How Schools Work

How Schools Work

Author: Arne Duncan

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Published: 2019-08-06

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1501173065

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“This book merits every American’s serious consideration” (Vice President Joe Biden): from the Secretary of Education under President Obama, an exposé of the status quo that helps maintain a broken system at the expense of our kids’ education, and threatens our nation’s future. “Education runs on lies. That’s probably not what you’d expect from a former Secretary of Education, but it’s the truth.” So opens Arne Duncan’s How Schools Work, although the title could just as easily be How American Schools Work for Some, Not for Others, and Only Now and Then for Kids. Drawing on nearly three decades in education—from his mother’s after-school program on Chicago’s South Side to his tenure as Secretary of Education in Washington, DC—How Schools Work follows Arne (as he insists you call him) as he takes on challenges at every turn: gangbangers in Chicago housing projects, parents who call him racist, teachers who insist they can’t help poor kids, unions that refuse to modernize, Tea Partiers who call him an autocrat, affluent white progressive moms who hate yearly tests, and even the NRA, which once labeled Arne the “most extreme anti-gun member of President Obama’s Cabinet.” Going to a child’s funeral every couple of weeks, as he did when he worked in Chicago, will do that to a person. How Schools Work exposes the lies that have caused American kids to fall behind their international peers, from early childhood all the way to college graduation rates. But it also identifies what really does make a school work. “As insightful as it is inspiring” (Washington Book Review), How Schools Work will embolden parents, teachers, voters, and even students to demand more of our public schools. If America is going to be great, then we can accept nothing less.


How Successful Schools Work

How Successful Schools Work

Author: Rona Tutt

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Published: 2012-06-28

Total Pages: 121

ISBN-13: 1446207706

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Inside this book are case studies of cutting edge best practice from inspirational heads and school leaders doing excellent work in schools. They all illustrate how the role, and style, of school leadership is changing. By looking at what attracts teachers to leadership roles, and how they use their power, this book examines innovative leadership in action. The authors look at the characteristics of innovative school leaders, and reflect on how these people work. An appetite for challenge, a desire for a sense of well-being for all those involved in the school and its development and an ability to flex their style of leadership all emerge as core factors in their success. Topics covered include: - the changing role of school leaders - leading inclusive environments - the power of innovative leadership - identifying the challenges ahead The perfect read for anyone wanting to make a difference to their school or setting, this book will show you how it is done. Rona Tutt is Past President of the National Association of Headteachers, now working as an Educational Consultant. Paul Williams is a very experienced Head Teacher, based in London, who has held a number of leadership roles.


Making Schools Work

Making Schools Work

Author: William G. Ouchi

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2008-06-24

Total Pages: 398

ISBN-13: 1439108102

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Introducing a bold, persuasive new argument into the national debate over education, Dr. William Ouchi describes a revolutionary approach to creating successful public schools. This program has produced significant, lasting improvements in the school districts where it has already been implemented. Drawing on the results of a landmark study of 223 schools in six cities, a project that Ouchi supervised and that was funded in part by the National Science Foundation, Making Schools Work shows that a school's educational performance may be most directly affected by how the school is managed. Ouchi's 2001-2002 study examined innovative school systems in Edmonton (Canada), Seattle, and Houston, and compared them with the three largest traditional school systems: New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Researchers discovered that the schools that consistently performed best also had the most decentralized management systems, in which autonomous principals -- not administrators in a central office -- controlled school budgets and personnel hiring policies. They were fully responsible and fully accountable for the performance of their schools. With greater freedom and flexibility to shape their educational programs, hire specialists as needed, and generally determine the direction of their school, the best principals will act as entrepreneurs, says Ouchi. Those who do poorly are placed under the supervision of successful principals, who assume responsibility for the failing schools. An essential component of this management approach is the Weighted Student Formula, a budgetary tool whereby every student is evaluated and assessed a certain dollar value in educational services (a non-English-speaking or autistic student, or one from a low-income family, for example, would receive a higher dollar value than a middle-class student with no special needs). Families have the freedom to choose among public schools, and when schools must compete for students, good schools flourish while those that do poorly literally go out of business. Such accountability has long worked for religious and independent schools, where parents pay a premium for educational performance. Making Schools Work shows how the same approach can be adapted to public schools. The book also provides guidelines for parents on how to evaluate a school and make sure their child is getting the best education possible. Revolutionary yet practical, Making Schools Work shows that positive educational reform is within reach and, indeed, already happening in schools across the country.


Overloaded and Underprepared

Overloaded and Underprepared

Author: Denise Pope

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2015-07-27

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 1119022444

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Praise for Overloaded and Underprepared “Parents, teachers, and administrators are all concerned that America’s kids are stressed out, checked out, or both—but many have no idea where to begin when it comes to solving the problem. That’s why the work of Challenge Success is so urgent. It has created a model for creating change in our schools that is based on research and solid foundational principles like communication, creativity, and compassion. If your community wants to build better schools and a brighter future, this book is the place to start.” —Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and A Whole New Mind “Challenge Success synthesizes the research on effective school practices and offers concrete tools and strategies that educators and parents can use immediately to make a difference in their communities. By focusing on the day-to-day necessities of a healthy schedule; an engaging, personalized, and rigorous curriculum; and a caring climate, this book is an invaluable resource for school leaders, teachers, parents, and students to help them design learning communities where every student feels a sense of belonging, purpose, and motivation to learn the skills necessary to succeed now and in the future.” —Linda Darling-Hammond, Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education, Stanford University “Finally, a book about education and student well-being that is both research-based and eminently readable. With all the worry about student stress and academic engagement, Pope, Brown and Miles gently remind us that there is much we already know about how to create better schools and healthier kids. Citing evidence-based ‘best practices’ gleaned from years of work with schools across the country, they show us what is not working, but more importantly, what we need to do to fix things. Filled with practical suggestions and exercises that can be implemented easily, as well as advice on how to approach long-term change, Overloaded and Underprepared is a clear and compelling roadmap for teachers, school administrators and parents who believe that we owe our children a better education.” —Madeline Levine, co-founder Challenge Success; author of The Price of Privilege and Teach Your Children Well “This new book from the leaders behind Challenge Success provides a thorough and balanced exploration of the structural challenges facing students, parents, educators, and administrators in our primary and secondary schools today. The authors’ unique approach of sharing proven strategies that enable students to thrive, while recognizing that the most effective solutions are tailored on a school-by-school basis, makes for a valuable handbook for anyone seeking to better understand the many complex dimensions at work in a successful learning environment.” —John J. DeGioia, President of Georgetown University


Healthy Boards, Successful Schools

Healthy Boards, Successful Schools

Author: William R. Mott

Publisher: Fitting Word

Published: 2018-10-02

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781732239128

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There is no calling, no more vital responsibility, than the education of our nation's and world's future leaders. Independent and faith-based schools succeed and thrive in the presence of visionary leadership. In its absence, schools struggle and often fail to achieve their mission. The success story for schools is the strength of the leadership found in the relationship between the head of school, the board chair, and all trustees. It is through this relationship, partnership, and acceptance of roles and responsibilities where this health and this success can be found.


How The Other Half Learns

How The Other Half Learns

Author: Robert Pondiscio

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2020-06-02

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 0525533753

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An inside look at America's most controversial charter schools, and the moral and political questions around public education and school choice. The promise of public education is excellence for all. But that promise has seldom been kept for low-income children of color in America. In How the Other Half Learns, teacher and education journalist Robert Pondiscio focuses on Success Academy, the network of controversial charter schools in New York City founded by Eva Moskowitz, who has created something unprecedented in American education: a way for large numbers of engaged and ambitious low-income families of color to get an education for their children that equals and even exceeds what wealthy families take for granted. Her results are astonishing, her methods unorthodox. Decades of well-intended efforts to improve our schools and close the "achievement gap" have set equity and excellence at war with each other: If you are wealthy, with the means to pay private school tuition or move to an affluent community, you can get your child into an excellent school. But if you are poor and black or brown, you have to settle for "equity" and a lecture--about fairness. About the need to be patient. And about how school choice for you only damages public schools for everyone else. Thousands of parents have chosen Success Academy, and thousands more sit on waiting lists to get in. But Moskowitz herself admits Success Academy "is not for everyone," and this raises uncomfortable questions we'd rather not ask, let alone answer: What if the price of giving a first-rate education to children least likely to receive it means acknowledging that you can't do it for everyone? What if some problems are just too hard for schools alone to solve?


What Effective Schools Do

What Effective Schools Do

Author: Lawrence W. Lezotte

Publisher: Solution Tree Press

Published: 2011-09-15

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 1936765225

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This guide helps educators implement a continuous school improvement system through application of the seven correlates of effective schools. The authors discuss each correlate, update the knowledge base, and incorporate practical ideas from practitioners in the field. A comprehensive description of practices enables educators to build and sustain a school culture that accommodates the learning expectations and needs of all students.


The Keys to Effective Schools

The Keys to Effective Schools

Author: Willis D. Hawley

Publisher: Corwin Press

Published: 2006-10-18

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 1452280800

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Raise organizational effectiveness to improve the quality of instruction and dramatically impact student achievement! Working in tandem with the powerful National Education Association′s KEYS initiative (Keys to Excellence in Your Schools), this second edition focuses on how to change a school′s organizational structure and culture to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Each chapter, revised and updated to address continuous improvement and narrowing the achievement gap, provides a wealth of knowledge from leading experts in the field including Patricia A. Alexander, Eva L. Baker, James A. Banks, Peter Cookson, Lorna M. Earl, Richard F. Elmore, Michael Fullan, Geneva Gay, Willis D. Hawley, Jacqueline Jordan Irvine, Kenneth Leithwood, Ann Lieberman, Judith Warren Little, Lynne Miller, P. Karen Murphy, Fred M. Newmann, Sonia Nieto, Janet Ward Schofield, Walter G. Stephan, Gary Sykes, and Linda Valli. Educators at all levels, policymakers, and parents will discover how to apply the lessons learned from research. This essential handbook provides new chapters, including exemplary practice on teaching and learning for a multicultural society and on continuous school improvement. Now you can advance to the next level of change with an integral resource for school reform.


From Good Schools to Great Schools

From Good Schools to Great Schools

Author: Susan P. Gray

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2008-02

Total Pages: 185

ISBN-13: 1412948991

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Make the leap from ordinary to stellar school leadership! "What can I do to make a difference and lift my school to excellence?" Principals will find answers to this question and other critical leadership issues in this comprehensive resource, which examines how to apply lessons from the private sector to public education. The authors provide templates, implementation tips, and additional resources, and help school leaders discover nine essential characteristics of high-performing "Level 5" leaders through: In-depth discussions and case studies of "star" principals A comparison of principals and corporate leaders, including qualities exclusive to school leadership Reflection questions for more effective application of leadership principles


EQ + IQ = Best Leadership Practices for Caring and Successful Schools

EQ + IQ = Best Leadership Practices for Caring and Successful Schools

Author: Maurice J. Elias

Publisher: Corwin Press

Published: 2002-11-20

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 1483360660

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"Schools cannot teach character . . . School have to create an environment that models and promotes character development, and then they have to allow the children to ′catch′ character from the behavior of the adults and students around them." —From Chapter 1 by James P. Comer Let today′s educational leaders show you how to create a safe, healthy, and successful classroom community! Combining emotional intelligence (EQ) with academic intelligence (IQ) is the essential key to developing knowledgeable, caring, healthy, and successful students in today′s troubled world. Social-emotional skills often are not taught at home, but they are in fact the crucial connection that enables students to master and retain content knowledge while also creating a classroom atmosphere filled with proficient, civic-minded students with sound judgment and problem-solving skills that will last a lifetime. In this dynamic book, today′s educational leaders offer their best ideas for building school communities that are safe, smart, caring, successful, and emotionally intelligent. Key topics include: Transforming the Lives of Children (James P. Comer) Leadership for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (Mary Utne O′Brien, Roger P. Weissberg, Timothy P. Shriver) How New Knowledge About the Brain Applies to Social and Emotional Learning (Ronald S. Brandt) A Vision of Schools with Heart and Spirit (Linda Lantieri) Institutionalizing Programming for Social and Emotional Learning (Linda Bruene Butler, Jeffrey S. Kress, Jacqueline A. Norris) Implementing a Social and Emotional Learning Program (Carol Apacki)