Separating Good Change from Bad

Is all change good? When it comes to education reform, not necessarily.

“It shouldn’t be assumed that change by itself is good…,” says Santiago Rincón-Gallardo, Ed.M.’07, Ed.D.’13, co-editor of the new book, Future Directions of Educational Change: Social Justice, Professional Capital, and Systems Change with Helen Janc Malone, Ed.M.'07, Ed.D.’13. “It comes down to why we educate people. At the core definition of good is whether it serves the purpose of humanity or not.”

Rincón-Gallardo points to reform efforts like high-stakes accountability and testing as examples of bad educational change that causes many classrooms to become toxic environments. Yet there are also other areas of change happening across education — social justice, professional capital and change — that are making great impact, as explored in their book.

In this edition of the Harvard EdCast, Rincón-Gallardo and Janc Malone discuss their new book and the importance of educational change done well.

About the Harvard EdCast

The Harvard EdCast is a weekly series of podcasts, available on the Harvard University iTunes U page, that features a 15-20 minute conversation with thought leaders in the field of education from across the country and around the world. Hosted by Matt Weber and co-produced by Jill Anderson, the Harvard EdCast is a space for educational discourse and openness, focusing on the myriad issues and current events related to the field.