Praise for Crisis as Catalyst

What Readers and Reviewers Are Saying

Featured Reviews

I highly recommend Crisis as Catalyst to any thoughtful, solution-oriented leader who truly cares about their staff and school community. If you are an educational leader looking to enact real change and are willing to be pushed outside your traditional box to solve complex problems, this book is an essential read.

— Raymond J. Ankrum, Sr., EdD

Transformative Educator and Associate Professor of Practice, Temple University

In Crisis as Catalyst, Patricia M. Virella presents a framework that deeply resonates with the realities of leading a school through unprecedented disruption. As a school leader who navigated the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic, I found Virella's insights on equity, resilience, and critical reflection not just theoretical but also a mirror to the on-the-ground decisions we had to make. This book validates the hard truth that crises do not necessarily create new problems—rather, they expose the cracks in outdated systems while offering a pivotal opportunity to rebuild them with equity at the center.

— Raymond J. Ankrum, Sr., EdD

Teachers College Record Book Review

Reader Reviews

"Book Needed for School Leaders to 'Chart the Course' through Global 'Polycrisis'"

“‘Crisis’ is a persistent state of existence under racial capitalism, but that twenty-first century global politics have exacerbated. Dr. Virella’s work helps provide contemporary school leaders with meaningful approaches for promoting equity in every sense to support the communities whom they are entrusted with serving. Importantly, and not insignificantly, this work will leave readers eager to develop and sustain the capacity for ‘critical hope’ to navigate, or as Dr. Virella states, ‘chart the course’ through our world’s myriad crises.”

"Excellent Book"

“A poignant and timely text that pushes our education system to understand the possibilities and steps to create a more equitable system after crisis.”

What Educational Leaders Are Saying

On the Framework

“Virella rightly points out that equity-oriented resource allocation is vital for community survival. This book validates the hard truth that crises do not necessarily create new problems—rather, they expose the cracks in outdated systems while offering a pivotal opportunity to rebuild them with equity at the center.”

— Dr. Raymond J. Ankrum, Sr.

On Critical Hope

“This work will leave readers eager to develop and sustain the capacity for ‘critical hope’ to navigate, or as Dr. Virella states, ‘chart the course’ through our world’s myriad crises.”

— M. Nathaniel Tanner, Ph.D.

On Practical Impact

“Dr. Virella’s framework gave us exactly what we needed—practical tools grounded in rigorous research. We’re already implementing changes in our district.”

— District Superintendent

On Relevance and Timeliness