#EdJourney

#EdJourney: A Roadmap to the Future of Education is a refreshing change from the negativity so common in the world of education today. Over the course of a 3-month solo road trip across the United States, author Grant Lichtman discovered that there is much to be positive about in today's K-12 schools. Lichtman, one of the country's leading experts in educational innovation, interviewed over 600 teachers, administrators, students, parents, and trustees to find out what kind of innovations they're doing right—and how others can leverage their successes.

Innovation in education takes hard work, planning, and cooperation. With examples from around the country and findings from the latest education research, #EdJourney maps out how administrators and teachers can embrace the innovation process that schools and learners need now. Today's 21st century education presents unique challenges and opportunities to students, and this is a trailblazing practical guide to making sure education is ready for the future. #EdJourney focuses on four key questions:

• What new learning strategies are the top schools implementing to prepare our students for their future rather than for our past?
• How do teachers and administrators manage transitions to new types of teaching and learning?
• What are the key obstacles to shifting away from the assembly line model of education?
• How can we all leverage the lessons of success from the most innovative schools?

The concrete examples and advice in this book will help you bring innovation and educational design concepts into your school. #EdJourney goes beyond the theoretical need for change—by now a familiar topic to almost everyone—and takes a real-world approach to achieving transformative education in any school.

About the Author vii

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xi

Part One: Ro adblocks: How Can We Overcome the Biggest Obstacles to School Reform?

1 Time: The Most Common Obstacle to Change in Schools 7

2 People: The Changing Job of an Educator 23

3 Leadership: Building Vision While Keeping the Lights On 43

4 Structure: School Organization and Process in a Time of Change 61

5 More Bumps in the Road: The Next Five Obstacles to Innovation 83

Part Two: Blazing the Trail: What Does Transformative Learning Look Like?

6 Schools Are More Dynamic: Mess, Noise, and Chaos 103

7 Schools Are More Adaptable: Changing with the World 117

8 Schools Are More Permeable: Where We Meet, Not Where We Learn 133

9 Schools Are More Creative: Knowledge Is Not Just for Consumption 147

10 Schools Are Self-Correcting: Empa thy, Mindfulness, and Reflection 165

Part Three: The Road Ahead: How Do We Get There from Here?

11 The Existential Challenge for Schools: Voices from Our Future 183

12 Leaving the Past Behind: The Assembly-Line Model of Education 195

13 A Better Model: The Natural Ecosystem of Learning 209

14 Taking Action: A New Paradigm of School Strategy 227

15 Signposts: The Big Ideas That Mark the Road 247

References 261

Index 265

GRANT LICHTMAN is a senior fellow with The Martin Institute for Teaching Excellence, a consultant to the National Business Officers Association, and works with K–12 schools around the country on aspects of innovation and strategic planning. He blogs at The Learning Pond, and has written for ISTE Learning and Leading, Independent School Magazine, and other publications.

#EdJourney: A Roadmap to the Future of Education takes a fresh look at our nation’s schools, eschewing the negativity so often found in the world of education today. While on his solo road trip across the United States, Grant Lichtman, one of the country’s leading experts in educational innovation, discovered that there is much to be positive about in today’s K–12 schools. During Lichtman’s travels, he interviewed more than 600 teachers, administrators, students, and parents to find out what kind of innovations they’re doing right—and to discover how others can follow their example.

To help create an environment that will encourage innovation, #EdJourney puts the focus on four key questions: What new learning strategies are the top schools implementing to prepare our students for their future rather than for our past? How do teachers and administrators manage the transition to new types of teaching and learning? What are the key obstacles to shifting away from the assembly line model of education? And, most importantly, how can we all leverage the lessons of success from the most innovative schools?

With this trailblazing and practical guide, educators can make sure their schools are ready for the future. Filled with compelling examples from around the country and based on the findings from the latest education research, #EdJourney maps out how administrators and teachers can embrace the innovation process that schools and learners need right now.