Douglas B. Reeves Quotes & Sayings

The central challenge for educational systems around the world is the substitution of effectiveness for popularity. — Douglas B. Reeves

Sustainable change, after all, depends not upon compliance with external mandates or blind adherence to regulation, but rather upon the pursuit of the greater good. — Douglas B. Reeves

I regularly invite educators and leaders to send me their questions, and hundreds of them do so every month. The most common question, however, is one to which my response is probably most disappointing. The question is "How do I get better buy-in from my staff before I implement some critically needed changes?" The answer is "You don't. — Douglas B. Reeves

Technology sometimes encourages people to confuse busyness with effectiveness. — Douglas B. Reeves

Vision without implementation is counterproductive. — Douglas B. Reeves

Behavior precedes belief - that is, most people must engage in a behavior before they accept that it is beneficial; then they see the results, and then they believe that it is the right thing to do ... implementation precedes buy-in; it does not follow it. — Douglas B. Reeves

One of the greatest inhibitions to the development of human potential is the aversion to effective practice. — Douglas B. Reeves

Collaboration, it turns out, is not a gift from the gods but a skill that requires effort and practice. — Douglas B. Reeves

Deep and sustainable change ... requires changes in behavior among those who do not welcome the change. — Douglas B. Reeves

In the best classrooms, grades are only one of many types of feedback provided to students. — Douglas B. Reeves

For teachers, getting annual test scores several months after taking the test and in most cases long after the students have departed for the summer sends a message: Here's the data that would have helped you improve your teaching based on the needs of these students if you would have had it in time, but since it's late and there's nothing you can do about it, we'll just release it to the newspapers so they can editorialize again about how bad our schools are. — Douglas B. Reeves