Author: Bruce Sheppard
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1402097476
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 150
Book Description
School District Leadership Matters challenges policy makers, administrators, and academics in the field of educational leadership to reassess their traditional approaches to learning, working, and planning. The authors believe that government restructuring, standards-based reforms, and centrally imposed strategic planning have been painfully ineffective. As a consequence, student learning has become increasingly superficial and inauthentic. This book bridges the traditional divide between the generalizations of social science theory on the one hand and the world of educational practice on the other. It argues that a more promising approach to education reform is through effective school district leadership. Sheppard, Brown and Dibbon draw on their collective experience both as educational leaders and researchers of leadership, having spent five years researching and working in one school district. Here, they show how a district superintendent can successfully navigate the paradoxes and challenges of facilitating collaborative leadership in a school district with a traditionally hierarchical organizational structure. As a conclusion to their work, the authors highlight what they call five ‘recognitions’ that deepen readers’ understanding of school district leadership. They illuminate, too, ways that senior level practitioners can apply theory to practice in order to break down the traditional hierarchical bureaucracies that inhibit learning, and create professional learning communities. School District Leadership Matters urges researchers, graduate students, practitioners, and policymakers to focus on improving authentic learning for all students and argues that the best hope rests with effective school district leadership. This empirically-based yet practical book provides new insights and questions for academic researchers and will inspire policy makers and practitioners to imagine what could be and to work towards it.
School District Leadership Matters
Author: Bruce Sheppard
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1402097476
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 150
Book Description
School District Leadership Matters challenges policy makers, administrators, and academics in the field of educational leadership to reassess their traditional approaches to learning, working, and planning. The authors believe that government restructuring, standards-based reforms, and centrally imposed strategic planning have been painfully ineffective. As a consequence, student learning has become increasingly superficial and inauthentic. This book bridges the traditional divide between the generalizations of social science theory on the one hand and the world of educational practice on the other. It argues that a more promising approach to education reform is through effective school district leadership. Sheppard, Brown and Dibbon draw on their collective experience both as educational leaders and researchers of leadership, having spent five years researching and working in one school district. Here, they show how a district superintendent can successfully navigate the paradoxes and challenges of facilitating collaborative leadership in a school district with a traditionally hierarchical organizational structure. As a conclusion to their work, the authors highlight what they call five ‘recognitions’ that deepen readers’ understanding of school district leadership. They illuminate, too, ways that senior level practitioners can apply theory to practice in order to break down the traditional hierarchical bureaucracies that inhibit learning, and create professional learning communities. School District Leadership Matters urges researchers, graduate students, practitioners, and policymakers to focus on improving authentic learning for all students and argues that the best hope rests with effective school district leadership. This empirically-based yet practical book provides new insights and questions for academic researchers and will inspire policy makers and practitioners to imagine what could be and to work towards it.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1402097476
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 150
Book Description
School District Leadership Matters challenges policy makers, administrators, and academics in the field of educational leadership to reassess their traditional approaches to learning, working, and planning. The authors believe that government restructuring, standards-based reforms, and centrally imposed strategic planning have been painfully ineffective. As a consequence, student learning has become increasingly superficial and inauthentic. This book bridges the traditional divide between the generalizations of social science theory on the one hand and the world of educational practice on the other. It argues that a more promising approach to education reform is through effective school district leadership. Sheppard, Brown and Dibbon draw on their collective experience both as educational leaders and researchers of leadership, having spent five years researching and working in one school district. Here, they show how a district superintendent can successfully navigate the paradoxes and challenges of facilitating collaborative leadership in a school district with a traditionally hierarchical organizational structure. As a conclusion to their work, the authors highlight what they call five ‘recognitions’ that deepen readers’ understanding of school district leadership. They illuminate, too, ways that senior level practitioners can apply theory to practice in order to break down the traditional hierarchical bureaucracies that inhibit learning, and create professional learning communities. School District Leadership Matters urges researchers, graduate students, practitioners, and policymakers to focus on improving authentic learning for all students and argues that the best hope rests with effective school district leadership. This empirically-based yet practical book provides new insights and questions for academic researchers and will inspire policy makers and practitioners to imagine what could be and to work towards it.
School and District Leadership in an Era of Accountability
Author: Bruce G. Barnett
Publisher: IAP
ISBN: 1623963842
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 291
Book Description
Our fourth book in the International Research on School Leadership series focuses on school leadership in an era of high stakes accountability. Fueled by sweeping federal education accountability reforms, such as the United States’ No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Race to the Top (R2T) and Australia’s Performance Measurement and Reporting Taskforce, school systems around the world are being forced to increase academic standards, participate in high-stakes testing, and raise evaluation standards for teachers and principals. These results-driven reforms are intended to hold educators “accountable for student learning and accountable to the public” (Anderson, 2005, p. 2, emphasis in original). While policymakers and the public debate the merits of student achievement accountability measures, P-12 educational leaders do not have the luxury to wait for clear guidance and resources to improve their schools and operating systems. Instead, successful leaders must balance the need to create learning communities, manage the organizational climate, and encourage community involvement with the consequences testing has on teacher morale and public scrutiny. The chapters in this volume clearly indicate that as school leaders attend to these potentially competing forces, this affects their problem-solving strategies, ability to facilitate change, and encourage community involvement. We were delighted with the responses from colleagues around the world who were eager to share their research dealing with how leaders are functioning effectively within a high-accountability environment. The nine chapters in this volume provide empirical evidence of the strategies school leaders use to cope with problems and negotiate external demands while improving student performance. In particular, the voices and actions of principals, superintendents, and school board members are captured in a blend of quantitative and qualitative studies. The breadth of studies is impressive, ranging from case studies of individual principals to cross-district comparisons to national data from the National Center for Education Statistics. To highlight important findings, we have organized the book into five sections. The first section (Chapters 2, 3, and 4) highlights the problem-solving strategies used by principals and superintendents when pressured to turn around low-performing schools. In the second section (Chapters 5 and 6), attention is devoted to ways in which school leaders act as “buffers” by reducing the impact of external demands within their local school contexts. Next, Chapters 7 and 8 explore creative ways in which financial analyses can be used to assess the cost effectiveness of programs and services. Chapters 9 and 10 examine how principals enact their instructional leadership roles in managing curriculum reforms and evaluating teachers. Finally, in the last section (Chapter 11), Kenneth Leithwood synthesizes the major themes and ideas emerging across these chapters, paying particular attention to practical issues influencing school leaders in this era of school reform and accountability as well as promising areas for future research.
Publisher: IAP
ISBN: 1623963842
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 291
Book Description
Our fourth book in the International Research on School Leadership series focuses on school leadership in an era of high stakes accountability. Fueled by sweeping federal education accountability reforms, such as the United States’ No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Race to the Top (R2T) and Australia’s Performance Measurement and Reporting Taskforce, school systems around the world are being forced to increase academic standards, participate in high-stakes testing, and raise evaluation standards for teachers and principals. These results-driven reforms are intended to hold educators “accountable for student learning and accountable to the public” (Anderson, 2005, p. 2, emphasis in original). While policymakers and the public debate the merits of student achievement accountability measures, P-12 educational leaders do not have the luxury to wait for clear guidance and resources to improve their schools and operating systems. Instead, successful leaders must balance the need to create learning communities, manage the organizational climate, and encourage community involvement with the consequences testing has on teacher morale and public scrutiny. The chapters in this volume clearly indicate that as school leaders attend to these potentially competing forces, this affects their problem-solving strategies, ability to facilitate change, and encourage community involvement. We were delighted with the responses from colleagues around the world who were eager to share their research dealing with how leaders are functioning effectively within a high-accountability environment. The nine chapters in this volume provide empirical evidence of the strategies school leaders use to cope with problems and negotiate external demands while improving student performance. In particular, the voices and actions of principals, superintendents, and school board members are captured in a blend of quantitative and qualitative studies. The breadth of studies is impressive, ranging from case studies of individual principals to cross-district comparisons to national data from the National Center for Education Statistics. To highlight important findings, we have organized the book into five sections. The first section (Chapters 2, 3, and 4) highlights the problem-solving strategies used by principals and superintendents when pressured to turn around low-performing schools. In the second section (Chapters 5 and 6), attention is devoted to ways in which school leaders act as “buffers” by reducing the impact of external demands within their local school contexts. Next, Chapters 7 and 8 explore creative ways in which financial analyses can be used to assess the cost effectiveness of programs and services. Chapters 9 and 10 examine how principals enact their instructional leadership roles in managing curriculum reforms and evaluating teachers. Finally, in the last section (Chapter 11), Kenneth Leithwood synthesizes the major themes and ideas emerging across these chapters, paying particular attention to practical issues influencing school leaders in this era of school reform and accountability as well as promising areas for future research.
District Leadership That Works
Author: Robert J. Marzano
Publisher: Solution Tree Press
ISBN: 1935542362
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 297
Book Description
Bridge the great divide between distanced administrative duties and daily classroom impact. This book introduces a top-down power mechanism called defined autonomy, a concept that focuses on district-defined, nonnegotiable, common goals and a system of accountability supported by assessment tools. Defined autonomy creates an effective balance of centralized direction and individualized empowerment that allows building-level staff the stylistic freedom to respond quickly and effectively to student failure.
Publisher: Solution Tree Press
ISBN: 1935542362
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 297
Book Description
Bridge the great divide between distanced administrative duties and daily classroom impact. This book introduces a top-down power mechanism called defined autonomy, a concept that focuses on district-defined, nonnegotiable, common goals and a system of accountability supported by assessment tools. Defined autonomy creates an effective balance of centralized direction and individualized empowerment that allows building-level staff the stylistic freedom to respond quickly and effectively to student failure.
Distributed Leadership Matters
Author: Alma Harris
Publisher: Corwin Press
ISBN: 1412981182
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 185
Book Description
This text explores the practical application of distributed school leadership, combining theory and practice to demonstrate how this approach can result in better learner outcomes.
Publisher: Corwin Press
ISBN: 1412981182
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 185
Book Description
This text explores the practical application of distributed school leadership, combining theory and practice to demonstrate how this approach can result in better learner outcomes.
Building Teachers' Capacity for Success
Author: Pete Hall
Publisher: ASCD
ISBN: 1416616519
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 210
Book Description
Educators know that teachers are a school's most essential strength. In Building Teachers' Capacity for Success, authors Pete Hall (winner of the 2004 ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award) and Alisa Simeral offer a straightforward plan to help site-based administrators and instructional coaches collaborate to bring out the best in every teacher, build a stronger and more cohesive staff, and achieve greater academic success. Their model of Strength-Based School Improvement is an alternative to a negative, deficit-approach focused on fixing what's wrong. Instead, they show school leaders how to achieve their goals by working together to maximize what's right. Filled with clear, proven strategies and organized around two easy-to-use tools--the innovative Continuum of Self-Reflection and a feedback-focused walk-through model--this book offers a differentiated approach to coaching and supervision centered on identifying and nurturing teachers' individual strengths and helping them reach new levels of professional success and satisfaction. Here, you'll find front-line advice from the authors, one a principal and the other an instructional coach, on just what to look for, do, and say in order to start seeing positive results right now. Note: This product listing is for the Adobe Acrobat (PDF) version of the book.
Publisher: ASCD
ISBN: 1416616519
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 210
Book Description
Educators know that teachers are a school's most essential strength. In Building Teachers' Capacity for Success, authors Pete Hall (winner of the 2004 ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award) and Alisa Simeral offer a straightforward plan to help site-based administrators and instructional coaches collaborate to bring out the best in every teacher, build a stronger and more cohesive staff, and achieve greater academic success. Their model of Strength-Based School Improvement is an alternative to a negative, deficit-approach focused on fixing what's wrong. Instead, they show school leaders how to achieve their goals by working together to maximize what's right. Filled with clear, proven strategies and organized around two easy-to-use tools--the innovative Continuum of Self-Reflection and a feedback-focused walk-through model--this book offers a differentiated approach to coaching and supervision centered on identifying and nurturing teachers' individual strengths and helping them reach new levels of professional success and satisfaction. Here, you'll find front-line advice from the authors, one a principal and the other an instructional coach, on just what to look for, do, and say in order to start seeing positive results right now. Note: This product listing is for the Adobe Acrobat (PDF) version of the book.
Leadership in America's Best Urban Schools
Author: Joseph F. Johnson, Jr.
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1317412397
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 171
Book Description
Leadership in America’s Best Urban Schools describes and demystifies the qualities that successful leaders rely on to make a difference at all levels of urban school leadership. Grounded in research, this volume reveals the multiple challenges that real urban elementary, middle, and high schools face as well as the catalysts for improvement. This insightful resource explores the critical leadership characteristics found in high-performing urban schools and gives leaders the tools to move their schools to higher levels of achievement for all students—but especially for those who are low-income, English-language learners, and from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. In shining a light on the essential qualities for exceptional leadership at all levels of urban schools, this book is a valuable guide for all educators and administrators to nurture, influence, support, and sustain excellence and equity at their schools.
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1317412397
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 171
Book Description
Leadership in America’s Best Urban Schools describes and demystifies the qualities that successful leaders rely on to make a difference at all levels of urban school leadership. Grounded in research, this volume reveals the multiple challenges that real urban elementary, middle, and high schools face as well as the catalysts for improvement. This insightful resource explores the critical leadership characteristics found in high-performing urban schools and gives leaders the tools to move their schools to higher levels of achievement for all students—but especially for those who are low-income, English-language learners, and from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. In shining a light on the essential qualities for exceptional leadership at all levels of urban schools, this book is a valuable guide for all educators and administrators to nurture, influence, support, and sustain excellence and equity at their schools.
The Leader in Me
Author: Stephen R. Covey
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 147110446X
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 218
Book Description
Children in today's world are inundated with information about who to be, what to do and how to live. But what if there was a way to teach children how to manage priorities, focus on goals and be a positive influence on the world around them? The Leader in Meis that programme. It's based on a hugely successful initiative carried out at the A.B. Combs Elementary School in North Carolina. To hear the parents of A. B Combs talk about the school is to be amazed. In 1999, the school debuted a programme that taught The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopleto a pilot group of students. The parents reported an incredible change in their children, who blossomed under the programme. By the end of the following year the average end-of-grade scores had leapt from 84 to 94. This book will launch the message onto a much larger platform. Stephen R. Covey takes the 7 Habits, that have already changed the lives of millions of people, and shows how children can use them as they develop. Those habits -- be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, seek to understand and then to be understood, synergize, and sharpen the saw -- are critical skills to learn at a young age and bring incredible results, proving that it's never too early to teach someone how to live well.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 147110446X
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 218
Book Description
Children in today's world are inundated with information about who to be, what to do and how to live. But what if there was a way to teach children how to manage priorities, focus on goals and be a positive influence on the world around them? The Leader in Meis that programme. It's based on a hugely successful initiative carried out at the A.B. Combs Elementary School in North Carolina. To hear the parents of A. B Combs talk about the school is to be amazed. In 1999, the school debuted a programme that taught The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopleto a pilot group of students. The parents reported an incredible change in their children, who blossomed under the programme. By the end of the following year the average end-of-grade scores had leapt from 84 to 94. This book will launch the message onto a much larger platform. Stephen R. Covey takes the 7 Habits, that have already changed the lives of millions of people, and shows how children can use them as they develop. Those habits -- be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, seek to understand and then to be understood, synergize, and sharpen the saw -- are critical skills to learn at a young age and bring incredible results, proving that it's never too early to teach someone how to live well.
Charting the Course for Leaders: Lessons from Priority Schools in a Plc at Work(r) (a Leadership Anthology to Help Priority School Leaders Turn Their
Author: Sharon V. Kramer
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781951075590
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 248
Book Description
This all-encompassing anthology delivers clear steps that leaders can take throughout the PLC at Work® process to turn their priority schools around. Every key topic is considered and discussed--from prioritizing time for collaboration to implementing effective coaching to aligning school and district goals. Over the course of thirteen chapters, readers will grow in their role as leaders and gain a clear vision of how to evolve their priority school into a thriving place of learning. ● Discover how to effectively reframe accountability so everyone buys into the collective aspect of student learning. ● Focus on creating and aligning SMART goals--schoolwide, at the collaborative team-level, and at the individual teacher-level. ● Get ideas for extending work for proficient students, which can help boost a school's grade. ● Provide targeted feedback and effectively moderate and liaise within your professional learning communities. ● Implement a strong, collaborative coaching system to support teacher development. Contents: Introduction (Sharon V. Kramer) Chapter 1: Leveraging Shared Leadership in the Priority School (Robin Noble) Chapter 2: Building Collaborative and Passionately Agreed-To SMART Goals (Jack Baldermann) Chapter 3: Leading School-Improvement Work With Intention (Karen Power) Chapter 4: Focusing on Collective Responsibility (Joe Cuddemi) Chapter 5: Taking the First Five Steps in High School Improvement (Tamie Sanders) Chapter 6: Challenging Proficient Students (Michael Roberts) Chapter 7: Giving All Teachers the Coach They Deserve (Michelle Marrillia) Chapter 8: Providing Feedback on the Right Work (Sarah Schuhl) Chapter 9: Monitoring Productivity Instead of Activity (Rebecca Nicolas) Chapter 10: Employing High-Level Strategies From the District Office (Gerry Petersen-Incorvaia) Chapter 11: Aligning the Arrows for Continuous-Improvement Planning With SMART Goals (Kimberly Rodriguez Cano) Chapter 12: Building a Culture (Karen Power) Chapter 13: Ensuring the District Guiding Coalition and School Learning Team Have Impact (Gerry Petersen-Incorvaia)
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781951075590
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 248
Book Description
This all-encompassing anthology delivers clear steps that leaders can take throughout the PLC at Work® process to turn their priority schools around. Every key topic is considered and discussed--from prioritizing time for collaboration to implementing effective coaching to aligning school and district goals. Over the course of thirteen chapters, readers will grow in their role as leaders and gain a clear vision of how to evolve their priority school into a thriving place of learning. ● Discover how to effectively reframe accountability so everyone buys into the collective aspect of student learning. ● Focus on creating and aligning SMART goals--schoolwide, at the collaborative team-level, and at the individual teacher-level. ● Get ideas for extending work for proficient students, which can help boost a school's grade. ● Provide targeted feedback and effectively moderate and liaise within your professional learning communities. ● Implement a strong, collaborative coaching system to support teacher development. Contents: Introduction (Sharon V. Kramer) Chapter 1: Leveraging Shared Leadership in the Priority School (Robin Noble) Chapter 2: Building Collaborative and Passionately Agreed-To SMART Goals (Jack Baldermann) Chapter 3: Leading School-Improvement Work With Intention (Karen Power) Chapter 4: Focusing on Collective Responsibility (Joe Cuddemi) Chapter 5: Taking the First Five Steps in High School Improvement (Tamie Sanders) Chapter 6: Challenging Proficient Students (Michael Roberts) Chapter 7: Giving All Teachers the Coach They Deserve (Michelle Marrillia) Chapter 8: Providing Feedback on the Right Work (Sarah Schuhl) Chapter 9: Monitoring Productivity Instead of Activity (Rebecca Nicolas) Chapter 10: Employing High-Level Strategies From the District Office (Gerry Petersen-Incorvaia) Chapter 11: Aligning the Arrows for Continuous-Improvement Planning With SMART Goals (Kimberly Rodriguez Cano) Chapter 12: Building a Culture (Karen Power) Chapter 13: Ensuring the District Guiding Coalition and School Learning Team Have Impact (Gerry Petersen-Incorvaia)
Leadership Capacity for Lasting School Improvement
Author: Linda Lambert
Publisher: ASCD
ISBN: 0871207788
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 143
Book Description
Following the publication of Building Leadership Capacity in Schools in 1998, Linda Lambert visited educators around the world to see how they had applied the ideas presented in her book to their schools and districts. Though everyone she spoke with agreed on the importance of high leadership capacity, they also had many questions about how best to achieve this goal. Leadership Capacity for Lasting School Improvement is the author's attempt to answer those questions. The book begins by outlining the five major prerequisites for high leadership capacity: * Skillful participation in the work of leadership *Inquiry-based use of data to inform decisions and practice *Broad involvement and collective responsibility for student learning *Reflective practice that leads to innovation *High or steadily improving student achievement In addition to providing a comprehensive overview of steps schools should take to meet these criteria, Lambert quotes at length from her discussions with educators to provide a view of leadership enhancement techniques in practice. She also includes helpful rubrics and surveys that teachers and administrators alike can use to personally assess their leadership skills. Combining the author's own insights with real-life examples and practical exercises, Leadership Capacity for Lasting School Improvement is an indispensable guide to enhancing and sustaining a culture of leadership in any school.
Publisher: ASCD
ISBN: 0871207788
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 143
Book Description
Following the publication of Building Leadership Capacity in Schools in 1998, Linda Lambert visited educators around the world to see how they had applied the ideas presented in her book to their schools and districts. Though everyone she spoke with agreed on the importance of high leadership capacity, they also had many questions about how best to achieve this goal. Leadership Capacity for Lasting School Improvement is the author's attempt to answer those questions. The book begins by outlining the five major prerequisites for high leadership capacity: * Skillful participation in the work of leadership *Inquiry-based use of data to inform decisions and practice *Broad involvement and collective responsibility for student learning *Reflective practice that leads to innovation *High or steadily improving student achievement In addition to providing a comprehensive overview of steps schools should take to meet these criteria, Lambert quotes at length from her discussions with educators to provide a view of leadership enhancement techniques in practice. She also includes helpful rubrics and surveys that teachers and administrators alike can use to personally assess their leadership skills. Combining the author's own insights with real-life examples and practical exercises, Leadership Capacity for Lasting School Improvement is an indispensable guide to enhancing and sustaining a culture of leadership in any school.
The Art of School Leadership
Author: Thomas R. Hoerr
Publisher: ASCD
ISBN: 1416602291
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 231
Book Description
Discusses the importance of strong interpersonal skills to a successful leader and shares strategies for leading students, faculty, and parents in a productive and accountable school.
Publisher: ASCD
ISBN: 1416602291
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 231
Book Description
Discusses the importance of strong interpersonal skills to a successful leader and shares strategies for leading students, faculty, and parents in a productive and accountable school.