Abstract
The recognition that the implementation of changes in the professional beliefs and knowledge, behaviors, organizational conditions, and outcomes of people working in schools and school systems takes place over time is a fundamental precept in educational change theory, research, and practice. The aim of this chapter is to provide a concise overview of significant conceptual tools developed by education change theorists for describing, studying, and explaining that process as it plays out over time at different levels – e.g., individual, program, school, and school system. Given the volume of published research on educational change over the past 50 years, it is perhaps surprising that our understanding of the process dimensions of educational change remains limited to a few core concepts that once articulated have assumed a taken-for-granted status. This chapter revisits these concepts, highlights key areas of debate or lack of conceptual clarity, and suggests areas for further research regarding the processual nature of education change, particularly in terms of stage or phase theories of change over time. For each level of change considered, reference is made to key sources in the literature for the prevailing conceptual models of the temporal dimensions of the change process. While other publications might have been selected, these have been chosen because they are widely cited and applied in the literature on educational change, and because they draw attention to many of the key ideas and issues in thinking about change as a process that evolves through identifiable personal and organizational stages or phases over time.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Anderson, S. E. (1997). Understanding teacher change: Revisiting the concerns based adoption model. Curriculum Inquiry, 27(3), 331–367.
Anderson, S. E., & Kumari, R. (2008). Understanding the practice of continuous improvement in schools. International Journal of Educational Development, 29(3), 281–292.
Anderson, S. E., & Stiegelbauer, S. (1994). Institutionalization and renewal in a restructured secondary school. School Organisation, 14(3), 279–293.
Berman, P. (1978). The study of macro- and micro-implementation. Public Policy, 26(2), 157–184.
Berman, P. (1980). Thinking about programmed and adaptive implementation strategies and situations. In H. Ingram & D. Mann (Eds.), Why policies succeed or fail. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Berman, P. (1981). Educational change: An implementation paradigm. In R. Lehming & M. Kane (Eds.), Improving schools: Using what we know (pp. 253–286). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
Berman, P., & McLaughlin, M. (1976). Implementation of educational innovation. Educational Forum, 40(3), 345–370.
Bryk, A., Sebring, P., Kerbow, D., Rollow, S., & Easton, J. (1998). Charting Chicago school reform.Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Campbell, C., & Fullan, M. (2006). Unlocking the potential for learning: Effective district-wide strategies to raise student achievement in literacy and numeracy. Toronto, ON: Ontario Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat, Project Report.
Charters, W. W., & Jones, J. (1973). On the risk of appraising non-events in program evaluation. Educational Research, 2(11), 5–7.
Corbett, H. D., Dawson, J., & Firestone, W. (1984). School context and school change: Implications for effective planning.New York: Teachers College Press.
Crandall, D., Eiseman, J., & Louis, K. S. (1986). Strategic planning issues that bear on the success of school improvement efforts. Educational Administration Quarterly, 22(3), 21–53.
Datnow, A., Hubbard, L., & Mehan, H. (2002). Extending educational reform: From one school to many. London, NY: RoutledgeFalmer.
Dufour, R., &, Eaker, R. (Eds.). (2005). On common ground: The power of learning communities.Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service.
Earl, L., et al. (2003). Watching and learning 3. Final report of the external evaluation of England’s national literacy and numeracy strategies.Nottingham: Department for Education and Skills.
Elmore, R. (1995). Getting to scale with good educational practice. Harvard Educational Review, 66(1), 1–26.
Elmore, R., & Burney, D. (1997). Investing in teacher learning: Staff development and instructional improvement in Community School District #2, New York City. New York: Consortium for Policy Research in Education and National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future.
Fullan, M. (1982). The meaning of educational change.New York: Teachers College Press.
Fullan, M. (2000). The return of large scale reform. Journal of Educational Change, 1(1), 5–28.
Fullan, M. (2003). Change forces with a vengeance.London, NY: RoutledgeFalmer.
Fullan, M. (2007). The new meaning of educational change(4th ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.
Fullan, M., & Pomfret, A. (1977). Research on curriculum and instruction implementation. Review of Educational Research, 47(1), 335–397.
Hall, G., & Hord, S. (1987). Change in Schools: Facilitating the Process. Alhang, NY: State University of New York Press.
Hall, G., & Hord, S. (2006). Implementing change: Patterns, principles, and potholes(2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Hall, G., & Loucks, S. (1977). A developmental model for determining whether the treatment is actually implemented. American Educational Research Journal, 14(3), 273–276.
Hall, G., & Loucks, S. (1978). Teacher concerns as a basis for facilitating and personalizing staff development. Teachers College Record, 80(1), 36–53.
Hall, G., & Loucks, S. (1981). Program definition and adaptation: Implications for inservice. Journal of Research and Development in Education, 14(2), 46–58.
Hall, G., Loucks, S., Rutherford, W., & Newlove, B. (1975). Levels of use of the innovation: A framework for analyzing innovation adoption. Journal of Teacher Education, 26(1), 52–56.
Haney, W. (2001). The illusion of educational equity in Texas: A commentary on ‘accountability for equity’. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 4(3), 267–275.
Hopkins, D. (2007). Every school a great school. Berkshire, England: Open University Press, McGraw-Hill.
Huberman, M., & Miles, M. (1984). Innovation up close: How school improvement works. New York: Plenum.
Kauffman, S. (1995). At home in the universe: The search for the laws of self-organization and complexity. New York: Oxford University Press.
Klein, S. (2001). Is there a connection between educational equity and accountability. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 4(3), 261–266.
Leithwood, K. (1981). Dimensions of program innovation. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 13(1), 25–36.
Leithwood, K., & Montgomery, D. (1982). Evaluating program implementation. Evaluation Review, 4(2), 193–214.
Little, J. W. (1982). Norms of collegiality and experimentation: Workplace conditions of school success. American Educational Research Journal, 19(3), 325–340.
Loucks, S., & Hall, G. (1977, February). Assessing and facilitating the implementation of innovations: A new approach. Educational Technology, 17(2), 18–21.
Miles, M. (1983). Unraveling the mystery of institutionalization. Educational Leadership, 41(3), 14–19.
Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations(5th ed.). New York: The Free Press.
Rosenholtz, S. (1989). Teachers’ workplace: The social organization of schools.White Plains, NY: Longman.
Scheurich, J., & Skrla, L. (2001). Continuing the conversation on equity and accountability: Listening appreciatively, responding responsibly. Phi Delta Kappan, 83(4), 322–326.
Simmons, J. (2006). School reform in Chicago, 1988–2005. In Breaking through: Transforming urban school districts(chap. 1, pp. 11–23). New York: Teachers College Press.
Skrla, L., Scheurich, J. J., Johnson, J., & Koschoreck, J. (2001a). Accountability for equity: Can state policy leverage social justice? International Journal of Leadership in Education 4(3), 237–260.
Skrla, L., Scheurich, J. J., Johnson, J., & Koschoreck, J. (2001b). Rejoinder: Complex and contested constructions of accountability and educational equity. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 4(3), 277–283.
Valencia, R., Valenzuela, A., Sloan, K., & Foley, D. (2001). Let’s treat the cause, not the symptoms: Equity and accountability in Texas revisited. Phi Delta Kappan, 83(4), 318–321, 326.
Video Journal of Education. (1992). Managing change: The dynamics of change. Video Journal of Education, 2(4).
Waldrop, M. (1992). Complexity: The emerging science at the edge of order and chaos. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Anderson, S.E. (2010). Moving Change: Evolutionary Perspectives on Educational Change. In: Hargreaves, A., Lieberman, A., Fullan, M., Hopkins, D. (eds) Second International Handbook of Educational Change. Springer International Handbooks of Education, vol 23. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2660-6_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2660-6_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-2659-0
Online ISBN: 978-90-481-2660-6
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)