Building The Innovation School — Book Review
Dear T. Philip Nicols, aka Dr. Phil
I’m writing to you about your book, “Building The Innovation School: Infrastructures For Equity in Today’s Classroom.” As you likely already know, I have a visceral connection to this book and your in-depth scholarship that took place at the U School, where I am the founding Humanities Educator. During the 3 years you spent researching for the book, we were colleagues and we both witnessed firsthand the challenges of innovating from the ground up — something that your book does a deep dive into.
“Building The Innovation School: Infrastructures For Equity in Today’s Classroom” highlights your time researching and collaborating with the Innovation School, aka the U School in Philadelphia. In this book, you discuss your research, experiences, and takeaways on innovation in education.
Your book nobley advocates for repairing existing educational systems to benefit all students, rather than pursuing disruptive innovations. As both a colleague and a friend, I want to review your book from the unique perspective of someone who was alongside you during your 3 years of research.
What I want to highlight first is that your book offers a strong critique of the idea that innovation always improves education. You argue that real innovation happens best when it comes…
