Innovation in Odds-Beating Schools

Kristen Campbell Wilcox has published widely on systems approaches to school improvement and culturally responsive pedagogies that support diverse learners’ success in school. Her research focuses, in particular, on cross-school and -district practices and policies that affect students’ experiences and learning opportunities in the classroom.Hal Lawson’s published research regularly crosses boundaries between education, social welfare, and public health. This interdisciplinary approach reflects his long-standing interest in vulnerable, diverse children who need new school designs because they reside in challenging places. Janet Angelis began her career in the classroom and has devoted the major part of it to linking the worlds of research and practice. She has authored or coauthored numerous articles for practitioners, researchers, and the public, including three books.

• Foreword PrefaceAcknowledgements1. Schools as Innovation-Ready Learning OrganizationsKristen Campbell Wilcox, Hal A. Lawson, Janet Ives Angelis2. A Climate of TrustJanet Ives Angelis, Karen Gregory, Francesca T. Durand3. Reciprocal CommunicationsFrancesca T. Durand4. Alignment and CoherenceSarah J. Zuckerman, Hal A. Lawson, Kristen Campbell Wilcox5. Readiness for InnovationFrancesca T. Durand, Hal A. Lawson6. Instructional AdaptationKristen Campbell Wilcox7. Whole Child Wellness and Positive Youth Development Karen Gregory, Kristen Campbell Wilcox, Hal A. Lawson8. Odds Beaters as ExemplarsHal A. Lawson, Kristen Campbell Wilcox, Janet Ives Angelis9. The Sample and the SchoolsKathryn S. Schiller, Janet Ives AngelisAbout the Authors

With this volume, three equity-minded researchers cut through the sometimes confusing marketplace of school improvement stories to shine new light on what makes odds-beating schools work. The authors show what these schools do and draw on rich research to explain why those schools beat the odds. This practical scholarship can help educational leaders of all stripes understand how to lead for true systemic change on behalf of our nation’s traditionally underserved and most vulnerable students.