How to Change 5000 Schools

Book excerpt: Not long ago, public education in Ontario, Canada, was in deep trouble. Student achievement was stagnating, labor disruptions were rampant, and public satisfaction with the schools was low. In 2003, a new provincial government initiated a series of reforms that embodied a positive, outcome-focused agenda for public education. Today, student outcomes have improved, labor disruption has vanished, and teacher morale is high. In How to Change 5000 Schools, Ben Levin, former deputy minister of education for the province of Ontario, draws on his experience overseeing major systemwide education reforms in Canada and England to set forth a refreshingly positive, pragmatic, and optimistic approach to leading educational change at all levels. "This book provides a powerfully optimistic view of what can happen when policy makers, system leaders, and educators operate around common point of view about student learning and school improvement. This is important guidance for the next generation of school reform in the U.S. Every U.S. educator should read it." -- Richard F. Elmore, Gregory Anrig Professor of Educational Leadership, Harvard Graduate School of Education "How to Change 5000 Schools is a powerful, practical, realistic, deeply interesting account of the key ideas and strategies for raising the bar and closing the gap for all students in public school systems. Politicians and education reformers of all stripes will devour the ideas in this immensely rich and positive book." -- Michael Fullan, Professor Emeritus, OISE/University of Toronto "Ben Levin draws on his considerable experience as a researcher and policymaker to outline a comprehensive theory of action for school reform. The scope of the book is quite breathtaking, the analysis is authoritative and its insight encourages one both to reflect and act. Written with passion, wisdom, and humanity, Levin's book will be essential reading for this and the next generation of educational change workers." -- David Hopkins, HSBC iNet Chair of International Leadership, Institute of Education, University of London Ben Levin holds a Canada Research Chair in Education Leadership and Policy at the University of Toronto. He recently completed a term as deputy minister for education for the province of Ontario. He is the author of numerous articles and three books and writes a regular column, "In Canada," for Phi Delta Kappan.