Reframing Reform
by Terrence Deal
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Overview
In this article, Deal looks at how reformers (rather than practitioners) need to shift their thinking, or world view, about what it means to reform. He advocates for ‘reframing’ reform, and looking through the lens of renewal. Reform, he states, implies that there is something to be changed, whereas renewal suggests taking what is known and redeveloping it into something better. It is renewal, he argues, that leads to transformation. Transforming schools, Deal notes, is one of the most complex challenges of the public school system.
In order to transform schools successfully, educators need to navigate the difficult space between letting go of old patterns and grabbing onto new ones.
Using real stories, he draws some interesting comparisons between what transformation means in both educational and business contexts.
Reflective question
Use the following reflective question to guide your reading of this article.
If you were to get the various members of the school community to write their 'story' of their school, what would the titles of their different stories be? For example, members of the board of trustees might write a story entitled Another Principal, Another Change; a teacher might write a story entitled If I Close My Eyes, This Too Will Pass. What would your story title be? Parents’ titles? Students’ titles? Support staff titles? What titles would they prefer? What needs to happen so that story titles change?
Reference
Deal, T. (1990). Reframing reform. Educational Leadership, 47(8), pp. 6–12.
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