Synopsis

Students everywhere are harder to reach and teach, their attention and motivation less reliable, their language and behavior more provocative.  This is largely because parents, suffering a widespread loss of confidence and competence, are increasingly anxious about their children’s success, yet increasingly unable to support and guide them—and increasingly assertive and adversarial vis a vis the school.  Examining these trends and their underlying causes, Evans calls for a combination of limits and leverage.  At the policy level, we must rethink our notions of accountability, accepting the reality that schools cannot overcome all the forces that affect children’s lives and learning.  At the schoolhouse, educators can improve their impact by clarifying and asserting purpose (core values) and conduct (norms for behavior), and by becoming more appropriately parental vis à vis students and parents.  Evans outlines concrete ways to implement these measures, and closes with a reflection on ways to sustain hope and commitment in the face of unprecedented challenge.

Biography

Robert Evans is a clinical and organizational psychologist and the executive director of The Human Relations Service in Wellesley, Massachusetts. A former high school and pre-school teacher, and a former child and family therapist, he has consulted in hundreds of public and private schools throughout the United States and internationally, working with teachers, administrators, and boards. His interests have focused on school change and resistance to it, on leadership, and on changes in families and their effect on schools. He is the author of many articles and the book The Human Side of School Change from Jossey-Bass. He lives near Boston with his wife, Paula. They have two grown sons.