Changing schools

"The raising of standards in schools is a global challenge to policy-makers. To overcome it means to remove the ongoing influence of poverty on school success. In an age of global mobility, economic polarization and unprecedented environmental and cultural challenges, the education of all children and young people to higher levels has become a key issue of international policy.This book presents new thinking and practice for progressing school change today, drawn from the works of authors around the world. Educational policy-making has been dominated by particular human capital oriented theories of school improvement, formulated and implemented in neo-liberal political environments. This book seeks to challenge this dominance. It draws both on contemporary innovations in practice and theory and long standing traditions of alternative thinking and practice. Linking together and articulating other ways of conceiving of and implementing school change, it bases its findings on values of equality and global citizenship. It shows how schools can work to make different knowledges, languages, narratives, truths and ways of being integral to mainstream curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and school cultures and structures.The book is directed at all who are concerned with progressive school change and the promotion of democratic citizenship and social justice. This will include education students, those currently studying for school leadership positions, heads, teachers and policy-makers"-- Provided by publisher. "Changing Schools places educational and social aims at the centre of a discussion of educational change. It draws on 14 case studies to explore school change which is oriented towards social justice and democracy. In an age of global mobility, economic polarization and unprecedented environmental and cultural challenges, the education of all children and young people to higher levels has become a key issue of international policy. Educational reform in such a context requires a serious rethinking and reworking of school and classroom practices. Social justice is integral to the challenge of raising standards, since this requires removing the ongoing influence of poverty on school success. This thoughtful book presents new thinking and practice for bringing about school change, drawn from diverse contexts around the world. It distils and compares the experiences and theories-in-action of engaged school principles and academics. It seeks to challenge the dominance that human capital theories of school improvement currently hold on policy making. The authors draw on contemporary innovations in practice and theory and also long- standing traditions of alternative thinking and practice. Linking together and articulating other ways of conceiving of and implementing school change, it bases its findings on values of equality and global citizenship. It shows how schools can work to make different languages, knowledge, narratives, and truths integral to the mainstream curriculum, everyday pedagogy, assessment and general culture of the school. Changing Schools is directed at all who are concerned with progressive school change and the promotion of democratic citizenship and social justice"-- Provided by publisher.