Links on Change Leadership and Systemic School Improvement
One of the values of The F. M. Duffy Group is having an interdisciplinary perspective on how to create and sustain district-wide improvement in school districts. On this page, we will post links to organizations, articles, and other resources from education, the military, business, and other fields. Topics represented by the links focus on change-leadership, strategic thinking and planning, systems thinking, systems dynamics, and so on.
We encourage visitors to send us links that are related to whole-system improvement. Please email links to links@thefmduffygroup.com.
Organizations
- The Ackoff Center for Advancement of Systems Approaches
Led by Dr. Russell Ackoff, a prominent author, professor and consultant specializing in whole-system change. - The Learning First Alliance
A partnership of 12 national education associations dedicated to improving student learning in America's public schools. - The Center for Creative Leadership
Advances the understanding, practice and development of leadership for the benefit of society worldwide. - The Panasonic Foundation
Supports district-wide change and has partnerships with several school districts throughout the United States. - The Society for Organizational Learning (SoL)
An intentional learning community composed of organizations, individuals, and local SoL communities around the world. Their website offers access to a lot of information on organizational learning. - The National Study of School Evaluation (NSSE)
Provides education leaders with state-of-the-art resources, tools, and support services to enhance and promote student growth and school improvement through accreditation. They have resources related to system-wide improvement. - Association for Educational Communications and Technology
The AECT is a national association specializing in educational communications and technology. They also have a Division of Systemic Change. AECT and the Division of Systemic Change are the founders of FutureMinds: Transforming American School Systems, a new nation-wide initiative to collaborate with state departments of education to transform school districts in their states. Dr. Duffy is a co-director of the FutureMinds initiative.
Online Articles
- Steve Cabana
Steve Cabana has worked with Merrelyn Emery, the wife of Fred Emery, to develop and refine many of Fred's principles for improving organizations. In this article, Steve talks about principles of participative design to improve how an organization does its work, its internal social architecture and its relationships with the outside world. - Charter Districts
This article is on the Education Commission of the States web site. There, you will find a collection of articles on the concept of charter districts (rather than charter schools). - Dr. Frank R. Hunsicker
"Organization Theory for Leaders" - Dr. John A. Kline
"Communication and Leadership" - Dr. William R. Klemm
"Leadership: Creativity and Innovation" - "Strategic Leadership and Decision Making"
- "Strategies For School System Leaders on District-Level Change"
- "Strategic Planning (in nonprofit or for-profit organizations)"
- "Low Performing Schools"
- Krista Kafer
"School Choice 2003: How States Are Providing Greater Opportunity In Education" - Krista Kafer
"Education: Opening Doors to Excellence" - Education Commission of the States
"State Interventions in Low-Performing Schools and School Districts, August 2002" - Linda Christensen & Stan Karp
"Why Is School Reform So Hard?"