The New Meaning of Educational Change

Considering the organic nature of the process of reforming the educational system, as described by Fullan (2001), his perspectives can best be analyzed by utilizing gardening metaphors. By utilizing the different elements of gardening highlighted in McKenzie's (2001) workù"cultivating and fertilizing the soil, planting, pruning and weeding," Fullan's (2001) postulates about educational change will be analyzed and applied to the topic of curriculum reforms. Furthermore, this analysis will also be supported by the viewpoints of other educators and specialists in the field.

An integral part of the continuous effort to improve the quality of the educational system is curricular reforms. As described by English (2000), the public school curriculum is characterized by a lack of coherence and focus. Due to

. . .
r year (McKenzie, 1999). At the same time, the professional development of teachers to help them take on new curriculum demands must also be supported by administrators at the school, district and state levels. Currently, the attitudes and behavior of administrators at these different levels tend to undermine the cultivation of teachers' ability to plan new curriculum. More precisely, principals often allocate limited time for teachers to engage in collaborative discussions and reflections and burden them with non-instructional tasks. In addition, school district administrators who are in turn pressured by the state departments, often place an excessive emphasis on high-stakes testing, which prevents teachers from developing innovative curriculum and utilizing alternative teaching strategies (Wynne, 2001). Clearly, changes in the attitudes of these different stakeholders will need to occur to ensure the effectiveness of curricular reforms. "Planting" (McKenzie, 2001) During the planting phase, educators who are involved in designing the curriculum need to establish the content priorities of their curriculum, which involve differentiating the educational objectives from political motives (English, 2000). Fullan's (200
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Michael Fullan, Weeding McKenzie, Louis Miles, According Fullan, Planting McKenzie, Academy Science, Soil McKenzie, Retrieved June, References English, Press McKenzie, fullan's 2001, curricular reforms, mckenzie 2001, educational system, fullan 2001, pruning weeding, change process, academic standards, professional development, english 2000, retrieved june 1, june 1 2004, weeding mckenzie 2001, pruning weeding phase, coverage academic standards,
Approximate Word count = 1914
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

More Essays on The New Meaning of Educational Change