Collective Vision: Igniting District and School Improvement describes a school district’s 10-year journey of transformation. It began with the creation of a district-wide shared vision, mission, and values, using an appreciative inquiry process that engaged all stakeholders in the school district, thus establishing shared ownership and responsibility for the outcomes. The book demonstrates how the power of a collective vision and collaborative inquiry across a system helps establish a district-wide culture of collective efficacy, resulting in improved outcomes. In the field of education promising practices are sometimes discarded before improvements can be observed and schools are often charged with the responsibility for improvement without being given enough support or guidance from the district.

This story describes how continuous inquiry and district support for promising practices led to significant improvement and transformation. The book serves as a practical guide that provides useful “lessons learned” and questions for self-reflection throughout. Educators at all levels of the system will be inspired to take action toward district and school improvement.