Spirit Work and the Science of Collaboration

Spirit is the essence of character―of what it means to be human. Finding hope in the power of collaboration underpinned by ‘spirit work’-- the care and love of students as learners-- Fullan & Edwards capture how some school districts are creating a deep learning environment for all. 

COVID-19, racial inequity, polarizing politics, mass misinformation, and myriad other challenges have made the future of education seem bleaker than ever. Spirit Work and the Science of Collaboration speaks directly to leaders′ hearts and advocates for the development of two qualities that will bring back hope for the future of education: "spirit work" and the science of collaboration. Spirit work centers love and care for students, staff, and communities as the impetus for creating a positive culture, while collaboration is the vehicle for manifesting that spirit work. Through powerful case studies and vignettes, the authors show how spirit and collaboration represent revolutionary potential for education. Readers will find

• A lifeline amid overwhelming conditions.
• Hope for themselves and the future of education
• Practical ideas for building cohesion throughout school communities

We cannot allow our best advocates for children to be consumed by today’s challenges. Spirit work and collaboration can pave the way to a brighter future.

Michael Fullan, Order of Canada, is the former Dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and Professor Emeritus of the University of Toronto. He is co-leader of the New Pedagogies for Deep Learning global initiative. Michael served as Premier Dalton McGuinty’s Special Policy Adviser in Ontario from 2003-2013. He received the Order of Canada (OC) in December 2012 and holds five honorary doctorates from universities around the world. His ‘interim autobiography,’ Surreal Change, covers his pre-Covid-19 era to 2018. Michael and his colleagues are now working diligently on field-based comprehensive system change in several countries. Under the umbrella of what they call the ‘humanity paradigm’ ―equitable-equal deep change that integrates local (school and community), middle (district/regional), and centre (policy) entities. Michael’s latest books are: Spirit Work and the Science of Collaboration (with Mark Edwards, 2022), The Principal 2.0 (2023), The Drivers (with Joanne Quinn, 2023), and The New Meaning of Educational Change, 6^th Edition (2025).

For more information on books, articles, videos, podcasts please go to: www.michaelfullan.ca

Mark Edwards previously served as school superintendent in Danville, Virginia, and in Henrico County, Virginia, where he was named
the Virginia Superintendent of the Year in 2001 and received the Harold McGraw Prize in Education in 2003. He later served as superintendent
of the Mooresville Graded School District in North Carolina. Edwards was named the North Carolina Superintendent of the Year as well as the AASA National Superintendent of the Year in 2013. He received North Carolina’s prestigious Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award in 2013 and the Public School Forum of North Carolina Jay Robinson Education Leadership Award in 2014. He has been recognized as a pioneer in one-to-one computing and as a collaborative leader in public education. Edwards has published three books, Every Child Every Day: A Digital Conversion Model for Student Achievement, Thank You for Your Leadership: The Power of Distributed Leadership in a Digital Conversion Model, and co-authored The Power of Unstoppable Momentum with Michael Fullan.