Schools That Change

Evidence-Based Improvement and Effective Change Leadership

“Provides an in-depth investigation of schools in different regions of the country that have made dramatic improvement in student achievement. The opportunity to share and learn from these promising practices offers practitioners a valuable repertoire for implementation.”

“Schools have shown themselves to be gifted and talented at resisting and subverting change. Lew Smith hands to us the keys to the storehouse of insights about how schools changed…really changed.”

“Lew Smith has written about how eight schools have changed from schools of mediocrity to schools of excellence. He presents practical suggestions on how to accomplish the same results through the essential elements of context, capacity, and conversation. The book has a scholarly foundation, but has a practical focus reflecting the author’s own experiences as a successful high school principal.”

"Makes powerful connections that bridge research, policy, and practice, enabling those in the field to make decisions to effect systemic improvement of teaching and learning in America’s schools. It is refreshing to have a timely book that not only makes the case for change and improvement, but also provides evidence on how to do it effectively."

"Schools do change. Some schools, however, take the initiative and look for a better way to serve their constituencies. Lew Smith has given us a revealing and important glimpse of some of these remarkable schools."

“Smith’s book offers educators a variety of inspiring examples of schools that beat the odds and improved teaching and learning. Smith thinks like a designer rather than a problem solver. Problem solvers concentrate on eliminating things—problems—while designers focus on creating things—in this case, exciting new learning environments. For my money, the hopes of our neediest young people are better vested in the dynamics of designers than the predicaments of problem solvers.”

"Lew Smith makes it clear that schools in the most desperate of situations have been able to find hope and success through change initiated by courageous leaders using strategies based on commitment to improve the status quo, caring, and trust. I hope others will avail themselves of opportunities to gain inspiration from the change stories told in this book."

"School principals and aspiring school administrators looking for real-world school change will find this book among their most trusted resources. This book reveals the challenges of successful school change and provides a recipe for how to become an intelligent leader for complex decision making."

"Schools That Change integrates equal parts passion and intellect. A well-crafted contribution to the literature on successful reform—a sophisticated and nuanced book that should be read with care."

"Lew Smith's patient attention to developing a framework that captures the dimensions of successful school improvement has paid off handsomely. Both researchers and school administrators will gain insight into the theory and art of change leadership. More importantly, readers will come away with many ideas about how to create the conditions that Smith identifies as critical to substantive change for teachers, students, and families."