Useful Websites and Resources on Systems Improvement
Compiled from Recommendations by David Hurst and Marilyn Westcott
David Hurst is the Associate Executive Director for NCA CASI.
He is responsible for all NCA CASI professional development. He has extensive
experience assisting schools and districts with improvement. Marilyn Westcott
is a member of Jim Shipley & Associates, a partner of NCA CASI's. She
works closely with schools and districts on system-wide improvement.
Websites:
IBM's Reinventing Education Change Toolkit
This tookit provides: proven frameworks for leading and managing change; detailed
content on leadership skills to manage change; an online discussion area for
sharing documents, knowledge and effective practices; interactive diagnostic
tools to poll team members; and online worksheets to facilitate group collaboration.
Access to the Change Toolkit Web site is free for educators, who can register
to use the Change Toolkit Web site from the site homepage.
http://www.reinventingeducation.org
Pegasus Communications, Inc.
Pegasus Communications, Inc. is dedicated to providing resources that
help individuals, teams, and organizations understand and address the challenges
they face in managing the complexities of a changing world.
http://www.pegasuscom.com/aboutpci.html
http://www.thesystemsthinker.com/
Policy Brief: What the TIMSS Means for Systemic School Improvement
- November 1998
The Executive Summary of this document offers an interesting perspective on
systemic school improvement as it relates to math and science.
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/TIMSSBrief/execsum.html
Systemic Change in Education-North Central Regional Education Laboratory
This site describes a process for facilitating dialogue around the concept
of systemic improvement.
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/profdevl/pd2syst.htm
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/profdevl/pd2chara.htm
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/profdevl/pd5lk4.htm
Resources:
Ackoff, Russell L. From Mechanistic to Social Systemic Thinking:
A Digest of a Talk by Russell L. Ackoff. Pegasus Communications, ISBN 1-883823-11-0.
This is a thought-provoking pamphlet available through Pegasus Communications.
Dolan, Patrick W. Restructuring Our Schools: A Primer on
Systemic Change. Leawood:
KS, ISBN 0-9641690-0-2.
This is an excellent, clear primer on systemic change.
Haines, S.G. (2000). The systems thinking approach to strategic
planning and management. Boca Raton: St. Lucie Press.
A comprehensive text on managing strategic planning, the book is filled with
examples and diagrams to further clarify systems thinking as it relates to
strategic planning. The book also includes a thorough discussion of environmental
scanning.
Haines, S. G. (1998). The manager's pocket guide to systems
thinking & learning. Amherst, MA: HRD Press.
If you don't have time to read the full text described above, this "pocket
guide" contains the most relevant information and diagrams for strategic
planning. The book tends to be more the "how to" of good strategic
planning rather than truly a guide to "systems thinking," but very
valuable, nonetheless.
James, J. (1996). Thinking in the future tense. New York:
Simon & Schuster.
James's book is a great connector for those who have tried to make chaos theory
relevant to everyday work. More conceptual than either of Haines's books,
this book is enjoyable reading as well as educational from a true systemic
frame.
O'Connor, J. & McDermott, I. (1997). The art of systems
thinking: Essential skills for creativity and problem solving. San Francisco:
Thorsons.
This is a good book for leaders for identifying current habits of mind and
altering those habits to be more systemic. It is easy to read and understand,
yet provokes thought and challenges current belief systems.
Senge, Peter, et al. Schools that Learn: A Fifth Discipline
Field book for Educators, Parents, and Everyone Who Cares About Education.
Doubleday, NY, ISBN 0-385-49323-1.
This is an excellent book to enhance your systems thinking.
Wootton, S. & Horne, T. (2001). Strategic thinking: a
step-by-step approach to strategy (2nd Ed). London: Kogan Page.
This is almost a workbook to carry the reader through a systemic/strategic
improvement process. Includes a CD.
