The Global Fourth Way: The Quest for Educational Excellence

by Andy Hargreaves, Dennis Shirley

The authors focus on the real-life, nitty-gritty challenges that change leaders face and how to put Fourth Way principles to work promoting student learning and achievement.

Genres: Education

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 4, 2012

About the author

Andy Hargreaves is Research Professor at Boston College, Visiting Professor at the University of Ottawa, Distinguished Visiting Professor at Hong Kong University, Professor II at the University of Stavanger, and Honorary Professor at Swansea University. He is Past President of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement, Adviser in Education to the First Minister of Scotland and from 2016-2018 to the Premier of Ontario. Andy is founder of the Atlantic Rim Collaboratory (ARC): a group of 9 nations committed to broadly defined excellence, equity, wellbeing, inclusion, democracy and human rights.
Andy has consulted with the OECD, the World Bank, governments, universities and professional associations worldwide. He has given keynote addresses in 50 countries, 47 US states and all Australian states and Canadian provinces. Andy’s more than 30 books have attracted multiple Outstanding Writing Awards. Andy is ranked in the top 20 scholars with most influence on US education policy debate. In 2015, Boston College gave him its Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award. He holds Honorary Doctorates from the Education University of Hong Kong and the University of Uppsala in Sweden.

Reviews

[Tara Brabazon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant book. A subtitle for The Global Fourth Way could be what Australian politicians and educational policy makers are doing wrong. When reading this book, there is a startling realization that the characteristics of standardized and under-performing schools and learning environments are found in current Australian educational policy and educational managers.

This book uses words like benchmarking, standards, excellence, quality and imagination with rigour, care and respect. Andy Hargreaves and Dennis Shirley understand the difference between standards and standardization. They grant attention to 'leadership' and 'professional capital' is a way that is both applicable and practical.

This is a fine book for researchers and teachers who are interested in understanding how quality learning and teaching can be created.

[Sean Kottke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb primer in international benchmarking in education, with a convincing comparison of diverse nations' education systems that emphasizes the alignment of systems and cultural values, rather than a menu of quick fixes for educational leaders to adopt a la carte.