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". . . a great book. It gets inside the making and evolution of an innovative school. It captures the historical context and conceptual meaning of the dynamics of innovation, leadership, and teachers’ culture. As a practitioner turned academic, Fink blends the best of theory and practice."
–Michael Fullan, Professor and Dean of Education, University of Toronto". . . a superb and richly documented study of the sustainability and non-sustainability of educational change. In a world where we have become obsessed with instant, immediate, snapshot changes, Dean Fink’s excellent book demonstrates the value and necessity of looking at change in depth, over time."
–Andy Hargreaves, Director and Professor, OISE, University of Toronto
"The initial story is familiar — a new ‘break the mold’ school is initiated with high aspirations, but devolves to become rather ordinary. To say that the plot is familiar, however, is like saying that Shakespeare is derivative — it is what Fink does with it that is new. Fink’s revisiting of the story using multiple theoretical perspectives infuses his case with a Rashomon-like quality that engages and illuminates the problem of organizational life cycles."
–Karen Seashore Louis Professor, University of Minnesota
". . . a parable for our times. It demonstrates how even outstanding schools have to face up to the challenges of a changing and capricious context. In this fine-grained chronological analysis, Fink does what few others have achieved or even aspired to by laying bare the vicissitudes of school change during the postmodern era. It is a salutary tale that emphasizes once again that the goals of school improvement can only be realized over time, if at all, through a consistent application of a singular yet inclusive educational vision."
–David Hopkins, Professor and Dean of Education, University of Nottingham
