Table Of Contents:

• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Chapter One: Why this, Why Now: An Introduction
• Chapter Two: What Schools Are Getting Right, and Why They're Meeting Resistance
• Pedagogical and Instructional Innovations That Prioritize Student-Centered Learning
• Innovation in How Schools Define Success
• Try This: Unpacking Purpose, Opportunity, and Equity
• Innovation and Opportunity for All Learners
• The Case of Career Technical Education
• The Case of Cognitively and Physically Responsive Education
• Innovation Outside the System
• Innovation in Academically Driven Schools
• Sustained Pedagogical Innovation
• Identity-Responsive Learning and Teaching
• Culturally Responsive Learning and Teaching in Communities of Color
• Culturally Responsive Learning and Teaching in Indigenous Communities
• Social-Emotional Learning and Wellness in Schools
• Gender and Sexual Identity Inclusion
• Critical Thinking, Pluralism, and Intercultural Competency Development
• Action Steps
• Personal Reflection Questions
• Chapter Two Worksheet: Analysis of Context, Readiness for Change, and (Potential) Pushback
• Chapter Three: Relationships and Trust: Build Deep Connection and Understanding
• Seek to Understand Why Community Members Are Resistant
• Stay Curious and Avoid Getting Defensive
• Try This: Use a “Third Thing” to Reduce Polarization and Build Trust
• Encourage Dissent and Invite Dissonance
• Cultivate Empathy, Vulnerability, and Open-Mindedness
• Manage Pace with an Eye to Building Trust
• Go Fast to Serve Students Now
• Go Slow and Focus on the “Long Game”
• Determine Urgency and Readiness to Establish Pace
• Try This: Design a Risk Assessment Matrix to Determine Pace
• Create Intentional Structures to Support Relationship Building
• Learn and Lead With the Community
• Try This: Coffee With the Leader, PBL-Style
• Build Systems That Connect and Humanize
• Action Steps
• Personal Reflection Questions
• Chapter Three Worksheet: Build and Maintain Relationships and Trust
• Chapter Four: Use Varied Forms of Data to Inform the Journey
• Use Quantitative Data to Inform Decisions
• Transform Immeasurables and Develop a Shared Understanding
• Try This: Use the Y Chart to Turn Squishy Goals Into Observable Metrics
• Understand the Dangers (and Inevitable Appeal) of Traditional Metrics
• Engage Other Ways of Knowing to Guide the Work
• Leverage Street Data and Intuition to See the Bigger Picture
• Engage Culturally Relevant Ways of Knowing
• Address Religious Ideologies as Cultural Ways of Knowing
• Consider a Middle Path that Integrates Traditional and Authentic Data
• Action Steps
• Personal Reflection Questions
• Chapter Four Worksheet: What Are Your Data Sweet Spots?
• Chapter Five: The Art of Listening: Leverage Community Voice to Support Change
• Elevate Student Voice to Confront Resistance
• Engage Student Voice in Program Development and Governance
• Engage Student Voice to Inspire and Educate the Community
• Try This: The Student-Centered Insight Protocol
• Involve Alumni to Help Motivate Change
• Leverage Faculty Allies to Shape Initiatives
• Involve Parents and Caregivers as Constructively as Possible
• Include Caregiver Input Early in the Change Process
• Engage Caregivers as Allies for Change
• Action Steps
• Personal Reflection Questions
• Chapter Five Worksheet: Leverage Community Voice to Shape Initiatives and Motivate Change
• Chapter Six: Communicate with Purpose, on Purpose
• Connect Initiatives to “What Makes Us Who We Are”
• Connect Work to Your School’s Mission, Vision, and Core Values
• Validate Where We’re Going Through Legislation and School Policy
• Change the Words, Not the Work
• The DEI Debate and the Dream of a Common Language
• Use Language That Fights Gravity
• Don’t Be Mad, Just Be Ready
• Use Proactive (Not Reactive) Communication Focused on the Why
• Communicate Early and Often
• The “Personal Agenda” and Its Impact on Communication
• Consider How (and If) to Communicate Beyond the Schoolhouse
• Try This: The Communications Continuum
• Action Steps
• Personal Reflection Questions
• Chapter Six Worksheet: Develop Communication Strategies That Engage With Purpose and Intentionality
• Chapter Seven: Prepare Your People, Protect Your People: Set the Stage for Success
• Provide Transformative Professional Learning for Teachers
• Change Minds to Transform the Culture of Learning and Teaching
• Lean into Self-Work as Professional Learning
• Try This: Principles of Conversational Leadership and Shared Work
• Incorporate Live It to Learn It Professional Learning
• Utilize Job-Embedded, Collaborative Models for Sustainable Growth
• Adapt Systems to Support Innovation and Implementation
• Leverage Hiring and Onboarding to Sustain Change
• Navigate the Hidden Agenda of Time
• Hack Curriculum and Accountability Systems
• Embrace Systems That Encourage Risk-Taking
• Protect Your People When Opposition Arises
• Support Educators With Marginalized Identities
• Protect Teachers From External Demands and Restrictions
• Build Partnerships With Supervisory Entities
• Protect the Community From More Significant Harm
• Try This: The After Action Review
• Action Steps
• Personal Reflection Questions
• Chapter Seven Worksheet: Plan for Implementation That Prepares, Adapts, and Protects
• Chapter Eight: Lead With Humility, Courage, and Hope: Final Lessons From Leaders
• You Are Not an Island
• Build Supportive Teams and Networks Inside the School
• Engage Consultants, Coaches, and Experts
• Contracting Experts: A Cautionary Tale
• Leverage Support Organizations, Networks, and Cooperatives
• Lean on Excellent Educational Institutions
• Try This: Concentric Circles to Map Institutional Visits
• Leadership Is a Journey
• Prioritize Well-Being for Everyone, Including Yourself
• Don’t Let the Storm Hurt Your Resolve
• Let Go of What No Longer Serves Your Community
• Try This: Stop, Start, Continue, Restart
• Celebrate Every Success
• Hope Is a Verb that Invites Action
• Focus on Your Locus of Control
• Embrace Diverse Perspectives (Even When It’s Hard)
• Try This: Reflect on Wheatley’s “Lessons From Besieged Nuns”
• Plant Seeds for the Future
• Action Steps
• Personal Reflection Questions
• Chapter Eight Worksheet: Prepare for the Journey Ahead
• Interview Participants
• Recommended Reading from Educational Leaders
• References
• Index