Quantifying the Ripple in the Pond

For as long as there have been public schools, there has been talk about how they should be improved. Until recently, it was assumed that only traditional school leaders were capable of initiating school change, but it is teachers themselves - those closest to the issues at hand - who are in the best position to bring about school reform. However, in the past, it has been difficult to identify teachers who have the potential to become agents of positive changes in their schools. The work detailed in this book seeks to change that paradigm by detailing the development and validation of an instrument whose sole purpose is to identify those teachers who are willing, able, and enthusiastic about making a difference in the lives of their students, colleagues, and communities.

Karrin Lukacs is an Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. Her research interests include the teacher's role in school reform, program evaluation, and mothers who decide to become teachers.