Schools That Change

Evidence-Based Improvement and Effective Change Leadership

"The author uses the individual school stories to tie educational research to the actual plan. Anyone interested in change can use it as a very clear road map to success!"

"Lew Smith has identified eight incredible stories of change. This is a testament to the abilities of incredible people with an uncommon vision."

"In a thorough review of the literature, Smith describes both the beauty and the challenge of change. The messages and the lessons learned are grounded in the stories of real schools and the paths they took to work their way up to become high-performing schools. These stories will resonate with school leaders everywhere, particularly urban educators. The book is a great contribution to the field and is needed now more than ever."

"Provides every school with many valuable strategies to consider.”

"An engaging, practitioner-friendly examination of successful school improvement from inside the school. Smith provides eight vivid portraits of schools that were once failing but that have subsequently pulled themselves together and improved dramatically. By blending theories of change with the policies and practices that have facilitated success across a variety of educational contexts, this text provides both instruction and hope to educators, parents, policy makers, and aspiring school leaders. It should be on the short list of required reading for all school stakeholders."

"This book vividly illuminates the incredible power of leadership as the key factor in turning schools around. The stories from the eight featured schools provide us with a bold and unvarnished account of the courage and tenacity of principals and teacher leaders who won’t accept the 'status quo' when that means accepting unsafe schools, failures in student learning, and policies that thwart effective instruction. This book will be incredibly useful for discussions among practicing and future educational leaders."

“A rich guide for educators interested in nuts-and-bolts tools and resources to support the journey from low to high performance. Lew Smith has powerfully captured the lessons learned in his magnificently colorful portraits of eight schools selected for the National School Change Award. Practitioners will find Schools that Change to be wonderfully grounded in evidenced-based research and documented best practice."

“At last, a book that provides practical guidance by focusing on schools that have improved. Schools That Change offers sound insights from experienced educators on what it takes to create the schools we need to educate America's children.”

“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.”