Contents
Foreword Joseph P. McDonald vii
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
1. Navigating the Waters of School Change 1
The 21st-Century Context for Schools 2
What is the Common Theory for Improving Schools? 4
What This Book Is About:
An UnCommon Theory of School Change 11
2. The Deep Dive: An UnCommon Theory 14
Where the Common Theory Ends
and the UnCommon Theory Begins 14
Challenging the Common Theory and “Solutionitis” 15
The UnCommon Theory: Exploring the Deep Dive in Schools 15
Theory and Practice: The Deep Dive in Context 22
Deep Dives Over Time 23
3. Observing: The First Phase of the Deep Dive 27
Observing at Prospect Hill Academy 27
Observing at Mathis High School for International Studies 28
Observing Culture, Building Capacity, and Managing Anxiety 30
Culture, Capacity, and Anxiety: It All Works Together 41
4. Observing: In Practice 42
Tools for Observing and Uncovering 43
Protocols in Action: A Trajectory of Risk 46
Supporting Observing with Protocols 53
Preparing for the Turn: The Second Phase of the Deep Dive 55
5. Turning: The Second Phase of the Deep Dive 56
The Turn at Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School 57
The Turn at North Reading Middle School 58
School Culture 59
What to Expect in the Turn 62
Why Is This So Hard? 66
6. Turning: In Practice 67
Shaping Culture 68
Developing External Capacity 72
Managing Anxiety 75
A Final Word About Turning 80
7. Enacting: The Third Phase of the Deep Dive 82
Enacting the Future at Attucks Middle School 83
Enacting the Future at Barrow Elementary School 84
Enacting and Realizing the Dimensions of
Culture, Capacity, and Anxiety 85
Utilizing Strategies for Enacting the Future 86
Enacting a Better Future 92
8. Enacting: In Practice—Co-Enacting 93
Co-Enacting a Better Future at Barrow Elementary School 93
Co-Enacting a Better Future at Attucks Middle School 96
Co-Enacting an Aspirational Future 97
The Good News About This Hard Work:
Creating Enduring Capacity 104
9. A Book for Activists 105
Beyond Turning Up The Heat 106
Contradictory Advice on Navigating the Deep Dive 107
Reminders About Contradictory Advice and Reframing 115
What Was It All About? 116
References 119
Index 123
About the Authors and the Educators Profiled 129
