The NEW School Rules
6 Vital Practices for Thriving and Responsive Schools
Anthony Kim
- Education Elements, Founder and CEO
Alexis Gonzales-Black
- Thoughtful Org Partners, Co-Founder
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eBook
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9781544323213
Available from
January 0001
Paperback
ISBN:
9781506352763
Available from
January 0001
Description
Actions to increase effectiveness of schools in a rapidly changing world
To stay relevant and impactful, organizations from the military to government agencies to businesses must constantly evolve. Organizations that cling to rigid structures designed for less dynamic times are stuck in routines that don’t get results. Instead of withstanding a structure built for the industrial age, how can we empower our schools to be nimble and equipped to prepare their students for this new world?
The NEW School Rules expands cutting-edge organizational and management strategies into an operating system for responsive schools. These principles and practices provide the framework for transitioning rigid, slow-moving institutions into environments of continuous innovation.
- 6 simple rules create a unified vision of responsiveness among educators
- Real life case studies illustrate responsive techniques implemented in a variety of educational demographics
- 15 experiments guide school and district leaders toward increased responsiveness in their faculty and staff
Contents
Preface
Preface
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
About the Authors
Introduction: Why We Need New Organizational Practices for Thriving Schools and Students Today
- The Promise of Responsiveness
- How Responsive Organizational Thinking Evolved
- How This Book Is Designed
- A Note About Who This Book Is For
- CHAPTER 1. PLANNING: Plan for Change, Not Perfection
- When Plans Are More Important Than Our Purpose
- Planning Without Learning
- Control Is Confused With Planning
- Build Roadmaps, Not Manuals
- Use Cadences and Pivot Points, Not Just Schedules and Deadlines
- Encourage Testing, Experiments, and Responsiveness
- EXPERIMENT 1. Define a Clear Purpose
- EXPERIMENT 2. Delineate Between What You Know and What You Anticipate
- CHAPTER 2. TEAMING: Build Trust and Allow Authority to Spread
- We’re Dragged Down by the Slow and Unwieldy Legacy of Hierarchies
- Land Grabs Are Still Too Common
- When Everyone and No One Is Responsible
- Clarify the Purpose of Every Team . . . and Revisit It
- Build Trust and Address Tensions
- Develop Effective Team Habits That Support Distributed Authority
- Embrace Dynamic Team Structures That Evolve and End
- EXPERIMENT 3. Offer Feedback as Data
- EXPERIMENT 4. Team Meeting Protocol
- CHAPTER 3. MANAGING ROLES: Define the Work Before You Define the People
- Job Descriptions Get in the Way
- Role Overwhelm (and Underwhelm)
- Put a Role’s Purpose Before Politics
- Separate Roles for Personal Clarity and Smarter Decisions
- Value Each Voice as a Human Sensor
- EXPERIMENT 5. Role Mapping
- EXPERIMENT 6. The One-Question Technique
- EXPERIMENT 7. Guidelines for Being an Effective Sensor
- CHAPTER 4. DECISION MAKING: Aim for “Safe Enough to Try” Instead of Consensus
- The Cycle of Meeting Paralysis
- The Risks of Delayed Decision Making
- The False Promise of Consensus . . . or Defaulting to a Decider-in-Chief
- Get Aligned and Clear Out the Noise
- Decide on Things You Can Decide On: Make Decisions Smaller
- Fail Forward: Approach Planning and Big Decisions as Decision Cycles
- EXPERIMENT 8. Three Language Shifts for Decision-Making Discussions
- EXPERIMENT 9. Protocol for a Starting Proposal
- EXPERIMENT 10. Default to Yes and Defend No—One Decision at a Time
- CHAPTER 5. SHARING INFORMATION: Harness the Flow and Let Information Go
- A False Sense of Transparency
- Information Has an Expiration Date
- Accept Ambiguity
- Think of Others: Apply the Reverse Precautionary Principle
- Ask for What You Need: Apply the Lesson of Self-Advocacy
- Plan Communication as a Process, Not an Event
- EXPERIMENT 11. Say “Thank You” for Asking
- EXPERIMENT 12. The 3 × 3 Rule
- CHAPTER 6. THE LEARNING ORGANIZATION: Schools Grow When People Grow
- “Best Practices” Are Inhibiting Learning and Innovation
- There Isn’t Learning Without Listening
- The Mindset of Efficiency
- Use the Physical Environment to Build a Learning Environment
- Promote Optimal Zones of Learning (for Adults as Well, Not Just Kids)
- Develop a Learning Mindset: The Stance of Agent, Not Subject
- Face the Truth
- EXPERIMENT 13. Start a Reflection Practice
- EXPERIMENT 14. Create a Habit of Learning Every Day
- EXPERIMENT 15. Personal Portfolios
A Responsive Roadmap: Beginning the Shift to New Organizational Practices
- Three Dimensions of Change
- A Plan for Implementation
- Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
- List of New Rules and Lessons
- List of Experiments
References
References
Index
Index
Additional materials
Description
Actions to increase effectiveness of schools in a rapidly changing world
To stay relevant and impactful, organizations from the military to government agencies to businesses must constantly evolve. Organizations that cling to rigid structures designed for less dynamic times are stuck in routines that don’t get results. Instead of withstanding a structure built for the industrial age, how can we empower our schools to be nimble and equipped to prepare their students for this new world?
The NEW School Rules expands cutting-edge organizational and management strategies into an operating system for responsive schools. These principles and practices provide the framework for transitioning rigid, slow-moving institutions into environments of continuous innovation.
- 6 simple rules create a unified vision of responsiveness among educators
- Real life case studies illustrate responsive techniques implemented in a variety of educational demographics
- 15 experiments guide school and district leaders toward increased responsiveness in their faculty and staff
Contents
Preface
Preface
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
About the Authors
Introduction: Why We Need New Organizational Practices for Thriving Schools and Students Today
- The Promise of Responsiveness
- How Responsive Organizational Thinking Evolved
- How This Book Is Designed
- A Note About Who This Book Is For
- CHAPTER 1. PLANNING: Plan for Change, Not Perfection
- When Plans Are More Important Than Our Purpose
- Planning Without Learning
- Control Is Confused With Planning
- Build Roadmaps, Not Manuals
- Use Cadences and Pivot Points, Not Just Schedules and Deadlines
- Encourage Testing, Experiments, and Responsiveness
- EXPERIMENT 1. Define a Clear Purpose
- EXPERIMENT 2. Delineate Between What You Know and What You Anticipate
- CHAPTER 2. TEAMING: Build Trust and Allow Authority to Spread
- We’re Dragged Down by the Slow and Unwieldy Legacy of Hierarchies
- Land Grabs Are Still Too Common
- When Everyone and No One Is Responsible
- Clarify the Purpose of Every Team . . . and Revisit It
- Build Trust and Address Tensions
- Develop Effective Team Habits That Support Distributed Authority
- Embrace Dynamic Team Structures That Evolve and End
- EXPERIMENT 3. Offer Feedback as Data
- EXPERIMENT 4. Team Meeting Protocol
- CHAPTER 3. MANAGING ROLES: Define the Work Before You Define the People
- Job Descriptions Get in the Way
- Role Overwhelm (and Underwhelm)
- Put a Role’s Purpose Before Politics
- Separate Roles for Personal Clarity and Smarter Decisions
- Value Each Voice as a Human Sensor
- EXPERIMENT 5. Role Mapping
- EXPERIMENT 6. The One-Question Technique
- EXPERIMENT 7. Guidelines for Being an Effective Sensor
- CHAPTER 4. DECISION MAKING: Aim for “Safe Enough to Try” Instead of Consensus
- The Cycle of Meeting Paralysis
- The Risks of Delayed Decision Making
- The False Promise of Consensus . . . or Defaulting to a Decider-in-Chief
- Get Aligned and Clear Out the Noise
- Decide on Things You Can Decide On: Make Decisions Smaller
- Fail Forward: Approach Planning and Big Decisions as Decision Cycles
- EXPERIMENT 8. Three Language Shifts for Decision-Making Discussions
- EXPERIMENT 9. Protocol for a Starting Proposal
- EXPERIMENT 10. Default to Yes and Defend No—One Decision at a Time
- CHAPTER 5. SHARING INFORMATION: Harness the Flow and Let Information Go
- A False Sense of Transparency
- Information Has an Expiration Date
- Accept Ambiguity
- Think of Others: Apply the Reverse Precautionary Principle
- Ask for What You Need: Apply the Lesson of Self-Advocacy
- Plan Communication as a Process, Not an Event
- EXPERIMENT 11. Say “Thank You” for Asking
- EXPERIMENT 12. The 3 × 3 Rule
- CHAPTER 6. THE LEARNING ORGANIZATION: Schools Grow When People Grow
- “Best Practices” Are Inhibiting Learning and Innovation
- There Isn’t Learning Without Listening
- The Mindset of Efficiency
- Use the Physical Environment to Build a Learning Environment
- Promote Optimal Zones of Learning (for Adults as Well, Not Just Kids)
- Develop a Learning Mindset: The Stance of Agent, Not Subject
- Face the Truth
- EXPERIMENT 13. Start a Reflection Practice
- EXPERIMENT 14. Create a Habit of Learning Every Day
- EXPERIMENT 15. Personal Portfolios
A Responsive Roadmap: Beginning the Shift to New Organizational Practices
- Three Dimensions of Change
- A Plan for Implementation
- Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
- List of New Rules and Lessons
- List of Experiments
References
References
Index
Index
Additional materials
Reviews
The NEW School Rules
6 Vital Practices for Thriving and Responsive Schools
January 2018 | 216 pages | Corwin
| Format | Published Date | ISBN | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paperback | 01/02/2026 | 9781506352763 | $37.95 |
| Lifetime | 01/02/2026 | 9781544323213 | $35.00 |
Actions to increase effectiveness of schools in a rapidly changing world
To stay relevant and impactful, organizations from the military to government agencies to businesses must constantly evolve. Organizations that cling to rigid structures designed for less dynamic times are stuck in routines that don’t get results. Instead of withstanding a structure built for the industrial age, how can we empower our schools to be nimble and equipped to prepare their students for this new world?
The NEW School Rules expands cutting-edge organizational and management strategies into an operating system for responsive schools. These principles and practices provide the framework for transitioning rigid, slow-moving institutions into environments of continuous innovation.
- 6 simple rules create a unified vision of responsiveness among educators
- Real life case studies illustrate responsive techniques implemented in a variety of educational demographics
- 15 experiments guide school and district leaders toward increased responsiveness in their faculty and staff
Table Of Contents:
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- About the Authors
- Introduction: Why We Need New Organizational Practices for Thriving Schools and Students Today
- The Promise of Responsiveness
- How Responsive Organizational Thinking Evolved
- How This Book Is Designed
- A Note About Who This Book Is For
- CHAPTER 1. PLANNING: Plan for Change, Not Perfection
- When Plans Are More Important Than Our Purpose
- Planning Without Learning
- Control Is Confused With Planning
- Build Roadmaps, Not Manuals
- Use Cadences and Pivot Points, Not Just Schedules and Deadlines
- Encourage Testing, Experiments, and Responsiveness
- EXPERIMENT 1. Define a Clear Purpose
- EXPERIMENT 2. Delineate Between What You Know and What You Anticipate
- CHAPTER 2. TEAMING: Build Trust and Allow Authority to Spread
- We’re Dragged Down by the Slow and Unwieldy Legacy of Hierarchies
- Land Grabs Are Still Too Common
- When Everyone and No One Is Responsible
- Clarify the Purpose of Every Team . . . and Revisit It
- Build Trust and Address Tensions
- Develop Effective Team Habits That Support Distributed Authority
- Embrace Dynamic Team Structures That Evolve and End
- EXPERIMENT 3. Offer Feedback as Data
- EXPERIMENT 4. Team Meeting Protocol
- CHAPTER 3. MANAGING ROLES: Define the Work Before You Define the People
- Job Descriptions Get in the Way
- Role Overwhelm (and Underwhelm)
- Put a Role’s Purpose Before Politics
- Separate Roles for Personal Clarity and Smarter Decisions
- Value Each Voice as a Human Sensor
- EXPERIMENT 5. Role Mapping
- EXPERIMENT 6. The One-Question Technique
- EXPERIMENT 7. Guidelines for Being an Effective Sensor
- CHAPTER 4. DECISION MAKING: Aim for “Safe Enough to Try” Instead of Consensus
- The Cycle of Meeting Paralysis
- The Risks of Delayed Decision Making
- The False Promise of Consensus . . . or Defaulting to a Decider-in-Chief
- Get Aligned and Clear Out the Noise
- Decide on Things You Can Decide On: Make Decisions Smaller
- Fail Forward: Approach Planning and Big Decisions as Decision Cycles
- EXPERIMENT 8. Three Language Shifts for Decision-Making Discussions
- EXPERIMENT 9. Protocol for a Starting Proposal
- EXPERIMENT 10. Default to Yes and Defend No—One Decision at a Time
- CHAPTER 5. SHARING INFORMATION: Harness the Flow and Let Information Go
- A False Sense of Transparency
- Information Has an Expiration Date
- Accept Ambiguity
- Think of Others: Apply the Reverse Precautionary Principle
- Ask for What You Need: Apply the Lesson of Self-Advocacy
- Plan Communication as a Process, Not an Event
- EXPERIMENT 11. Say “Thank You” for Asking
- EXPERIMENT 12. The 3 × 3 Rule
- CHAPTER 6. THE LEARNING ORGANIZATION: Schools Grow When People Grow
- “Best Practices” Are Inhibiting Learning and Innovation
- There Isn’t Learning Without Listening
- The Mindset of Efficiency
- Use the Physical Environment to Build a Learning Environment
- Promote Optimal Zones of Learning (for Adults as Well, Not Just Kids)
- Develop a Learning Mindset: The Stance of Agent, Not Subject
- Face the Truth
- EXPERIMENT 13. Start a Reflection Practice
- EXPERIMENT 14. Create a Habit of Learning Every Day
- EXPERIMENT 15. Personal Portfolios
- A Responsive Roadmap: Beginning the Shift to New Organizational Practices
- Three Dimensions of Change
- A Plan for Implementation
- Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
- List of New Rules and Lessons
- List of Experiments
- References
- Index
Recent Product Reviews:
A principal can pick this book up and find excellent advice to help her lead a school without micro-managing.
Melissa Wood-Glusac, English Teacher Grades 9 and 11, Thousand Oaks High School, Thousand Oaks, CA
The NEW School Rules is inspirational, easy to read, and realistic. It offers specific, doable steps to help you get started with implementation and make strides toward becoming part of a responsive organization. Ideal for an administrative team book study.
Kathy Rhodes, Principal, Hinton Elementary, Hinton IA
The NEW School Rules tackles organizational change in an interesting and accessible way with adaptable tools and protocols you’ll want to implement in your schools. The desired outcomes are clearly defined through an empathetic design approach.
Jill Gildea, Superintendent, Greenwich Public Schools, Greenwich, CT
Discussions about improving education inevitably gravitate to things—curriculum, standards, assessments, technology, professional learning. In The NEW School Rules, Anthony Kim and Alexis Gonzales-Black make a highly compelling case that to fundamentally improve education we must focus on process—specifically, the organizational management, structure, and practice that governs how decisions are made. The authors provide school administrators with an accessible how-to guide for implementing the kinds of organizational changes that will lead to real improvements in student outcomes.
JD Solomon, Editorial Director, District Administration Magazine
When we take something as beautiful and life-giving as education, and find that managing the institutions that provide it is soul-crushing, we know something is very wrong. The NEW School Rules shows us the problem, offers an alternative vision of educational administration, and gives us the practical tools to unlock new energy in ourselves and our colleagues. Every administrator should read this book.
Matthew Kramer, CEO, Wildflower Foundation