I don't know about others, but I thought the C&McK paper did a great job
both of documenting a case where an inner city school system could raise its
mathematics performance and in motivating their explanation of how this
worked by bringing together the chat and cop perspectives on changes that
occur simultaneously among participants all over a complex system.
So often it seems that the only way to deal with high stakes testing
requirements is to put teachers and students into an even tighter
straightjacket. But here is a counter example showing it ain't necessarily
so.
I was particularly interested in the use of the idea of networks of
communities of practices (and activity systems?) to be able to have an
analysis span across many levels of the complex system(s) involved. And the
introduction of Everett Rogers' work on diffusion of innovative practices
addresses both the issue of sustainabilty and scalability (which might, in
fact, be closely related).
Any of the 30+ members of XMCA who voted to discuss this article have
anything to note about it?
mike
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