Negentropy: Principles and Use in PK-12 Schools

Abstract

Recent articles have introduced ideas from Physics, specifically, negentropy, to the social sciences. Applications have been primarily in higher education, online learning, and organizations. This article applies negentropy to PK-12 school contexts, discussing the principles for application of systemic school reform and improvement. Negentropy is the reversal of common disintegration and degradation of systems through explicit attention to the reversal of energy losses. Negentropic actions can be taken by school stakeholders to release new energy and recapture energy that is leaving the organization. This paper describes the principles of negentropy in schools, distinguishes it from other common school change theories (systemic school change, entrepreneurial, innovation) and offers implementation advice.