Stop Leading, Start Building!
Stop Leading, Start Building!

Author: Robyn R. Jackson

Publisher: ASCD

Published: 2021-02-16

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 1416629866

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You are a school administrator—a principal or maybe a district leader. You're doing everything "right"—poring over data, trying new strategies, launching annual initiatives, bringing in outside trainers. So why do the outcomes you seek still seem so far away? The problem isn't you; it's that you were trained in school leadership, and school leadership just isn’t up to the challenge. Each year, Robyn R. Jackson helps thousands of administrators stop wasting time and energy on flawed leadership approaches that succeed only with the right staff, students, parents, budget, and boss. As they have discovered, it's possible to transform your school with the people and resources you already have. The secret? Stop leading and start building! In this book, you'll learn to use Jackson's breakthrough Buildership Model™ to escape the "school improvement hamster wheel" and finally create the school your students and teachers deserve. The work involves a handful of simple shifts in how you approach . . . • Purpose: Instead of chasing tiny gains or the "next new thing" every year, you'll establish and use an ambitious vision, mission, and set of core values to galvanize your staff, keep everyone focused, and create true accountability for achieving your goals. • People: You’ll discover new ways to help every teacher grow one level in one domain in one year or less and, ultimately, develop high levels of both will and skill. • Pathway: Instead of trying to tackle every problem at once, you'll identify the biggest obstacle standing in your way right now and figure out exactly how to remove it once and for all. • Plan: You'll learn a new process for solution implementation that is iterative, cyclical, and capable of powering both short-term wins and ongoing transformation, year over year. When you stop leading and start building, you let go of the idea that you need to work harder to make your school "work better." You no longer settle for incremental improvement when what you really want is dramatic change and better learning outcomes for all. It's time to make the shift from leadership to buildership. Get ready to turn your school into a success story.

How to Help Your School Thrive Without Breaking the Bank
How to Help Your School Thrive Without Breaking the Bank

Author: John G. Gabriel

Publisher: ASCD

Published: 2009-02-20

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 1416616454

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How to Help Your School Thrive Without Breaking the Bank will help you improve your school without investing in externally developed, expensive, and time-consuming reform programs or initiatives. It's packed with replicable strategies and practical tools that educators in any school can incorporate to transform the culture and improve student achievement and professional practice. You'll learn how to * Hone your own leadership and grow new leaders among your staff; * Develop a vision and a mission for your school; * Promote excellence among both staff and students; * Make the most of your time and facilitate effective meetings; and * Mine and use data with purpose. For most schools, times are tough and money is tight—but school leaders must still focus on how to steadily improve student achievement. Academic performance will improve in the long term only if your school has a healthy culture marked by integrity, a strong work ethic, collaboration, and reflective risk taking. Strengthening those foundational elements will help you sustain positive change in your school, even in difficult economic times. The good news is that you already have the resources you need to help your school thrive. This book will help you to maximize them.

Bringing School to Life
Bringing School to Life

Author: Sarah K. Anderson

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2017-11-08

Total Pages: 201

ISBN-13: 1475830629

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Place-based education is on the rise. Tired of “teaching to the test,” educators are looking for authentic ways to connect their curriculum to real life. The place-based approach brings students into their communities to learn necessary content and skills by working to meet the needs of local agencies and organizations. Students are more engaged because they know they are doing real work, teachers are reinvigorated by creating exciting learning opportunities, and the school takes on a more active role in the community. At the heart of this process is the place itself: the land, the history, and the culture. Bringing School to Life: Place-Based Education across the Curriculum by Sarah Anderson offers insights into how to build a program across the K-8 grades. Anderson addresses key elements such as mapping, local history, citizen science, integrated curricula, and more. Additionally, Anderson suggests strategies for building community partnerships and implementation for primary grades. This book goes beyond theory to give concrete examples and advice in how to make place-based education a real educational option in any school.

The Implementation of Teacher Evaluation for Professional Development in Primary Education in Taiwan
The Implementation of Teacher Evaluation for Professional Development in Primary Education in Taiwan

Author: Chao-Wen Liu

Publisher: Universal-Publishers

Published: 2011-02-14

Total Pages: 270

ISBN-13: 1599423804

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Teacher evaluation is an activity of assessing teachers' performance. It is equivalent to teacher appraisal/teacher performance management in England. This study explores the complexities of implementing Teacher Evaluation in primary schools in Taiwan. It concentrates principally on the development of Teacher Evaluation in Taiwan in the light of international research, especially that relating to the English context. The philosophical perspective with which this study is most closely aligned is constructivism. In particular, using qualitative methods of documentary analysis and interviews, it explores the nature of Teacher Evaluation and the meaning held by implementers. Government publications, including books, journals and other documentation from public institutions were examined to trace the development of Teacher Evaluation in Taiwan, and how it might be influenced by globalisation. Interviews were carried out with 3 head teachers and 7 teachers from 3 primary schools in Taiwan and 3 officers from different levels of official organisations. A Recommended Model of Teacher Evaluation was synthesised from the review of international research. Using the Recommended Model of Teacher Evaluation to evaluate the implementation of Teacher Evaluation for Professional Development in Taiwan, the effectiveness of the project was demonstrated. However, by looking at the empirical data, some limitations were observed, including deficiencies in the administrative system, teachers' heavy workload, the reluctance of teachers to accept changes, and insufficient knowledge of the relevant policy. Other obstacles were noted, including inadequately trained evaluators, the lack of a mechanism for professional dialogue, and the incoherence of the educational policy. This study shows that most teachers agree with the measures in the Teacher Evaluation for Professional Development implemented by the Ministry of Education, although some supplementary measures need to be established in a more sophisticated manner before it can be implemented fully. Finally, this study further proposes suggestions for a Teacher Evaluation model based on the Recommended Model of Teacher Evaluation, the implementation of the current Teacher Evaluation for Professional Development, and ideal models mentioned by the interviewees.

Make Learning Personal
Make Learning Personal

Author: Barbara Bray

Publisher: Corwin Press

Published: 2014-10-10

Total Pages: 430

ISBN-13: 1483388115

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Put learning back into the hands of the learner! Through personalized learning, education as we know it is transformed as learners are empowered to take control of their own learning. This thorough and timely resource draws on Universal Design for Learning® principles to create a powerful shift in classroom dynamics by guiding learners to become self-directed, self-monitoring, and self-motivated. You’ll discover: A system that includes tools and strategies to reduce barriers and maximize learning for all learners A clear explanation distinguishing personalized learning from differentiation and individualized instruction Teachers’ personal stories of moving through the Stages of Personalized Learning Environments to transform teacher and learner roles and school culture Background information on developing a rationale on why to personalize learning Strategies to create the change that occurs with the culture shift that happens in classrooms and schools as you personalize learning. Recognized authorities in personalized learning, the authors have led educational innovation for almost three decades. "As an educator for more than 30 years, I have seen a myriad of ideas to improve education. Personalized learning could truly be the game-changer! Barbara and Kathleen have certainly done their homework in clearly defining what it means to personalize learning. They identify stages that can help teachers gradually adapt their role, moving from a teacher-centered classroom to a learner-driven environment. This book will serve as a valuable handbook as educators make the decision to empower their learners!" - Betty Wottreng, Director of Technology Services, Verona Area School District, Wisconsin

Thinking Through Ethics and Values in Primary Education
Thinking Through Ethics and Values in Primary Education

Author: Gianna Knowles

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2012-05-18

Total Pages: 177

ISBN-13: 0857257358

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Thinking Through Ethics and Values in Primary Education is an accessible text that encourages readers to explore deeply the ethics and values surrounding primary education. The text helps the reader to critically reflect on the principles that underpin education. Specifically written for education students in the later years of their course, the text draws on research and practice to explore the challenges and opportunities involved, while helping to develop the reader′s own critical thinking skills. The book begins by asking ′what are ethics and values?′ and goes on to explore social diversity and society and education. It considers ethics and values and the curriculum, school organisation and the classroom. A chapter on ethics, values and the teacher encourages the reader to examine their own thoughts about education. Throughout, practical guidance runs alongside structured critical thinking exercises to help the reader and reflect on both theory and practice. About the Series Thinking Through Education is a new series of texts designed and written specifically for those education students entering the second or final phase of their degree course. Structured around sets of specific ′skills′, each chapter uses critical thinking and reflective exercises to develop greater subject knowledge and critical awareness.

Effective School Leadership in Challenging Times
Effective School Leadership in Challenging Times

Author: Liz Browne

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-12-29

Total Pages: 143

ISBN-13: 0429589204

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Education leadership has been subject to a period of turmoil with rapid social change, political demands for excellence, economic pressures for austerity and the influence of technology impacting on leadership roles in multiple ways. This book draws on real examples of practice to identify the key challenges facing educational leadership and how these might be overcome drawing on recent research and interventions that have impacted positively on learner outcomes and teacher retention. Covering all aspects of leadership including school improvement, vision and values, working with partners and leading change, the book launches the concept of atomic leadership, advocating small steps to change for maximum momentum and large-scale impact. It reveals how leaders can cooperate to trial new ways of learning and disseminate their successes and failures with a new honesty and openness about what works in our schools. With reflective tasks in every chapter, this text will inspire debate and inform discussion at staff meetings and is essential reading for all school leaders as well as those undertaking master-level courses in educational leadership and or pursuing the National Professional Qualifications in leadership.

Challenges in Early Years and Primary Education
Challenges in Early Years and Primary Education

Author: Estelle Tarry

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2022-06-30

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 1000591654

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Challenges in Early Years and Primary Education focuses on the teaching and learning of children in early years and primary school settings and creates awareness and a deeper understanding of current and critical education issues such as wellbeing, global education, online teaching, and teaching and learning in a multicultural society. This book encourages the development of the underpinning knowledge and understanding of teaching and learning, recognising good mental health and the solid principles of working with children, families and other professionals. Through discussions on a range of interrelated factors that contribute to children’s development, and learning and progressive participation, expert contributors explore ways to respond to and ameliorate the effects of the pandemic and other possible challenges that education professionals and children might face in the future. Challenges in Early Years and Primary Education is ideal reading for educational practitioners including teachers and anyone working in aligned educational settings, as well as students in the field of early years and primary education.