Change Agents: Transforming Schools From the Ground Up

by Justin Cohen

Overview

Educators, you are the hope you’ve been looking for.

Have you ever wondered what it would look like for you and your colleagues to really change how things are done in your school? For over twenty-five years, Partners in School Innovation has empowered educators in doing just that, across twenty-two school districts and eight states, dramatically improving underperforming schools in the process. Their secrets? Specialized adult learning tools, a results-oriented cycle of inquiry, professional development systems focused on coaching and collaboration, implementing improvement science, understanding the roles of race, class, culture, and power in schools, and more.

This book presents those time-tested, research-based practices through narratives chronicling the efforts of real-life educators. It presents thoughtful checklists and discussion questions to help educators strengthen the skill sets and mindsets needed to implement sustainable school improvement.

A lot has changed in recent years, but the solution to turning schools into lively, loving, learning communities remains the same: you. This book provides a blueprint for you to become the change agent your students need.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781071875780
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	10/31/2022
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Justin Cohen (he/him/his) is a writer, organizer, activist, and dad. His work explores how education, race, privilege, and public policy intersect. He cofounded Wayfinder Foundation and Neighbors Reimagining Public Safety. He is on the board of Friends of Abolitionist Place, helping to create a heritage center in downtown Brooklyn, committed to preserving radical liberation traditions. Justin has organized with No New Jails NYC, Racial Justice BK, Brooklyn Shows Love, WE ARE Educators for Justice, and others. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Bklyner, Bright, Education Week, Education Next, and elsewhere. He has been an organizer in residence at Civic Hall and a writer in residence at the Carey Institute for the Global Good. He served on the education policy committee for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and has a BA in cognitive science from Yale. This is his first book.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

About the Author xi

Introduction Derek Mitchell 1

Chapter 1 Are You a Change Agent? 11

Chapter 2 Assembling Your Crew 35

Chapter 3 Finding Bright Spots and Building Momentum 57

Chapter 4 Focus, Follow Through, See: The Art and Science of Implementation 83

Chapter 5 Who Said Change Was Gonna Be Easy? 107

Chapter 6 Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch 125

Chapter 7 School Transformation Requires Personal Transformation 141

Chapter 8 Leading With Love 159

Chapter 9 Hi, I'm From the Central Office. And I'm Here to Help. 181

Chapter 10 The Practice of Freedom 201

Chapter 11 Thriving Schools, Thriving Communities 223

Bibliography 245

Index 251

Editorial Reviews

"There is only one way to generate change... together. This volume helps us do just that. "

Gloria Ladson Billings

"In this important new book, Justin Cohen describes how educators can guide their schools on a path of continuous improvement drawing on core ideas from the learning sciences. Written in a clear, straightforward manner, educators will appreciate how guidance is provided and the ability of the author to anticipate where problems are likely to occur. For those who are tired of pursuing reforms that are little more than fads, this book will be a resource you can turn to when the work is hard and the problems you encounter seem daunting. For those who have not given up on the possibility that creating equitable schools is attainable, this book will be an invaluable resource. "

Pedro Noguera

"Educators are the beating heart of our communities, striving to make a difference in their schools, and in their country. In this book, Justin Cohen has woven together stories, tools, and actionable advice to help teachers and leaders do just that. It is a must-read for any school or district that wants to become an even more vibrant place to teach and learn. "

John B. King

"This fabulous book comes as an inspiration at a time when our schools are in need of honesty, healing, and hope. By telling the stories of real teachers and leaders struggling to teach and lead across differences, Cohen brilliantly fuses modern reform efforts and local context with the civil rights struggles to unearth the very real and still present truth of our shared history: teachers in the US are part of a proud tradition of liberators, and this book challenges them to own that mantle and face the challenge of making our country better as only teachers can. "

Ellen Moir

"Many people can point to what's wrong with public education, but few can identify both the problems and concrete solutions to address them. Cohen has done that and more in Change Agents. He presents an incisive indictment on how institutionalized racism has produced pervasive inequality in our public schools. He explores the history of social movements to change public education to help us better understand the obstacles change agents face today. Transforming public education is complicated, but Cohen delivers a clear vision for how to begin. An education activist, non-profit leader, and community organizer, Cohen brings those experiences to bear in this text. Teachers, parents, policymakers–really anyone concerned with the future of public schools–this is the book for you. "

Alexis Hoag

"Change Agents: Transforming Schools from the Ground Up is written by and for educators about the gritty work of learning to improve. It offers powerful stories about educators making the principles, tools and methods of improvement science come alive in their classrooms and schools, the human challenges that can arise along the way, and also the sense of exhilaration that accompanies this work as educators experience transformation — how through their efforts they are making a real difference in their students’ lives. It is supportive and encouraging while also 'in your face' about what genuine improvements entail. In making this visible, practical and accessible to educators out in schools, it is a real contribution to the field and should be on every teacher's 'must read' list. "

Anthony Bryk

"This very practical and powerful work by Cohen and Partners in School Innovation demystifies what it means to do equity work in schools that primarily serve Black and Latinx students. The book features in-the-trenches story-telling, deep relationship-building, and an intense focus on how schools can effectively meet the needs of these historically underserved students. This is the work all urban school teachers and leaders must master if our students are going to reach their full potential. Yet, this work is not a idyllic victory narrative that ignores the social context in which schools exist. Cohen rightly reminds us that our shared history of systemic racism is the very context in which teachers teach and leaders lead today, and that education, when done right, can be a tool for advancing freedom, justice and, ultimately, democracy. "

Marvin Lynn

"We are reminded that making incremental improvements at the margins of a system originally designed to sort children by race, class, and language will only make inequitable sorting more efficient. This book shows us how to disrupt that cycle through the art and science of a school improvement methodology that is people-centered, asset-based, and equity-focused. "

Zaretta Hammond

We are in a season where the most essential work for us all is to present the truth about the flaws in our education system and offer solutions to transforming it. This book does exactly that. A solid contribution to the literature and a powerful take on school improvement.

Christopher Emdin