School change and the challenge of presentism

Presentism – short-term thinking and acting – plays an inhibiting role in educational innovation and must be addressed by leaders seeking to bring sustainable change in schools. Since presentism was identified by Lortie in 1975, many attempts have been made to eliminate it, but evidence of its enduring presence in education systems remains. The Sustainable Whole School Renewal and Innovation Pilot Project was designed to overcome presentism, and bring long-term change. Based on the Schooling by Design model, it uses a backward design approach by defining a vision and working backward to achieve it. Participants within two schools were encouraged to develop long-term goals and work towards them, thus challenging the orientations and practices reinforcing presentism. We found a strong orientation of presentism in both schools, but had some success in engaging teachers in taking a longer-term perspective. The article concludes with implications for educational leaders about ways in which presentism can be challenged in school settings.