Continuous School Improvement

Mark A. Smylie is professor of education emeritus in the Department of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago and visiting professor in the Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations at Peabody College, Vanderbilt University. Before his work in higher education, Smylie was a high school social studies teacher. Smylie served as secretary-treasurer of the National Society for the Study of Education and as a director of the Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago. His work has appeared in the American Education Research Journal, Educational Researcher, Educational Administration Quarterly, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Educational Policy, Journal of School Leadership, and Review of Research in Education. Smylie has worked with schools, school districts, and school administrator and teacher professional associations through joint projects, advising, and school leader development activities. He has served on advisory boards of numerous regional and national professional and policy organizations concerned with education generally and leadership in particular. Smylie's research focuses on school organization, leadership, and change.

Foreword by Willis D. Hawley and E. Joseph Schneider Preface Acknowledgments About the Author 1. The Context and Call for Continuous Improvement 2. The Meaning of Continuous Improvement with Kelly Hallberg 3. Evidence of the Effectiveness of Continuous Improvement 4. Processes of Continuous Improvement 5. Organizational Design for Continuous Improvement 6. Continuous Improvement "In Action" with Cristal Mendlen 7. Becoming a Continuously Improving School Endnotes References Index

"A hallmark volume by one of the nation's most accomplished school improvement scholars.... The most thoroughly researched, well-crafted, and useful volume on continuous improvement available. Smylie does for 'continuous improvement' what Fullan did for change." -- Joseph Murphy, Professor "Mark Smylie does something both highly difficult and highly unusual-he considers not only the practice of continuous improvement as an organizational strategy but also the underlying theory. Based on his review of the literature in education and other fields, he digs beneath the surface of the mantra 'continuous improvement' and provides a highly readable, clearly written, and impressively comprehensive exploration of its meaning. Then he moves from theory into practice by examining models of continuous improvement applied to schools and to non-educational organizations. What emerges is an extraordinarily helpful set of ideas for well-grounded implementation of continuous improvement principles and strategies in a school context." -- Paul Kelleher, Norine R. Murchison Professor of Education "Fills missing holes in understanding how to create effective school systems that promote and support continuous improvement in all aspects of district operations. The author provides a plethora of references and interesting quotes to support his work." -- Douglas Gordon Hesbol, Superintendent "While reading this book I became so engaged with the research and the synthesis of ideas at work that I found myself stopping often to reflect on what I knew and what I had experienced as an educator. I realized I had reached a deeper understanding of the aspects of continuous change. This has already had an impact on my thinking as I begin to plan for next year's staff development." -- Margarete Couture, Elementary Principal "Smylie's book provides an insightful, interdisciplinary perspective on our efforts to create schools that continuously focus on improving teaching and learning. Readers will appreciate his synthesis of what we know about guiding the process of organizational improvement. This book will serve as an excellent resource for researchers and practitioners interested in school reform." -- Richard Halverson, Associate Professor "For educators and their supporters who wish schools to be a better place for young learners and professional staff, this volume will help get them there. A must-read now-and again a year from now-as educators (continue to) improve their understanding of how to strengthen the educational enterprise." -- Michael Knapp, Director