Ignite Transformation in Your District Community
Committed to achieving better academic, behavioral, health, and life outcomes for students and the adults that support them, Phoenix County's school board agreed to a bold new approach. They found new leadership and embarked on a multi-year journey to transform their school system and community-wide partnerships into a coherent student-centered ecosystem.
In The Education Imperative, strategic education consultant Charles Wright, Jr. has combined three decades of work in education, philanthropy, and business to offer an inspiring and thought-provoking vision via the aspirational story of one family's experience in the redesigned Phoenix County school ecosystem.
This novel tool will enable you to:
- Discover, develop, and/or accelerate your personal journey to support and lead transformative change
- Engage all stakeholders in a discussion that builds connections and sets the stage for bold changes
- Listen deeply, identify areas for healing, and discover support for breakthrough ideas
If you are a central office leader, supervisor, or staff member looking for a compelling way to deepen systemwide conversations around access, equity, and transformative change, this book is for you.
Inspire colleagues. Build trust. Take bold action.
About the Author :
Charles Wright, Jr. is Founder and CEO of the System Transformation Accelerator, an emerging nonprofit organization committed to helping school district communities redesign their educational and student service offerings into a coherent ecosystem where significantly more students and adults thrive. Charles has more than 25 years of experience helping leaders of complex multi-site organizations achieve transformational results that have a social impact, and is fueled by his passion for helping families and professionals connect to the people, resources, and tools they need to help their children succeed in and out of school.Charles previously served as Deputy Superintendent of the Seattle Public Schools. In this role, he was responsible for improving the systems that support the day-to-day operation of the district and overseeing the implementation of the district's strategic plan. Under Charles' leadership, the system increased school leader satisfaction with services to the next performance tier in 10 programs, adopted and implemented the Seattle Preschool program, stabilized and improved Special Education Services, raised funding to double support for strengthening an aging technology infrastructure, and more.He has extensive operational, planning, project management, and continuous improvement experience gained from previous roles with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wright Associates, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Denver Public Schools, School Evaluation and Management Services, Duval County Public Schools, Ford Foundation, and the Cleveland Foundation. In these organizations, he participated in a wide range of innovative local and national initiatives intended to bring about change within K-12 school systems and institutions of higher education.Charles completed his Bachelor of Arts in Finance at Morehouse College, his Master of Arts in Elementary Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, and his Juris Doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania. Charles and his wife Stephanie live in Washington with their sixteen-year-old daughter where he spends his extra time cycling and swimming.
Review :
"Throughout my career, I've read several education reform books, many claiming to have the 'solution' and others providing formulas for success without acknowledging issues of context and equity. The Education Imperative has taken a unique approach in combining fiction and non-fiction to allow readers to reflect on their experiences and question processes as they wonder through the eyes of real-life situations. Charles acknowledges the complexity of systemic reform and offers a tool to explore each community's journey to provide individualized support and services."
- Dr. Ana Tilton, Former Executive Director, Grantmakers for Education
"A remarkable, courageous offering to a society and system in desperate need. Not only has the author maintained hope after thirty-plus years of witnessing worsening outcomes in Education, he is offering a transformative, interdisciplinary-informed, community-driven vision that I believe will captivate and empower the hearts and minds of those who have the power to co-create thriving ecosystems."
- Sandy Ingle, PsyD, Retired School Counselor
"This is a brilliant and masterfully crafted aspirational story that brings a refreshing perspective of what is possible in today's classrooms and larger communities with the challenges that characterize our learning environment. As a 30-year educator who has served roles as a teacher, site administrator, and at central office, I have come across many educational books with great tips, recommendations, and promises of success. However, I have never read one that walks the reader through how to expertly leverage mindfulness practices, social-emotional support, and district office resources that successfully transition families into the school system as well create an ecosystem for them to thrive 365 days a year."
- Dr. Tonia Causey-Bush, Assistant Superintendent, Academic Services, Banning Unified School District
"Rather than dwell on the many problems facing American education, author Charles Wright Jr.'s novel tells a story of what's possible when a community comes together to create bold change. His solutions are built on a systems approach that invites stakeholders to embark on a collective journey, committing to a transformational process aimed at achieving success for all students, families, and communities. The author's proposed transformative process is informed by a lifetime of personal experiences living and working inside and outside school systems in different areas of the country. He has put the critical pieces together to create a vision of an integrated and sustainable school system that works for all students. "
- Joe Aguerrebere, Former President National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
"The Education Imperative offers an innovative paradigm for education that meets the needs and nurtures the potential of every stakeholder. Through the aspirational story, his insights into the mindsets, incentives, and other invisible barriers to change, and reflective questions, readers are invited to learn, probe, and hold themselves and their school system leaders accountable."
- Greg Kuhn, Retired Public School AdministratorAuthor and Speaker
