Whether they’re the result of a mandate from on high, a crisis that needs addressing, or simply a desire for improvement, change initiatives are a constant in most every school. In this book, veteran teacher, administrator, and consultant Jeffrey Benson provides educators with a proven, practical, and broadly applicable system for implementing new practices methodically and effectively. Topics include * Identifying and communicating a clear and understandable vision of change; * Ensuring that all voices in the school are heard and respected during the change process; * Thoroughly and thoughtfully collecting, classifying, and analyzing data related to the change initiative; and * Delegating responsibilities among staff and stakeholders. Replete with checklists, surveys, and worksheets, 10 Steps to Managing Change in Schools is a practical guide for educators determined to seamlessly weave new practices or procedures into the fabric of the school.
"For students to be successful in school, they first have to be in school." With that simple statement, Jessica Sprick and Randy Sprick launch a compelling case for prioritizing student attendance. This comprehensive guide provides school and district-level administrators and teams with the background information, strategies, and tools needed to implement a multitiered approach to improving attendance and preventing chronic absence. The authors use the results of their work in schools throughout the United States to dispel the myth that educators have little control over student attendance and provide success stories from elementary and secondary schools that have reversed longstanding patterns of absenteeism. Citing extensive research, Sprick and Sprick share details about the shocking prevalence of chronic absence in U.S. schools and its effects on students, teachers, families, and the school community. They explain how to replace punitive approaches to absenteeism with effective methods that begin with universal supports and continue through Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions for students with more persistent problems. Specifically, they explain how to Build an effective school team to address absenteeism . Create systems to collect accurate data and set priorities. Develop an attendance initiative that generates student enthusiasm as well as staff, parent, and community support. Design and implement strategies that are tailored to specific schoolwide concerns and demographics that reach all students. Equipped with the information and tools presented in this book, educators can ensure wise use of staff and other resources—and create a culture of attendance that is the foundation of successful schools. This book is a copublication of ASCD and Ancora Publishing.
How can you help teens thrive now and for life? Support them as whole learners. Developing independence and responsibility. Collaborating and communicating effectively. Establishing valuable work habits. Harnessing emotions and motivation. In this insightful, culturally responsive guide, Poliner and Benson integrate these lifelong skills into daily practices through Practical applications for diverse populations in every class, advisory, team, or club The latest research on best practices from adolescent psychology, neuroscience, school climate Tools for teachers, administrators, counselors, and parents to help teens succeed now and later in school, home, workplace, and community. Teaching the Whole Teen supports adolescents and adults within the school to thrive.
Cathy L. Seeley, former president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, turns the spotlight on administrative leaders who are seeking to improve their math programs, offering an overview of what an effective program looks like and examples of actions to take to achieve that goal. Building a Math-Positive Culture addresses the following topics: * The three components necessary for a successful math program. * How to recognize, support, and evaluate effective teachers. * Steps to take to move from grand ideas to concrete results. * How to approach obstacles to achieving your goal. Along with the companion book for teachers Making Sense of Math, this book is an essential tool for leaders facing the critical task of revising their math program to develop flexible mathematical thinkers able to meet the demands of the 21st century.
"Good lesson plans have an almost mysterious power; they declare that all information can be interesting, that every skill acquired broadens our potentials to make a better world, and that all impassioned activity leads to learning. Our best teachers have shown us over and over that life is not a struggle against boredom and compliance; it is a wonder to be apprehended. Every bit of SEL you can integrate into your planning will not only begin to heal the wounds of passivity, racism, and inequity, but also give students an experience today, in your classroom, of that better world." Jeffrey Benson draws from his 40-plus years of experience as a teacher and an administrator to provide explicit, step-by-step guidance on how to incorporate social and emotional learning (SEL) into K–12 lesson planning–without imposing a separate SEL curriculum. The book identifies SEL skills in three broad categories: skills for self, interpersonal skills, and skills as a community member. It offers research-based strategies for seamlessly integrating these skills into every section of lesson plans, from introducing a topic in a way that sparks students' interest, to accessing prior knowledge, providing direct instruction, allowing time for experimentation and discovery, using formative assessment, and closing a lesson in a purposeful rather than haphazard manner. In addition to practical advice on lesson planning that can lead to improved student motivation and achievement, Benson offers inspiration, urging both new and veteran teachers to seize every opportunity to develop caring, joyful communities of learners whose experiences and skills can contribute to a better, more equitable world both inside and outside the classroom.
Change is inevitable, and how we handle it determines a great deal of our success in life. Fortunately, 10 Steps to Successful Change Management can help you understand change and take proactive steps toward dealing with it. With this handy go-to resource as your guide, you can understand and evaluate change, and apply practical tools that will help you not only cope with the inevitable, but benefit from it. Do you look forward to change, or do you face it with a sense of impending doom? Change is inevitable, and how we handle it determines a great deal of our success in life. Yet many people dread change, viewing it as a threat to be overcome rather than an opportunity to learn and grow. Fortunately, 10 Steps to Successful Change Management can help you understand change and take proactive steps toward dealing with it—whether it comes from technology, organizational shifts, economic or global trends, or simply the passage of time. With this handy go-to resource as your guide, you can understand and evaluate change, and apply practical tools that will help you not only cope with the inevitable, but benefit from it. This book can serve as a step-by-step program for systematically building your change management strategy, or you can turn directly to whichever chapter will help solve the problem at hand today. Either way, you'll be provided with insights, case studies, tools, and techniques to put you ahead of the change curve. You'll learn how to: develop a change management team and create supportive alliances communicate your plans, take your vision from idea to action, and overcome challenges along the way measure your success, review lessons learned, and build a culture of constant improvement. With 10 Steps to Successful Change Management at your fingertips, you'll be prepared to understand what's happening, minimize the risk that goes with it, and take advantage of the opportunities that change can bring. Instead of dreading the possibility that changes will occur, you'll be assured of your ability to handle them—and to thrive and grow through the experience.
With more than 50,000 books sold, this resource for teachers and school teams will open illuminating and productive new visions of how to improve grading practices.
This impressive collection features the best works by John P. Kotter, known worldwide as the authority on leadership and change. Curated by Harvard Business Review, the longtime publisher of some of Kotter’s most important ideas, the Change Leadership set features full digital editions of the author’s classic books, including bestsellers Leading Change, The Heart of Change, and A Sense of Urgency, as well as “What Leaders Really Do” and his newly published book Accelerate, which is based on the award-winning article of the same name that appeared in Harvard Business Review in late 2013. Kotter’s books and ideas have guided and inspired leaders at all levels. He is the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership, Emeritus at Harvard Business School, an award-winning business and management thought leader, a successful entrepreneur, and an inspirational speaker. His ideas have helped to mobilize people around the world to better lead organizations, and their own lives, in an era of increasingly rapid change. This specially priced collection offers Kotter’s best practical advice, management insights, and useful tools to help you successfully lead and implement change in your organization—and master the art of change leadership.
Managing Change: Enquiry and Action, Australasian edition offers a fresh perspective of change theory with contemporary examples providing students with the tools they need to navigate the complexities of change within organisations. The book features notions of innovation, disruption and agile learning that are necessary in an intensified business world. Using an enquiry-action framework, the text is separated into three parts: diagnosing, explaining and enacting to combine theory with the practical tools needed to understand and manage change. Cases reinforce student understanding and focus on actions and outcomes while a selection of fifteen extended cases bring different concepts together. Written by leading professionals, Managing Change: Enquiry and Action, Australasian Edition is an essential resource for students looking to develop a strong skills base that can be employed in practice.
"Jeffrey Benson guides K-12 teachers in incorporating SEL into their existing lesson plans as a means to educate the whole child and address inequities"--
