
A Chance to Solve Their Own Problems
Inside the New Methods Seeking to Remake Public Schools
$44.16
- Hardcover
368 pages
- Release Date
15 October 2026
Summary
An inside look at the promise and pitfalls of continuous improvement and design in education—showing why reform sometimes succeeds, sometimes fails, and what leaders can do about it.
While the headlines have been consumed by No Child Left Behind, Common Core, charter schools, and battles over DEI, a group of practitioners have been trying to develop a new set of approaches to taking on the perennial problems of schooling. And rather than betting on a new program or a …
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780674290297 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0674290291 |
| Author: | Jal Mehta, Maxwell Yurkofsky, Kim Frumin, Amelia Peterson, Rebecca Horwitz-Willis, James Jack |
| Publisher: | Harvard University Press |
| Imprint: | Harvard University Press |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 368 |
| Release Date: | 15 October 2026 |
| Weight: | 685g |
| Dimensions: | 24mm x 156mm x 235mm |

Critics Review
Scholars, graduate students, and school decision-makers, such as superintendents and instructional leaders, will appreciate this comparison of several systemic educational improvement models…This is a book for the graduate professor’s lecture hall…and is necessary for academic libraries and school professional development collections. Public libraries in education-focused communities with invested school boards could also benefit from this detailed scholarship. – Jeffrey Aubuchon * Library Journal *
A carefully argued, empirically grounded, and very engaging account of continuous improvement and design approaches in education. The authors advance lessons here that are innovative and important for the broader work of education improvement. Essential reading for all engaged in making education better. – James P. Spillane, Northwestern University
Jal Mehta and colleagues have written a nuanced, insightful analysis and critique of improvement methods in education. The ideas they present here should be a centerpiece of debate in the field. A thought-provoking read. – Ben Daley, High Tech High Graduate School of Education
A Chance to Solve Their Own Problems is an honest and illuminating book about the power and possibility of continuous improvement in education. Full of hope, it provides guidance on which improvement approaches work best in which situations. Educators and improvers will have a better chance of ‘solving their own problems’ and realizing their power to pursue equitable futures after reading this vital text. – Brandi Hinnant-Crawford, Clemson University
A Chance to Solve Their Own Problems provides important insights into efforts to mobilize American ingenuity in the service of educational reform. An analysis of grassroots innovation that is both hopeful and cautionary, this is a must-read for everyone who is invested in a positive future for US public education. – Donald J. Peurach, University of Michigan
Jal Mehta
Jal Mehta is Professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is the author of The Allure of Order: High Hopes, Dashed Expectations, and the Troubled Quest to Remake American Schooling and coauthor of In Search of Deeper Learning: The Quest to Remake the American High School.
Maxwell Yurkofsky is Assistant Professor in the Doctor of Education Program at Radford University. He is coeditor of Improvement Science in the Field: Cases of Practitioners Leading Change in Schools.
Returns
This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.



