Purpose: The purpose of this paper is for the author to recount how his use of organizational theory to understand educational reform in the USA led to a change of mind. Design/methodology/approach: My shift resulted from my conclusion, derived from the new institutionalism, that only marginal changes can be made in schools and, thus, fundamental change requires the design and construction of new systems. Findings: I moved from applying organization theory to find ways in which schools could improve academic outcomes for students, generally, and students from underserved communities, specifically to using organization theory to develop conditions that support efforts to design new systems to support learning. Originality/value: This paper's contribution is that it encourages students of school organization to consider applying their theoretical perspectives to designing innovative social arrangements to foster learning and teaching.