This book’s title, I Used to Think . . . And Now I Think . . ., is borrowed from an exercise often used at the end of teacher professional development sessions, in which participants write down how what they’ve learned has changed their thinking. The resulting essays model the ongoing process of reflection and growth among those deeply committed to this work.

In this compact volume, Richard F. Elmore invites leading educators at every level of school reform—teachers, administrators, policymakers, school founders, community organisers, union leaders, teacher educators—to share their intimate reflections on the personal experiences and intellectual journeys that have shaped their practice.

Contributors include Jean Anyon, Ernesto J. Cortés Jr., Rudy Crew, Larry Cuban, Howard Gardner, Beverly L. Hall, Thomas Hehir, Jeffrey R. Henig, Frederick M. Hess, Deborah Jewell-Sherman, Brad Jupp, Dennis Littky, Deborah Meier, Ron Miller, Sonia Nieto, Charles M. Payne, Larry Rosenstock, Mark Simon, and Marshall S. Smith.