively constant. From the days when the first colonists arrived and established schools for their children until today instructional supervision has consistently focused on the critical examination of a teacher’s classroom behavior with the assumption that supervising individual teachers could significantly improve teaching and learning throughout a school system. That assumption has proven to be flawed.The author believes that the focus of instructional supervision needs to shift off of individual teachers to focus on transforming the organization design and functioning of entire school systems. Instead of observing teachers working in their classrooms a re-imagined instructional supervision process would focus on transforming three sets of key system variables: Transform the system’s environmental relationships, transform the system’s core and support work processes, and transform the system’s internal social infrastructure. Supervising Knowledge Work describes the salient features of a re-imagined supervision process called Knowledge Work Supervision that is designed to transform entire school systems.

The interplay of power, political behavior, and ethics has been the subject of many books and articles about business organizations, but little has been published about using power and political skills in ethical ways to lead whole-system change in school districts. This book does. Readers will learn about the context for change in school districts, including a compendious description of a methodology specially designed to create and sustain whole-system change. Seven essays written by noted theorists and practitioners provide valuable insights on how to use power and political skills in ethical ways. This book will be of interest to change leaders, policy makers, and preparation programs for future school district leaders.

The interplay of power, political behavior, and ethics has been the subject of many books and articles about business organizations, but little has been published about using power and political skills in ethical ways to lead whole-system change in school districts. This book does. Readers will learn about the context for change in school districts, including a compendious description of a methodology specially designed to create and sustain whole-system change. Seven essays written by noted theorists and practitioners provide valuable insights on how to use power and political skills in ethical ways. This book will be of interest to change leaders, policy makers, and preparation programs for future school district leaders.

Times of great change in school districts require strategic communication with internal and external stakeholders including the use of school public relations tools and techniques. Strategic Communication During Whole System Change provides theoretical and practical advice and guidance to district-based change leaders and school public relations specialists on how they can support their district's transformation journey by engaging in strategic communication. The book also provides guidance on how to make simultaneous fundamental changes in three key sets (or change paths) of organizational variables that affect a school system's overall performance: Path 1-a district's relationship with stakeholders in the external environment; Path 2- a district's core and supporting work processes; and Path 3- a district's internal social infrastructure. A collection of essays written by school public relations practitioners and other change leaders who share their views is also included.

Times of great change in school districts require strategic communication with internal and external stakeholders including the use of school public relations tools and techniques. Strategic Communication During Whole System Change provides theoretical and practical advice and guidance to district-based change leaders and school public relations specialists on how they can support their district's transformation journey by engaging in strategic communication. The book also provides guidance on how to make simultaneous fundamental changes in three key sets (or change paths) of organizational variables that affect a school system's overall performance: Path 1-a district's relationship with stakeholders in the external environment; Path 2- a district's core and supporting work processes; and Path 3- a district's internal social infrastructure. A collection of essays written by school public relations practitioners and other change leaders who share their views is also included.

Dream! Create! Sustain! is written for courageous, passionate, and visionary change leaders working in school systems throughout the world. It provides those change leaders with essential concepts, principles, strategies, and tactics for how to create and sustain whole-system change in their school systems. The information provided by Duffy is based on years of research on and real-world experience with systemic change, learning organizations, systems thinking, and organization-wide change. This book includes a description of a transformational change methodology and set of tools specifically designed to create and sustain whole-system change.