Schools That Learn: A Fifth Discipline Fieldbook for Educators, Parents, and Everyone Who Cares about Education

This is an essential book for anyone interested in education. Its comprehensive coverage gives much background, even at the risk of being distracting when you want to follow-up on the leads to so many interesting source-books and links. Though you are told to dip in anywhere, you must read the first section, esp. "The Industrial Age System of Education" by Senge and "A Primer to the Five Disciplines" (Personal Mastery, Mental Models, Shared Vision, Team Learning and Systems Thinking) (pp. 27-93).The authors consider this book a "prequel" to their other books about learning organizations (p.7). That's true. Though this is the most recent book, you can start with this one and go on to the others for further depth. Some repetitions may only serve well for mastery.The whole book is very readable and informative. Concepts are clearly explained. It follows the same excellent editing format as The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook and The Dance of Change.When you get too enthused by so many ideas and success stories of innovations, heed the advice for "The Strategy of Organizational Change". "Focus on one or two new priorities for change, not twelve. Most school systems are already overwhelmed with change. They don't need a new initiative; they need an approach that consolidates existing initiatives, eliminates "turf battles," and makes it easier for people to work together toward common ends." (p.25)There are just too many passages that you wish to quote. The book is a treasure mine. However, for those (esp. busy administrators) who find the volume too daunting or verbose (592 pages!) and still want to get a handle on launching into transforming their schools into learning organisations, I would recommend, "Ten Steps to a Learning Organization" and start with the simple questionnaire given there.

SCHOOLS THAT LEARN is both a visionary and practical guide for how schools must evolve to meet the needs of students in the next 20 years. The use of multiple authors and perspectives mirrors some of the changes our schools must make to meet the needs of a new age. As Professional Development Director at a diverse Jesuit high school in San Francisco, I recommend this book to any educator, K-college. Senge's work will help prepare students for an era requiring a strong traditional academic foundation coupled with the need for creativity, and the social, emotional, and intellectual skills to work in high performing teams needed to rebuild our world.

SCHOOLS THAT LEARN shows that challenges facing businesses, organizations and schools may be different, but strategies and methods to understand and address the challenges are indeed similar.This book does a great job of translating the theory of learning organizations and the five disciplines into terms that relate to the life of schools and the people who work and learn there. The many stories presented demonstrate the wide variety of ways to address organizational learning.The perspectives of various authors highlight the complexity of school development and offer ways to better understand systems. The mere clarity from increased understanding of the current reality offers great opportunity for growth and improvement.A great read and reference for school leaders and those interested in helping students learn and succeed.

Whether we experienced our student life as "sweat hogs" or not, each of us have tales to tell of being forced to learn in spite of the schools we attended instead of because of them. If we counted how many "good" schools or teachers we experienced over our lifetimes, we could probably count them on one hand (or finger!). For an institution that plays such a significant part in our development, this is a terrible performance record.With SCHOOLS THAT LEARN, Peter Senge (et al) legitimize the fieldbook format as an extremely effective teaching tool. Chocked full of examples, tools, theory, tips and traps to avoid, SCHOOLS THAT LEARN outlines an effective strategy for creating a powerful alliance between learners, schools, and communities. His is a call to action that must be heeded.Readers will be informed, challenged to get involved, inspired, troubled, and made to see how important an issue lifelong learning is. Rather than seeking to place blame, SCHOOLS THAT LEARN simply acknowledge the "opportunities" that are before each of us. Senge then uses this "gap" between the desired state of learning and the current state to motivate readers to take action.This is a book that should be on desk of every school administrator, teacher, parent and corporate training staff. The dialogue it will initiate has the potential to create, sustain and improve learning throughout all areas of our lives.Get it, read it, act on it, and SHARE IT WITH EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

The fourth book in the Fifth Discipline series, SCHOOLS THAT LEARN, legitimizes Senge's fieldbook format as an extremely effective means of teaching. It leads the reader into the exciting adventure of creating, sustaining, improving, and helping classrooms, schools, and communities. It outlines a way to achieve our common birthright as humans, "life as eager and natural learners." This will be an important work, a source of dialogue for years to come, and - hopefully - inspiration for meaningful action in fostering the best method yet discovered to creating a positive globalizing force...LEARNING!With the release of each Fifth Discipline resource, the concepts, the thought, the ideas, best practices, examples, and usefulness to readers have become sharper, more focused, and infused with an ever increasing sense of urgency. Personal mastery, systems thinking, shared vision, team learning, and mental models wait ready to serve today's learners. And, SCHOOLS THAT LEARN show how to put them into service in one of the most - if not THE most - fundamental areas of our lives...LEARNING!When teaching schools, school systems, parents and community leaders begin to read, to discuss, to reflect on, advocate and actually take action to use the principles and practices described in SCHOOLS THAT LEARN, the promise of lifelong learning and the power of learners freed to learn will be realized.SCHOOLS THAT LEARN challenges, it inspires, it educates, and it forces you to engage with its content. Readers beware. You cannot enter this "stream" and emerge unchanged.