In From Reopen to Reinvent, distinguished education strategist Michael B. Horn delivers a provocative and eye-opening call to action for the overthrow of an education system that is not working well for any of its students. Grounded in what educators should build in its place to address the challenges that stem from widespread unmet learning needs, the book walks readers through the design of a better path forward.
Using time-tested leadership and innovation frameworks like Jobs to Be Done, “Begin with the End,” tools of cooperation, threat-rigidity, and discovery-driven planning, From Reopen to Reinvent offers a prescriptive and holistic approach to the purpose of schooling, the importance of focusing on mastery for each student, and the ideal use of technology. It also provides readers with: - A set of processes and ideals that schools should implement to deal with the challenges they presently face - A way to transform threats into opportunities using threat-rigidity research - A discussion of how the COVID-19 pandemic revealed that schools are not as flexible and equitable as we need them to be
Perfect for K-12 educators and parents and school board members involved in the school community, From Reopen to Reinvent is also an essential resource for professionals working in education-related non-profits and state education agencies.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xv
About the Author xix
Foreword xxi
The Story of Jeremy and Julia xxiii
Introduction 1
The School System Isn’t Optimized for Anyone 3
A Better Way Forward 12
Key Takeaways 14
Notes 15
1 From Threat to Opportunity 17
Threat Rigidity 20
Autonomy23 The Toyota Prius 24
Southern New Hampshire University 25
What This Could Look Like in K-12 Schools 30
Key Takeaways 38
Notes 39
2 Begin with the End: What’s the Purpose of Schooling? 43
A Brief History of the Purpose of Schooling 45
The Importance of Beginning with the End 47
An Opportunity to Clarify Purpose 48
A Starting Point for the Purpose Conversation 49
Key Takeaways 54
Notes 54
3 The Scope of Schools: How Do We Accomplish a School’s Purpose? 57
Schools’ Scope 59
A Better Way Forward: The Theory of Interdependence and Modularity 60
Applying the Theory to Schools 63
Six Domains to Consider in Your School’s Scope 66
Personalizing This Approach in My Community 80
Remaining Concerns 82
The Future of Schooling 83
Key Takeaways 84
Notes 85
4 Student Experience: Lose Learning Loss 97
What Do Students Want? 99
Traditional Schools Fall Short 100
Lose Learning Loss 103
Key Takeaways 104
Notes 105
5 Student Experience: Guarantee Mastery 107
A Learning Cycle Built on Success 108
How Toyota Illustrates the Power of Guaranteed Mastery109 Time- Bound versus Guaranteed Learning 111
Don’t Just Change Grading When Implementing Mastery- Based Learning 114
Answers to Four Criticisms of Mastery Learning 121
Having Fun with Friends 128
From Zero Sum to Positive Sum 131
Success and Fun with Friends in Action 133
Results 140
Implementation of Pods and Microschools 143
Key Takeaways 148
Notes 148
6 T in Teachers Is for Team 155
Moving Past Normal 157
The Best Use of Face- to- Face Time 158
No Teacher Should Do All of These Activities 161
Team- Based Co- Teaching 162
Unbundling to Take Things Off Teachers’ Plates 168
Teacher Motivation 173
Will Teachers Embrace the Shift? 176
Key Takeaways 179
Notes 180
7 The Parent Experience 185
Understanding Parents’ Quest for Progress 188
Implementing Change 192
Is Anything Universal? 199
Kano Model 210
Flexibility and Unbundling 214
The Stress of Schooling for Parents 217
Key Takeaways 222
Notes 222
8 The Technology 227
The Bare Minimum 230
How to Ensure Adequate Technology for All Students 233
How to Use Digital Learning Well 236
Key Takeaways 245
Notes 246
9 Culture 249
What Is Culture? 250
How to Create a Strong Culture 251
The Power of Great Culture 254
The Risks of Getting Culture Wrong 255
Reinventing Culture 256
Key Takeaways 258
Notes 259
10 Test Your Assumptions and Learn 261
Will Your Plans to Reinvent Schooling “Work”? 263
A Less Risky Path That Embraces Innovation 264
The Standard Planning Process 266
What Is Discovery- Driven Planning? 267
Key Takeaways 281
Notes 282
11 Implementing Change When People Don’t Always Agree 283
Understanding the Level of Agreement 285
Leadership Tools 288
Management Tools 291
Culture Tools 292
Power Tools 293
Tool of Separation 296
Mechanisms of Movement 298
The Power of Education 301
Key Takeaways 302
Notes 302
12 Conclusion 305
Resolving the Paradox 308
Notes 312
Index 315
