Change Forces: Probing the Depths of Educational Reform (History of Civilization) [Paperback]

Michael Fullan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1850008264 | ISBN-13: 978-1850008262 | Publication Date: May 3, 1993 | Edition: 1

Knowledge of the processes of educational change is said to be the missing ingredient in attempts to bring about educational innovation and reform. Whether these efforts involve grass roots innovation or large-scale societal reform, failure to understand and act on existing knowledge of the change process has accounted for the widespread lack of success in making educational improvements. This volume analyzes what is known about successful or productive change processes, and identifies corresponding action strategies at the individual, school, local and state levels. Included in this book is a major treatment of the topic of the 'ethics of planned change', a neglected topic in recent literature, especially since strategies for intervening in the change process are receiving more attention. This book is intended to be used by teachers in training and in service, teacher trainers, educational researchers, education historians and administrators.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book is excellent. It says all the things I want teachers to hear and act upon about managing their own learning, about balancing life and work, and about how schools need to invest in teacher learning and look at how they become learning organizations.
–Management Learning

A provacative and stimulating book. I defy any reader not to be engaged. This is a challenging and optimistic book. Its readiblity will make it acceptable to a wide range of audiences.
–Educational Management

Fullan signals that this book will seriously address divisive political and normative issues, eschewing the neutral approach to change that has plagued many otherwise excellent analyses of school reform the past decades. Changes Forces: The Sequel takes on a herculean task:moving beyond a neutral analysis of educational change while using business literature that offers little or no normative or political insight...Nobody is more knowledgeable about school change than Michael Fullan. Through his writing for practitioners and scholars, he has done a tremendous amount to build a wide understanding the technical and cultural dimensions of educational reform. Change Forces: The Sequel, contributes to that legacy by adding contextual and theoretical flesh....
–Journal of Education for students placed at risk moving

This book is excellent. It says all the things I want teachers to hear and act upon about managing their own learning, about balancing life and work, and about how schools need to invest in teacher learning and look how they become learning organizations.
–Management Learning

Product Details

• Paperback: 162 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (May 3, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1850008264
• ISBN-13: 978-1850008262
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #407,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Fullan is professor emeritus at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. Recognized as an international authority on organizational change, he is engaged in training, consulting, and evaluating change projects around the world. He is the author of The Six Secrets of Change and the bestselling books Leading in a Culture of Change and Turnaround Leadership, all from Jossey-Bass.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Change Forces: Probing the Depths of Educational Reform, July 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Change Forces: Probing the Depths of Educational Reform (History of Civilization) (Paperback)

This book came across my desk at just the right time for a teacher, at the end of the school year and when I had the summer to read and absorb. I found it to be an afirming presentation of the process of educational reform, in that it described the process of change as non-linear that cannot be preplanned. Fullan feels that if by the time a carefully preplanned initiative has begun, the circumstances that influence the change have been altered and are no longer what needs to be considered. Rather change is the evolution of ideas and is in constant flux. Responding to these influences is the process of change. A strong school/school district is able to respond as it evolves and sees this process as the challenge rather than a disturbance.

Fullan delineates the characteristics of a school staff that is able to respond to this environment. He talks about the need for collaboration but also supports the need for a strong sense of individuality for any working staff to work effectively and change.

"Change Forces" offered me a comfortable model for school change, as well as a functional idea of how to work together as a school organization.