The Human Side of School Change: Reform, Resistance, and the Real-Life Problems of Innovation (Jossey-Bass Education) [Hardcover]

Robert Evans (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0787903183 | ISBN-13: 978-0787903183 | Publication Date: October 28, 1996 | Edition: 1

In this insightful look at school reform, Robert Evans examines the real-life hurdles to implementing innovation and explains how the best-intended efforts can be stalled by educators who too often feel burdened and conflicted by the change process. He provides a new model of leadership along with practical management strategies for building a framework of cooperation between leaders of change and the people they depend upon to implement it.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A unique, superb, and penetrating analysis of the human side of educational change. Evans knows the human realities of change and portrays them vividly in both individual and organizational terms. His discussion of hope and realism in the final chapter is a gem." (Michael Fullan, dean, Faculty of Education, University of Toronto)

"I wish I had had this resource ten years ago. Rob Evans certainly understands what gets in the way of real school change and what the simple, key elements are that can make it happen. No board member, superintAndent, or school principal should make one more decision or host one more meeting without reading this book." (Judy Cunningham, principal, South Lake Middle School, Irvine, California)

"Evans has written a realistic yet hopeful book that sets a new standard for providing the leadership needed to implement school improvements. An engaging and much-needed update of the critical, but often overlooked, human side of change." (Thomas J. Sergiovanni, Lillian Radford Professor of Education and senior fellow, Center for Educational Leadership, Trinity University)

"School leaders will find this book realistic about the difficulties of change, rich in practical advice about school improvement, and useful in showing how to transcAnd the limits of their own experience to practice effective leadership." (Thomas W. Payzant, superintAndent, Boston Public Schools)

From the Inside Flap

In this insightful look at the human side of school reform, Robert Evans examines the difficult hurdles to implementing innovation and explains how the best-intAnded efforts can be stalled by the resistance of educators who too often feel burdened and conflicted by the change process.The Human Side of School Change provides practical advice on problem solving, communication, and staff motivation. It argues for more realistic expectations about the pace of reform and the performance of leaders. And it presents a way of approaching all school improvement—a conceptual framework for understanding change as a process, educators as people, and leadership as a craft. By concentrating on the realities of life in schools and the common personal barriers to change, Evans illuminates the key sources of resistance to school reform. Grounding his work in a thorough understanding of human behavior and organizational functioning, he provides a new model of leadership along with practical management strategies for building a framework of cooperation, not conflict, between the leaders of change and the people they depAnd upon to implement it.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 335 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (October 28, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787903183
• ISBN-13: 978-0787903183
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #835,376 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert Evans, Ed.D., is a clinical and organizational psychologist and director of the Human Relations Service in Wellesley, Massachusetts. A former high school and preschool teacher, he has served as a consultant to hundreds of schools throughout the United States and around the world:offering training and long-term support for teachers, administrators, boards, and parents. He is a contributor to key educational publications, including Education Week, Educational Leadership, and Phi Delta Kappan and the author of the books The Human Side of School Change and Family Matters.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a niity-gritty but research-based primer on change., June 9, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Human Side of School Change: Reform, Resistance, and the Real-Life Problems of Innovation (Jossey-Bass Education) (Hardcover)

This is a very practical yet inspiring book on the management of change in schools. Evans really understands the dynamics of schools and brings the best of the relevant research to guide the reader through the minefield of change management particularly with veteran faculty members.

I am a high school principal in a 3500 student school and wish that I had read the book two years ago (when it came out) because I can now more clearly see what we could have done to introduce and nurture our comprehensive school improvement plan in a less conflictual fashion. Evans does not shy away from the hard choices and tough decisions that must be made when a school commits itself to introducing innovations. Conflict and confusion are normal and to be expected. However, he provides some very good advice on how leaders should respond to encourage more and more teachers to join the improvement program.

This is a highly readable book which I recommend to all school leaders who are interested in authentic school improvement that actually "sticks" and improves student achievement.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent review of change and leadership, May 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Human Side of School Change: Reform, Resistance, and the Real-Life Problems of Innovation (Jossey-Bass Education) (Hardcover)

A staggeringly good book.Easily the best analysis of the change process in education that I've read-and I've 'force-read' a few. Evans' adopts a holistic approach concentrating on why real innovation is so difficult to achieve successfully. However,there is much sage advice and many cogent observations that are enormously thought-provoking. Although ostensibly about change it is also a marvellous examination of leadership,how educational institutions function and how public policy should be implemented.This is an excellent book in every respect.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars group behavioral changes in public school setting, July 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Human Side of School Change: Reform, Resistance, and the Real-Life Problems of Innovation (Jossey-Bass Education) (Hardcover)

Dr. Evans Book is an excellent guide to change making in established organizations; where the carrot and the whip cannot be applied. The main contribution, after an extended anthropological analysis of group dynamics in defined institutional settings, is the postulation about authentic leadership as a catalyst for making changes. This requires the nurturing of positives among teachers. Evans gives examples of situations of conflict and ways to resolve them.