Introduction: Reimagining the Future of Schools

In this introductory chapter we do four things. First, we identify a range of problems currently limiting the efficacy of schools in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United State, and lay out the reasoning for urgently initiating future-oriented reforms in the present moment. Second, we detail the framing of the text by situating it as the logical culmination of prior research and theorizing focused on a variety of schools reform initiatives within an international context. Third, we offer brief summaries of the chapters in each of the three sections of the text. Finally, we note a number of inter-connecting themes which emerge across the chapters, and issue a call for immediate action around future-oriented reforms designed to support a more just, sustainable, and prosperous society. A society that empowers all young people to become both enlightened and engaged citizens, and good stewards of the future.