Book Reviews: Evidence-based school development in changing demographic contexts by Ylimaki, R. M., & Brunderman, L. A.

Abstract

“Evidence-Based School Development in a Changing Demographic Context” by Rose M. Ylimaki and Lynnette A. Brunderman is a book that takes on the enormous task of improving education. The book concerns the problem of the relationship between students (i.e., knowledge, abilities, desires, and dispositions) and their educational experiences. All students are expected to achieve a standard set of results, notwithstanding the massive potential for variability on both sides of the interaction. This book serves the Arizona Initiative for Leadership Development and Research (AZiLDR) projects, developed by the authors through their work with Arizona schools and most recently applied to the South Carolina context and analogous school development efforts in Australia, Germany, and Sweden. As a school development model, it offers guidance to schools on navigating the complexities of continuing school development. This book provides strategies to mediate tensions and address school culture and context, leadership capacity, data as a source of reflection, curriculum, pedagogical activity, and strengths-based approaches to meet the needs of culturally diverse students. It also discusses the complex subject of educational reform. It involves how students’ understandings, abilities, goals, and dispositions work together with their school experiences. The book includes active, reflective tasks and case studies to help readers understand each idea. Moreover, each idea is based on the research. The following steps in developing contextually-sensitive and multi-level school development, such as The Zone of Uncertainty, are where people from different countries can meet and research. In addition, this book consists of four parts and twelve chapters with detailed information.