Schools on the Move
Leading Coherence for Equitable Growth
- Jay Westover - InnovatedEd, LLC
- Christopher Steinhauser
Foreword by Michael Fullan
Guiding educators to navigate a clear and coherent path of progress for sustainable improvement
Schools are the unit of change for district-wide, systemic improvement. Creating a coherent system of equitable, continuous improvement at each school site requires constructing shared depth of understanding and precision of practices among educators. But how? Schools on the Move provides a roadmap for reducing the variances in climate, culture, capacity, and coherence that impede a school—and all its students—from realizing growth in learning. It applies the transformational wisdom of Districts on the Move at the building level to guide school staff in creating an environment that makes continuous improvement not only possible, but inevitable. Grounded in Visible Learning research and brought to life through case studies of impactful practices in action, it asserts a simplified and focused process for driving school improvement in four key areas
- Clarity of focus—creating a shared, strategic focus driven by equitable student growth.
- Shared leadership—cultivating a culture of co-leading and co-learning among school staff.
- Collective expertise—developing instructional coherence and precision of pedagogy.
- Continuous improvement—maintaining progress through evidence-based feedback loops.
Schools on the Move details how leaders can create clarity, develop collective expertise, and promote continuous improvement, all aimed at taking action to achieve equitable growth in student learning. You feel the momentum, you want to get on board, and the examples show how to get schools moving.
Schools on the Move provides a clear and compelling portrait of what it takes to move schools toward continuous improvement. Westover and Steinhauser offer insights into how to overcome problems of practice that too often thwart improvement efforts. This will be an invaluable resource for how to bring about genuine and sustainable change.
I was not surprised to see Jay Westover and Chris Steinhauser collaborating. Jay’s ‘On the Move’ work has been utilized by superintendents across the country to focus on key drivers and to intentionally improve their districts. Steinhauser had historic tenure and influence at one of the largest school districts in the country in the battle against systemic inequities and the liberation of students. This is a necessary resource for site, district, and county educators.”
Equity and justice are long overdue in school systems. Westover and Steinhauser have provided a roadmap based on the idea of eliminating the variances between classrooms, schools, and districts so that every student, no matter where they are located, will get whatever they need to be successful.
When Chris Steinhauser, one of the most successful and respected urban superintendents, joins forces with Jay Westover, a highly experienced and impactful education consultant, the result is a book worth reading by all education leaders. Our students deserve an education that reduces inequities and accelerates learning for all, and Schools on the Move is an invaluable resource for making this promise a reality.
Steinhauser and Westover offer an approach for improvement based on factors that educators can control – climate, culture, capacity, and coherence. They put the educators in the driver’s seat and give them a roadmap for continuous improvement that ensures all students receive high-quality educational opportunities.
Chris Steinhauser has long been considered a maven among his peers and a stalwart advocate for urban education. This insightful compilation of strategies is a must-read for school and district leaders. We must not miss this opportunity to reimagine public education.
This is the right book at the right time. Westover and Steinhauser brilliantly adapted Schools on the Move for this moment in time as we attempt to fight a global pandemic and the devastating impact it’s having on our students, schools, and districts. I found dozens of ideas that I’ll immediately be using because of this important work.
Merging Westover’s transformational work over the past 20 years helping school and district teams achieve equitable growth in student learning with Steinhauser’s leadership and lessons learned in Long Beach USD, education leaders are provided clear and specific examples with tools, resources, and vignettes grounded in collective efficacy and continuous improvement.
We all need this book to understand the complexities of transforming climate, developing culture, building capacity, and creating coherence in our schools. Jay Westover and Chris Steinhauser show us how to recognize the potential in people and ideas and shape a common mindset. Schools on the Move is a pragmatic and reflective leadership guide using collaborative inquiry as a process to develop collective teacher efficacy. Being part of Schools on the Move has uniquely positioned our district during this time of rapid change to address and advance student learning.
Sample Materials & Chapters
Chapter 1. The Pursuit of Equitable Growth in Student Learning
Chapter 2. Creating Clarity of Focus
