The aim of this paper is to share a case study from Brunel University London's Department of Life Sciences, where a change project was established to manage a significant increase in undergraduate student numbers. It gives an insight into the key factors behind the successful implementation of change, in particular focusing on how the project…

When teachers and students share the responsibility for learning, students become active agents in their own learning who respond to feedback, set learning goals, track their progress, and adapt their own learning strategies when needed. Formative assessment provides a clear path forward to this kind of teaching and learning experience, and site…

Resistance to change is a central topic in the study of change management, with resistance by employees often portrayed as an inevitable and undesirable response to planned change that managers must attempt to overcome. While resistance can be detrimental to organizations, it can also be beneficial, by prompting deeper analysis of a change, or by…

To support systemic thinking about school improvement, the Center on School Turnaround at WestEd developed a framework to assist states, districts, and schools in leading and managing rapid improvement efforts. The framework, which is presented in this article, has four domains that have proved central to rapid, significant improvement: (1)…

It is not clear exactly when school leaders first started wearing an "S" on their chests and began defiantly uttering the phrase, "I can do it all myself!" But after days, weeks, months, or even years of racing wildly from task to task, many a superhero principal has come to the stark realization that nothing could be further…

Decentralization is an effective approach for structuring campus learning and success centers. McShane & Von Glinow (2007) describe decentralization as "an organizational model where decision authority and power are dispersed among units rather than held by a single small group of administrators" (p. 237). A decentralized structure…

To find out how organizations turn failure into success, Andrew Hargreaves and his colleagues studied more than 15 business, sports, and education organizations. They found that the secret to these organizations' success came down to just two words: uplifting leadership. Uplifting leadership, write Hargreaves and Boyle in this article, raises the…

The religious dynamics of higher education are changing rapidly. College campuses have become prime sites for conflicts involving religious identity. Few issues touch more broadly or more deeply on complexity, diversity, and change in the twenty-first-century world than those related to how people who orient differently around religion interact…

No longer is the central office a place for educators' careers to meet a dead end. Nor can it be where ineffective leaders are transferred to lessen impact. It cannot be "the blob," as coined by William Bennett (Walker, 1987). The Wallace Foundation notes that the central office has never been more important for system and individual…

District and school leaders are uniquely poised to serve as collaborative, innovative leaders. However, the context of current challenges often detracts from implementation efforts. This case describes how district leadership works collaboratively with school administrators through targeted efforts related to professional development, articulation…

What makes a leader successful? As the Director of Research at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center's (VICC) Clinical Trials Office, the author had to think of new ways to engage employees when becoming the director nearly 15 years ago. The staff started a GLUE (Greater Loyalty Utilizing Empowerment) Committee. The committee was established to help…

"If I've learned anything from the Visible Learning research," writes noted researcher John Hattie, "it's that almost everything in education works. The key question is not, What works? but, Is it working sufficiently above the average of all possible influences? Research has shown above-average effects for leaders who…

"One teacher resists making appointments!" "My problem is with a teacher who says 'Why should I have to change my teaching when most of my students are proficient?'" "Teachers act as if I'm too young to know anything." Instructional coaches, principals and others responsible for leading change in schools find teachers…

For educator preparation programs (EPPs) to produce effective teachers, they must engage in a process of continuous improvement using timely, high-quality information about the performance of their respective graduates in the classroom as measured by student outcomes. While states have the capacity to provide this information through their…

This article discusses leaders who make a difference, especially in school districts where a single superintendent impacts the lives of so many children, teachers, staff, and community members every day. There is a need to mentor the ongoing professional learning and development of key leaders. The authors report on a process in Kansas, USA, which…