Fullan to Speak At UB Education Alumni Dinner

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Michael Fullan, widely regarded as one of the world's leading authorities on education reform, will address the 1997 alumni dinner of the University at Buffalo Graduate School of Education, to be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4, in the Buffalo Yacht Club, One Porter Ave.

The dinner is open to all education-school faculty, students, staff and alumni, and to the general public. For information and reservations, call the Graduate School of Education Dean's Office at 645-2491.

Fullan is dean of the newly formed Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto and is one of the most highly respected educational innovators of this age.

In a talk titled "Taking Action Amidst Chaos," he will offer his insights into the management of change under chaotic conditions. They were developed, he said, during many years of active practice throughout Canada and the U.S. He also will discuss lines of action and strategies most effective in dealing with change.

Fullan revolutionized the way school reform is regarded with his 1982 book, "The Meaning of Educational Change." In a newly revised edition, " The New Meaning of Educational Change," he extended his learned examination of the concept from its introduction into educational parlance to its meaning and most effective practice in a complex, dynamic society.

His reputation is based as much in his successful practice, however, as it is in theoretical advocacy. Fullan developed a number of partnerships with school systems, teachers' federations, research and development institutes, and government agencies designed to bring about major school improvement and educational reform.

He has served these projects in various capacities, as a researcher, trainer and policy advisor. He also has been involved with major evaluations of educational initiatives undertaken by the Ford and Rockefeller foundations.