Design-Based School Improvement: A Practical Guide for Education Leaders - Softcover

Rick Mintrop, currently on the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley, was an educator at the school level in various capacities in both the United States and Germany before he entered into an academic career. He received an MA in political science and German literature at the Freie Universität Berlin and a PhD in education from Stanford University.

He was the faculty co-director of the Principal Leadership Institute at UCLA and has been the director of the doctoral program in Leadership for Educational Equity (LEEP) at Berkeley since 2006. LEEP aims to prepare strong leaders for high-need urban schools, and design development studies are the signature pedagogy of this program.

As a researcher, he explores school change and improvement at the nexus of educational policies, teachers’ work, and broader institutional changes. He examined these relationships, first, in East German schools that underwent fundamental changes after the collapse of authoritarian socialism. A number of articles and a book, Educational Change and Social Transformation (with Hans Weiler and Elisabeth Fuhrmann, 1996), resulted from this work. He coauthored (with Bruno Losito, CEDE, Italy) The Teaching of Civic Education (2001), which looks at the conditions of civic education teaching in twenty-eight countries. His interest in design-based thinking began in a project that was inspired by the work of the late Ann Brown and produced, among other publications, an article, “Educating Student and Novice Teachers in a Constructivist Manner: Can It All Be Done?” (Teachers College Record, 2002), which was the Top Featured Article in the 2002 volume.

He has written various publications about his research on school accountability; these include Schools on Probation: How Accountability Works (and Doesn’t Work) (2004); “The Practical Relevance of Accountability Systems for School Improvement” (with Tina Trujillo, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis); “Predictable Failure of Federal Sanctions-Driven Accountability for School Improvement—And Why We May Retain It Anyway” (with Gail Sunderman, Educational Researcher, 2009); and “Bridging Accountability Obligations, Professional Values, and (Perceived) Student Needs with Integrity,” (Journal of Educational Administration, 2012), which was named Commendable Paper for the 2012 volume.

Design-Based School Improvement provides a practical guide for education leaders who are seeking to address issues of equity in their schools. The book provides a step-by-step description of the design development process, augmented by case studies and a series of “excursions into theory” that highlight key research findings. By bringing theory to life and putting it in the hands of skilled practitioners, this book provides an invaluable resource for education leaders.
 
“In a rare melding of theory and on-the-ground experiences, Mintrop shows how school leaders can tackle equity-related problems of practice at a local level. Examples of inclusive and context-specific ‘design’ steps provide concrete support for leaders intent on translating a deep commitment to educational justice into actions that change students’ lives and learning. A superb contribution to the field of education leadership!”
—Jeannie Oakes, Presidential Professor Emeritus, UCLA, and president 2015–2016, American Educational Research Association
 
“In this smart volume, Mintrop and colleagues bring together the best thinking in research and practice about design-based school improvement. This book is a must-read for any educator who wants to lead for equity-focused improvement.”
—Meredith I. Honig, associate professor, Educational Policy, Organizations & Leadership, and director, District Leadership Design Lab (DL2) and Leadership for Learning, University of Washington, Seattle
 
“Our district has embraced design-based improvement as we transition to more rigorous academic standards. Mintrop’s book provides an insightful guide to this dynamic, learner-centered approach.”
—Stan “Data” Dobbs, superintendent and CEO, Hayward Unified School District, California
 
“An all-around good read for those who want to bridge the research-practice silos in education.”
—Louis Gomez, professor, Department of Education, UCLA, and senior fellow, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement Teaching

Rick Mintrop is the faculty director of the doctoral program in Leadership for Educational Equity at the University of California, Berkeley.