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Coherence
Co-Publication with the Ontario Principal's Council
Using the right drivers as a foundation, you’ll fight initiative overload and fragmentation with the Coherence Framework, a dynamic four-part plan for lasting school change.
- Grade Level: PreK-12
- ISBN: 9781483364957
- Published By: Corwin
- Year: 2015
- Page Count: 168
- Publication date: July 16, 2015
Price: $29.95
For Instructors
When you select 'request review copy', you will be redirected to Sage Publishing (our parent site) to process your request.
Description
Complex times call for clear solutions—If initiative overload and fragmentation are keeping your best plans from becoming reality, it’s time to start leading differently. The key to bringing about the kind of successful and sustainable change you need is the Coherence Framework, a dynamic, customizable road map made up of four essential components:
- Focused direction to build collective purpose
- Cultivating collaborative cultures while clarifying individual and team roles
- Deepening learning to accelerate improvement and foster innovation
- Securing accountability from the inside out
Coherence provides the insights and tools to drive effective leadership. Now you can gain a deeper understanding of Coherence with The Taking Action Guide to Building Coherence in Schools, Districts, and Systems.
Coherence is a book that demands action – it moves from the narrative of fixing one teacher at a time, to asking about the coherence of the system (be it school, national, or world issues). Fullan and Quinn create an important narrative about direction, working together, deepening learning, and securing accountability. The book sparkles with examples of coherence in action, it makes no excuses for employing the wrong levers of change. This is the blueprint for a new vocabulary of education action; it shows where we need to go next, and is another example of Fullan at the top of his game.
John Hattie
Director, Melbourne Education Research Institute and Author of Visible Learning
"School systems that struggle are riddled with incoherence—mismatched strategies, competing cultures, and illogical initiatives. Fullan and Quinn explain clearly how coherence can solve the problem. Based on solid research and lessons drawn from effective practice, Coherence provides a comprehensive model to guide educators as they learn and lead their way to better schools."
Susan Moore Johnson
Jerome T. Murphy Research Professor
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Key features
- The action framework we have developed aligns to the original four right drivers as follows:
Original Right Drivers |
|
Right Drivers in Action |
Systemness |
|
Focusing Direction |
Collaboration |
|
Cultivating Collaborative Cultures |
Pedagogy |
|
Deepening Learning |
Capacity Building for Results |
|
Securing Accountability |
- Offers many deep examples of right driver implementation including cases such as Garden Grove Unified School District (CA), Province of Ontario, and York District. All of these systems used ‘coherence making strategies’ as the route to success. They focused direction, employed collaborative capacity building, went deep in pedagogy, and secured internal group based accountability across the whole system.
For infographics, click here: https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/coherence/book244044#preview.
Author(s)
Michael Fullan
Michael Fullan served as Premier Dalton McGuinty’s Special Policy Adviser in Ontario from 2003-2013. He received the Order of Canada (OC) in December 2012 and holds five honorary doctorates from universities around the world. His ‘interim autobiography’, Surreal Change, covers his work to 2018. Michael and his colleagues are now working diligently on field-based comprehensive system change in several countries. This work operates under the umbrella of what they call the ‘shared humanity paradigm’ —Equity, Engagement, Excellence--Deep change that integrates local (school and community), middle (district/regional), and state (policy) entities.
Fullan’s favorite method of learning is to partner with groups that are engaged with change; and to learn together with them. (And then to write another book about the experiences, and what was learned).
Michael Fullan’s latest books are: Nuance (2019), Spirit Work and the Science of Collaboration (with Mark Edwards, 2022), The Principal 2.0 (2023), and The Drivers (with Joanne Quinn, 2023).
For more information on books, articles, videos, podcasts please go to: www.michaelfullan.ca
Joanne Quinn
Table of Contents
Authors' Note: The Time Is Now!
Chapter 1. Coherence Making
What Coherence Is and Is Not
The Wrong and Right Drivers in Action
The Coherence Framework
Get the Right Mind-Set for Action
Chapter 2. Focusing Direction
Purpose Driven
Goals That Impact What Matters Most
Clarity of Strategy
Change Leadership
Focused Direction in Action
Final Thoughts
Chapter 3. Cultivating Collaborative Cultures
Culture of Growth
Learning Leadership aka Lead Learners
Capacity Building
Collaborative Work
Collaborative Work in Action
Final Thoughts
Chapter 4. Deepening Learning
Develop Clarity of Learning Goals
Build Precision in Pedagogy
Shift Practices Through Capacity Building
Moving Whole Systems Toward Deeper Learning
Final Thoughts
Chapter 5. Securing Accountability
Internal Accountability
External Accountability
Final Thoughts
Chapter 6. Leading for Coherence
Master the Framework
Develop Leaders at All Levels
Final Thoughts
References and Further Readings
Index
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Reviews
"Coherence is a book that demands action – it moves from the narrative of fixing one teacher at a time, to asking about the coherence of the system (be it school, national, or world issues). Fullan and Quinn create an important narrative about direction, working together, deepening learning, and securing accountability. The book sparkles with examples of coherence in action, it makes no excuses for employing the wrong levers of change. This is the blueprint for a new vocabulary of education action; it shows where we need to go next, and is another example of Fullan at the top of his game."
John Hattie, Director and Author of Visible Learning"Coherence is a book that demands action – it moves from the narrative of fixing one teacher at a time, to asking about the coherence of the system (be it school, national, or world issues). Fullan and Quinn create an important narrative about direction, working together, deepening learning, and securing accountability. The book sparkles with examples of coherence in action, it makes no excuses for employing the wrong levers of change. This is the blueprint for a new vocabulary of education action; it shows where we need to go next, and is another example of Fullan at the top of his game."
Melbourne Education Research Institute
I love this book--timely, practical collaborative action! In an era of overload, frustration, and fatigue Coherence offers an extremely timely, necessary, and practical alternative to improving education. Coherence is essentially about the power, potential, and promise of people working collaboratively: the humanity and professional capacity of educators seeking to lead, learn, and teach to realize the persistent moral purpose of supporting all students to succeed. A hallmark of Coherence is that the principles and actions are grounded in practical examples from schools, districts and entire education systems. We desperately need coherence; this book provides a vital framework for collective action!
Carol Campbell, Associate ProfessorI love this book--timely, practical collaborative action! In an era of overload, frustration, and fatigue Coherence offers an extremely timely, necessary, and practical alternative to improving education. Coherence is essentially about the power, potential, and promise of people working collaboratively: the humanity and professional capacity of educators seeking to lead, learn, and teach to realize the persistent moral purpose of supporting all students to succeed. A hallmark of Coherence is that the principles and actions are grounded in practical examples from schools, districts and entire education systems. We desperately need coherence; this book provides a vital framework for collective action!
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
"School systems that struggle often are riddled with incoherence—mismatched strategies, competing cultures, and illogical initiatives. In their highly informative book, Fullan and Quinn explain clearly how coherence can solve the problem. Based on solid research and lessons drawn from effective practice, Coherence provides a comprehensive model to guide educators as they learn and lead their way to better schools. "
Susan Moore Johnson, Jerome T. Murphy Research Professor"School systems that struggle often are riddled with incoherence—mismatched strategies, competing cultures, and illogical initiatives. In their highly informative book, Fullan and Quinn explain clearly how coherence can solve the problem. Based on solid research and lessons drawn from effective practice, Coherence provides a comprehensive model to guide educators as they learn and lead their way to better schools. "
Harvard Graduate School of Education
"With the improvement of student learning at the center, Coherence assists educational leaders at every level to choose strategic drivers for change, learn collaboratively, and deliver results collectively. Fullan and Quinn nail the solution: building coherence is an on-going process that focuses on quality implementation of a small number of powerful goals that improve student learning. The Coherence Framework pushes and supports all leaders to improve their practice in the service of students."
John Malloy, EdD, Assistant Deputy Minister"With the improvement of student learning at the center, Coherence assists educational leaders at every level to choose strategic drivers for change, learn collaboratively, and deliver results collectively. Fullan and Quinn nail the solution: building coherence is an on-going process that focuses on quality implementation of a small number of powerful goals that improve student learning. The Coherence Framework pushes and supports all leaders to improve their practice in the service of students."
Leadership and Learning Environment Division, Ministry of Education
"Coherence is a must read for educators and politicians who are ready to talk the walk and take action with the ‘right drivers’. As a site and district leader I learned from reformers and researchers alike, but I struggled to operationalize what I had learned to benefit the adults and students I served. In Coherence, Fullan and Quinn clearly articulate a plan for operationalizing the "right drivers" throughout the system-school site, district, county, state, and nation."
Wes Smith, Executive Director"Coherence is a must read for educators and politicians who are ready to talk the walk and take action with the ‘right drivers’. As a site and district leader I learned from reformers and researchers alike, but I struggled to operationalize what I had learned to benefit the adults and students I served. In Coherence, Fullan and Quinn clearly articulate a plan for operationalizing the "right drivers" throughout the system-school site, district, county, state, and nation."
Association of California School Administrators
"Michael Fullan and Joanne Quinn have hit it out of the park in their new book Coherence. This book is an excellent resource for any school or school system that is committed to continuous improvement. Coherence is a practical powerful action guide for schools and school systems to use as they work collaboratively to close the achievement gap that exists in our schools. This book should be the required reading for all school administrators and elected officials."
Chris Steinhauser, Superintendent"Michael Fullan and Joanne Quinn have hit it out of the park in their new book Coherence. This book is an excellent resource for any school or school system that is committed to continuous improvement. Coherence is a practical powerful action guide for schools and school systems to use as they work collaboratively to close the achievement gap that exists in our schools. This book should be the required reading for all school administrators and elected officials."
Long Beach Unified School District, California
For Instructors
When you select 'request review copy', you will be redirected to Sage Publishing (our parent site) to process your request.
Related Resources
- Access to companion resources is available with the purchase of this book.