ABSTRACT
School reform efforts often lack attention to systems and the systemic thinking required to bring about sustainable, positive change. We argue that changing a school requires multiple actors with varying perspectives interacting to re-interpret and redefine conditions, relationships, and boundaries. Strengthening internal linkages between actors within a school can created a complex league of leaders (Rallis & Militello, 2010) who engage in collaborative inquiry and action. This chapter examines systems thinking driven change at a U.S. elementary school that led to dramatic and sustained turnaround in learning and academic achievement. Using the case of this school that was populated by high needs learners and that had been labeled as persistently failing, we describe the school’s journey from a simple system through to the complex system that facilitated a holistic culture of teaching and learning. The Chief Academic Officer, the principal, the literacy coach, union leaders, and teachers worked together to question and change teaching practice. Systemic interactions, perspectives, and boundaries (Williams & Hummelbrunner, 2011) guided our analyses and interpretations to understand how individuals became a league of leaders engaging in double-loop learning, through an inquiry-action cycle, to turn the school around.
