New Hope for Schools: Findings of a Teacher Turned Detective

After teaching more than twenty years in Los Angeles public schools, author Dr. Susan Farr Gabriele became disheartened with the state of schools. Too many influences took her away from the actual teaching of children. Gabriele turned to graduate school to seek answers to the problems in public education. In New Hope for Schools, she shares the results of her studies and the creation of a system that works for education. Gabriele discusses her experiences as a teacher and teacher turned detective looking for answers in her teaching experience and postcareer graduate school. She then reveals a breakthrough theory to demystify the behavior of people in schools, gleaned out of Boulding's Typology of System Complexity. As a result, she created the RoundTable, a practice designed to be an effective new tool for schools and classrooms, as well as a seed for systemic renewal. She also provides a three-pronged solution for unshackling and revitalizing schools and workplaces. New Hope for Schools presents new theory, new practice, and a user-friendly solution for systemic school renewal. It offers compelling new insights and solutions for all school decision makers-from educators, to parents, students, educational scholars, researchers, and policy makers. "A powerful way to learn! . . . the RoundTable provides a kind of learning experience that makes a real contribution to the community as a whole" -SUSAN McCORMICK, Polson School District Superintendent, Polson, Montana; School Improvement Consultant, Montana Office of Public Instruction, Helena, Montana