Most guides to the process of turning around low-performing schools are written for principals and policy makers. Teachers, however, are the individuals expected to conduct the “heavy lifting” of school improvement. Teachers’ Guide to School Improvement is the first book on the subject written expressly for teachers. In this expanded second edition, teachers are shown a step-by-step process for raising student achievement, beginning with the diagnosis of the causes of low achievement and extending through the crucial first year of turnaround and beyond. Examples of effective turnaround practices are drawn from a variety of elementary, middle, and high schools.
Set the foundation for a successful, sustainable school turnaround. Designed for school leadership, district administration, and teacher leaders, Flip This School presents a framework to revitalize underperforming and turnaround schools. Throughout the resource, authors John F. Eller and Sheila A. Eller detail practical strategies for planning school improvement efforts and collaborating with the schools existing staff and faculty to initiate a complete school transformation. This book will guide educational leadership in planning successful school turnaround: Identify the unique needs of your school, and learn how to develop a school improvement plan with the best methods to address present conditions. Understand the skill set needed for effectively leading school turnaround efforts. Gain strategies for developing a data-gathering plan, and recognize the ways in which data is helpful for successful turnaround schools. Examine the role of districts in the school reform and turnaround process. Consider how to improve school culture and provide opportunities for professional growth for teachers. Learn how to effectively manage change as well as understand how teacher leadership teams contribute to school improvement planning and the turnaround process. Contents: Introduction: Understanding the Foundations of School Turnaround Chapter 1: Assessing and Developing Your Leadership Skills Chapter 2: Gathering Extensive Data Chapter 3: Gaining Commitment for Resources and Support Chapter 4: Developing a Positive Climate of Collaboration Chapter 5: Building Capacity for Growth Chapter 6: Successfully Managing Change Chapter 7: Implementing Structures and Practices for Success References and Resources
LEADING SCHOOL TURNAROUND Leading School Turnaround offers new perspectives and concrete, evidence-based guidelines for the educational leaders and administrators faced with the challenge of turning our low-performing schools around. Using the tools outlined in this groundbreaking book, school leaders can guide their schools to higher levels of achievement and sustained academic success. Based on research conducted in the United States, Canada, and England, Leading School Turnaround addresses in three parts the dynamic context of the turnaround environment, what turnaround leaders do, and the incredible challenges of moving from turnaround to "stay around." Filled with illustrative examples, the book outlines the best practices and behaviors successful turnaround leaders exercise. The authors include detailed information for applying the four main categories of turnaround leadership: direction setting, developing people, redesigning the school, and managing the instructional program. This important resource can help any school leader get their school back on the track to academic success.
No greater challenge faces our society than improving the educational opportunities for millions of young people trapped in chronically low-performing schools. Overcoming this challenge requires talented and dedicated school leaders whose knowledge and skills extend far beyond what is covered in conventional principal preparation programs. This book draws on extensive research by the author and others on the actions needed to turn around low-performing schools. First, however, the book examines the personal qualities needed to undertake the turnaround process. Following chapters provide guidelines on diagnosing the school-based causes of low achievement and developing a school turnaround plan. The author focuses on the importance of continuous planning – a departure from standard practice. A major portion of the book is devoted to examples of first-order and second-order strategies for raising achievement. Specific recommendations for launching the turnaround process and sustaining gains beyond the first years of turnaround are provided. The concluding chapter addresses the role of school districts in supporting school-based turnaround efforts.
Developing and updating school improvement plans is an annual ritual for virtually all school principals and their school improvement committees. Still, large numbers of schools continue to produce disappointing outcomes. The authors believe that part of the problem is the result of plans that focus on the wrong targets and that rely on ineffective strategies for improvement. To help principals and their school improvement committees develop and implement plans with a greater likelihood of success, the authors offer a step-by-step process for school improvement planning. They go on to pinpoint specific school improvement goals, including raising reading and mathematics achievement, building robust school cultures, addressing the needs of English language learners, improving instruction, and reducing absenteeism and dropouts. For each goal, a variety of objectives and proven strategies is presented along with sample school improvement plans. The book addresses the differences in planning to turn around a low-performing school, planning to sustain improvements over time, and planning to move a good school to a great school.
"This book is a game changer! Strengths-Based Teaching and Learning in Mathematics: 5 Teaching Turnarounds for Grades K- 6 goes beyond simply providing information by sharing a pathway for changing practice. . . Focusing on our students’ strengths should be routine and can be lost in the day-to-day teaching demands. A teacher using these approaches can change the trajectory of students’ lives forever. All teachers need this resource! Connie S. Schrock Emporia State University National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics President, 2017-2019 NEW COVID RESOURCES ADDED: A Parent’s Toolkit to Strengths-Based Learning in Math is now available on the book’s companion website to support families engaged in math learning at home. This toolkit provides a variety of home-based activities and games for families to engage in together. Your game plan for unlocking mathematics by focusing on students’ strengths. We often evaluate student thinking and their work from a deficit point of view, particularly in mathematics, where many teachers have been taught that their role is to diagnose and eradicate students’ misconceptions. But what if instead of focusing on what students don’t know or haven’t mastered, we identify their mathematical strengths and build next instructional steps on students’ points of power? Beth McCord Kobett and Karen S. Karp answer this question and others by highlighting five key teaching turnarounds for improving students’ mathematics learning: identify teaching strengths, discover and leverage students’ strengths, design instruction from a strengths-based perspective, help students identify their points of power, and promote strengths in the school community and at home. Each chapter provides opportunities to stop and consider current practice, reflect, and transfer practice while also sharing · Downloadable resources, activities, and tools · Examples of student work within Grades K–6 · Real teachers’ notes and reflections for discussion It’s time to turn around our approach to mathematics instruction, end deficit thinking, and nurture each student’s mathematical strengths by emphasizing what makes them each unique and powerful.
Paul Bambrick-Santoyo (Managing Director of Uncommon Schools) shows leaders how they can raise their schools to greatness by following a core set of principles. These seven principles, or "levers," allow for consistent, transformational, and replicable growth. With intentional focus on these areas, leaders will leverage much more learning from the same amount of time investment. Fundamentally, each of these seven levers answers the core questions of school leadership: What should an effective leader do, and how and when should they do it. Aimed at all levels of school leadership, the book is for any principal, superintendent, or educator who wants to be a transformational leader. The book includes 30 video clips of top-tier leaders in action. These videos bring great schools to you, and support a deeper understanding of both the components of success and how it looks as a whole. There are also many helpful rubrics, extensive professional development tools, calendars, and templates. Explores the core principles of effective leadership Author's charter school, North Star Academy in Newark, New Jersey, received the highest possible award given by the U.S. Department of Education; the National Blue Ribbon Print version includes an instructive DVD with 30 video clips to show how it looks in real life. E-book customers: please note that details on how to access the content from the DVD may be found in the e-book Table of Contents. Please see the section: "How to Access DVD Contents" Bambrick-Santoyo has trained more than 1,800 school leaders nationwide in his work at Uncommon Schools and is a recognized expert on transforming schools to achieve extraordinary results.
"An absolute MUST-READ for school leaders who need to generate school improvement immediately! This book will help you make your school′s turnaround a success." —Bruce Haddix, Principal Center Grove Elementary School, Greenwood, IN "The authors go to the heart of school improvement by addressing the critical need to elevate learning for all students through the use of formative data and evaluation." —Jim Lentz, Superintendent USD 402 Augusta Public Schools, KS Transform your school with research-based tools! If you want to dramatically improve your school′s performance in a short time, this book is for you. Using formative evaluation, The TurnAround ToolKit offers educators a nine-step method based on data-driven continuous improvement processes. Experts and experienced practitioners Lynn Winters and Joan Herman frame these steps within three overarching "turnaround tasks" that begin with realigning systems, progress to integrating data to create the turnaround plan, and, finally, set the stage for ongoing plan revision. Collaboration and rigorous reflection are interwoven through all the steps. The authors clearly explain how to use data to strategically choose, implement, and monitor school interventions. Included are proven methods for: Improving school and student achievement Meeting accountability targets Increasing your school′s competitive edge and reputation Building a solid system for ongoing school improvement This comprehensive resource has it all—a clear step-by-step procedure, tools for implementing each step, pocket summaries for each chapter, and leadership guides to walk you through the process.
Offers a practical guide for improving schools dramatically that will enable all students from all backgrounds to achieve at high levels. Includes assessment forms, an index, and a DVD.
"This is a superb book, and does a wonderful job of relating the current state of research related to outdoor, environmental, and place-based education. The book provides a roadmap showing others to identify problems, develop research questions, put together data, and disseminate information to third parties." Joan Franklin Smutny, Founding Director of the Center for Gifted, a Northern Illinois University Partner, and Director of the Midwest Torrance Center for Creativity This book explores the phenomenon of outdoor education, an approach that permits children from all backgrounds to explore environmental, sustainability, and other issues facing them and their communities. Organized around both the conceptual and the practical issues facing school leaders interested in outdoor education, the book provides a wealth of resources for those interested in implementing outdoor education in their schools or classrooms. Infinitely flexible, outdoor education provides a lens through which teachers may explore any content area with any age group of children. Providing readers with both the theoretical underpinnings that support place-based curriculum as well as practical ways to implement an outdoor education program, the book also provides seven case studies that examine the issues facing school leaders desiring to make such a change. It guides those interested in exploring outdoor education through the curricular, instructional, and policy considerations needed to accomplish this goal. Stephen T. Schroth is Professor of Early Childhood Education/Gifted & Creative Education at Towson University, USA. He is the author of eight monographs, multiple book chapters, and numerous articles, and has taught pre-service teachers and graduate students for over twenty five years.
