How would an entrepreneur reform education? In Every School, Don Nielsen draws on his business career and two decades as a school activist, to offer innovative solutions to the educational challenges facing our country. Lasting change, Nielsen argues, will not come mainly through local school boards, but rather through state legislative action that empowers school administrators to make choices in the interests of their students. The book is essential reading for parents, policymakers and citizens who want to improve the present system, and who have the courage to pursue the recommendations contained within. This updated version includes a "game plan" for a state with specific steps to implement the changes Nielsen recommends.
In this sequel to Total Instructional Alignment, the author peels back complex layers of the change process to reveal the five big ideas at the core of successful schools. Focus on these foundational ideas to simplify decision making and eliminate distractions from your efforts to promote effective teaching and learning. Teachers and administrators alike will appreciate this straightforward approach to solid leadership for school improvement.
Urban school superintendents face unprecedented challenges. They must ensure that all students achieve a high level of performance despite a lack of resources, the intractable problems of race and poverty, a chaotic governance structure, and the often conflicting demands of teachers, parents, unions, and the community. This important book, edited by the co-directors of the prestigious Harvard Urban Superintendents Program (USP), explores the ways in which superintendents can make a difference in the lives of each child, every day, by being knowledgeable about and driven by what happens in the classroom. The editors and distinguished contributors cover a wide range of vital topics that superintendents face from the day they are hired to the day they retire, such as how superintendents can most effectively communicate their vision, plan strategically, institute instructional reform, engage the community, and allocate resources. The book is filled with illustrative examples of well-known superintendents who are trailblazing new means to achieve educational fairness for all children and are changing the landscape of urban school systems today. In addition, Every Child, Every Classroom, Every Day highlights the Urban Superintendents Program's Leadership Framework, which is designed to aid administrators and educators in decision making and achieving equity. An ancillary CD containing teaching notes and exhibits is also included (in the print edition only) as an aid to teachers who wish to scaffold material discussed in the text. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file. These materials will be made available for download upon purchase of the digital edition Co-published with Education Week and the American Association of School Administrators.
Structured around the 4 seasons, this guide to outdoor learning and activities is packed with kids games, crafts, and skills to encourage your young ones to get outdoors—come rain, shine, or snow. The Forest School ethos of nature-based play and learning encourages children to develop confidence, self-esteem, and emotional intelligence—and it’s exactly what’s needed in an era when childhood problems such as obesity and anxiety are on the rise. Building on the success of the bestselling Play the Forest School Way, here is a brilliant selection of brand-new games, crafts, and activities to get kids developing new skills and exploring the natural world all year round. Structured around the four seasons of the year, each chapter is full of step-by-step games and activities that harmonize with the weather and seasonal nature patterns, including nods to seasonal festivals such as Easter and Christmas. Activities include: Spring: Nettle Soup; Wood-cookie-Man; Earth Day Birthday Cake; Dandelion and Lime Tea Summer: Bark Masks; Blackberry Ink and Feather Quill Pens; Nature Watch; Animal Tag Autumn: Evergreen Paintbrush; Baked Apples; Den Building; Leaf Stitching Winter: Elf Carving; Compass Treasure Hunt; Charcoal Pencils; Animal Track Casts At Forest School, children return to the same location again and again, building a lasting connection with a specific part of the natural world. Each of the four seasonal chapters in A Year of Forest School includes a description of an extended session (combining active and quieter activities, plus an idea for foraging/cooking), capturing this key part of Forest School play and providing inspiration for parties, themed learning days, and outdoor adventures.
Prospective college students and their parents have been relying on Loren Pope's expertise since 1995, when he published the first edition of this indispensable guide. This new edition profiles 41 colleges—all of which outdo the Ivies and research universities in producing performers, not only among A students but also among those who get Bs and Cs. Contents include: Evaluations of each school's program and "personality" Candid assessments by students, professors, and deans Information on the progress of graduates This new edition not only revisits schools listed in previous volumes to give readers a comprehensive assessment, it also addresses such issues as homeschooling, learning disabilities, and single-sex education.
Is your school prepared to deal with a crisis, whether it’s a hurricane, an earthquake, an explosion at a nearby chemical facility, an active shooter, or one of many other possibilities? Does your school have an up-to-date plan to deal with hazards of all sorts? Do teachers and other staff members know what to do in emergency situations to protect their students and themselves from harm? In this informative and comprehensive guide, school safety experts Amy Klinger and Amanda Klinger offer significant--and sometimes surprising--statistics on school safety, dispel common misunderstandings, and provide preK–12 school leaders with the specific information they need to prepare for and effectively respond to natural disasters, accidents, or violent events. Readers will learn how and why it is important to • Realistically assess threats and vulnerabilities. • Create and implement an emergency operations plan that follows government guidelines and best practices. • Decentralize authority and responsibility for crisis response. • Distinguish between three levels of “lockdown.” • Plan for short- and long-term recovery following an incident. • Make school safety an everyday component of school operations. At a time when schools at every level and in every community face the possibility of a crisis event, Keeping Students Safe Every Day equips leaders with the knowledge they need to give their students, staff members, parents, and the broader community confidence that their school knows what to do and makes safety a top priority.
'Every school a great school' is not just a slogan, but an aspiration for the next stage of education reform, in which each student has the opportunity to reach their full potential. The book argues that, for 'every school a great school' to become a reality, requires a move from individual school improvement efforts and short term objectives to a sustainable system-wide response that seeks to re-establish a balance between national prescription and schools leading reform. Achieving this goal requires strategies that not only continue to raise standards, but also build capacity within the system. David Hopkins identifies four key educational 'drivers' that, if pursued, have the potential to deliver 'every school a great school': Personalized learning Professionalized teaching Networking and innovation Intelligent accountability The author believes that it is the responsibility of system leaders to mould the four drivers to fit individual school contexts. It is this leadership that enables systemic reform to be generic in terms of overall strategy and specific in adapting to individual and particular situations. Every School a Great School is inspirational reading for head teachers, senior leaders and managers, researchers, lecturers and those with a passionate interest in improving education for all.
When the eccentric new education minister unveils a radical local exchange programme called INSTEP, two Secondary Three girls find themselves uprooted from their lives and transplanted into unfamiliar new surroundings. Rowena, a mediocre student at one of Singapore’s top girls’ schools, and Janice, the overachieving pride of a “heartland institution”, must each find a way to survive one term at the other’s school. But just when they think they have it all figured out, a rash of misfortune threatens to shut INSTEP down. How will the girls fare? Will INSTEP survive past its pilot phase? Can the girls save the day?
