Educational systems design: Making it more user friendly

Concerns about our current public education systems have given rise to a variety of reform efforts. During the past several years, efforts have begun to emphasize the importance of systems thinking and a “systemic” approach for bringing about fundamental educational reform. In spite of the promise of system design as a model for systemic change, it has been largely ignored by its intended clients, the educational leadership. This paper explores some of the reasons for this and proposes a number of actions that need to be taken if system design is to become a viable approach.