Lessons Learned and Best Practices From Classrooms, Districts, and Schools
Master one of today's most successful school reform and school improvement strategies! The Whole-Faculty Study Group (WFSG) System is a student-centered, teacher-driven process for facilitating major staff development and schoolwide change. When applied properly, it has produced extraordinary results for thousands of educators and students in schools and school districts across the country. The Whole-Faculty Study Groups Fieldbook is a comprehensive guide to applying the WFSG process. Edited by Dale Lick and Carlene Murphy, this practical manual provides concrete strategies for implementing and sustaining a school improvement process in any environment. Offering extensive experience, each contributor explores a different aspect of Whole-Faculty Study Groups and supplies lessons learned and many first-hand examples of successful school reform and student performance enhancement. Written to complement existing resources or serve as a stand-alone guide, this book will Demonstrate how concepts can be applied in a variety of school improvement efforts Present relevant strategies and activities Illustrate how to use suggestions in real-world situations Highlight critical concepts through extensive case examples Provide helpful tips and lessons learned Explain how findings can be applied to professional learning communities Offering numerous illustrations of the WFSG System in action and a comprehensive collection of tools for initiating and sustaining successful improvement programs, this fieldbook is an essential resource for K-12 administrators, staff developers, and teachers involved with any type of school transformation effort.
This study of 'transfer' addresses the perplexing question: How can students possess knowledge and skills in one set of circumstances and yet not be able to apply those same skills to other situations that require them? Madeline Hunter introduces four factors designed to aid the process of transfer and promote creativity and problem-solving techniques among students: similarity; association; degree of original learning; and critical attributes.
Lessons Learned and Best Practices From Classrooms, Districts, and Schools
Master one of today's most successful school reform and school improvement strategies! The Whole-Faculty Study Group (WFSG) System is a student-centered, teacher-driven process for facilitating major staff development and schoolwide change. When applied properly, it has produced extraordinary results for thousands of educators and students in schools and school districts across the country. The Whole-Faculty Study Groups Fieldbook is a comprehensive guide to applying the WFSG process. Edited by Dale Lick and Carlene Murphy, this practical manual provides concrete strategies for implementing and sustaining a school improvement process in any environment. Offering extensive experience, each contributor explores a different aspect of Whole-Faculty Study Groups and supplies lessons learned and many first-hand examples of successful school reform and student performance enhancement. Written to complement existing resources or serve as a stand-alone guide, this book will Demonstrate how concepts can be applied in a variety of school improvement efforts Present relevant strategies and activities Illustrate how to use suggestions in real-world situations Highlight critical concepts through extensive case examples Provide helpful tips and lessons learned Explain how findings can be applied to professional learning communities Offering numerous illustrations of the WFSG System in action and a comprehensive collection of tools for initiating and sustaining successful improvement programs, this fieldbook is an essential resource for K-12 administrators, staff developers, and teachers involved with any type of school transformation effort.
'Grady's book encourages principals who are perpetually pressed for time to get to correspondence that languishes at the bottom of their to-do lists. My own correspondence has doubled since getting my hands on this book!' - Cathie West, Principal, Mountain Way Elementary School, Granite Falls, WA 'The letters cover a wide variety of topics and give administrators ideas on what kind of letters to write. After going through the letters, I realize that I need to send more letters of appreciation to parents and organizations' - Gina Segobiano, Principal//Superintendent, Signal Hill School District 181, Belleville, IL As the key communicators for schools, principals write a wide range of correspondence-from thank-you letters and congratulations to best wishes and other personal notes. Yet, this critical responsibility can easily fall victim to every administrator's busy schedule. Marilyn Grady's updated and expanded collection of letters is truly a timesaving starter kit, with user-friendly and easy-to-personalize templates to revitalize every busy administrator's communications repertoire. This practical resource provides jargon-free templates useful for o Improving communication with parents, teachers, and other school stakeholders o Initiating a "letter-a-day" plan to improve school culture o Advancing parent education, health and wellness, and safety initiatives, among others o Reminding you to communicate with all stakeholders o Evaluating your current written communication o Identifying areas where you could communicate more This targeted collection will add a new level of organization, efficiency, and effectiveness to your communication tasks. Unlock the secrets of effective communication and watch relationships on all levels flourish! Includes a PC- and Mac-compatible CD-ROM containing all letters for easy customization.
A Field Guide for Improving the Context of Schooling
'This timely book is exactly what modern schools need, blending Fullan's theoretical genius about change with practical strategies that can work in any school. Readers will discover that it is practical, easy to use, and empowering for educators, with lots of room for personal choices at the school level' - Lyn Sharratt, Superintendent of Curriculum and Instructional Services, York Region District School Board, North Toronto, ON, Canada 'This book is an easy read and provides a well developed idea of framing the school context for student achievement. The author provides excellent resources, worksheets, templates, walk-through and reflection ideas, and additional support materials' - Rosemarie Young, Past President, National Association of Elementary School Principals, USA Need an inspiring approach to school change? Need staying power for school improvement initiatives? Organized to make learning contagious throughout the school, this user-friendly guide helps create a culture of learning that promotes the simultaneous development of students, teachers, and parents - addressing specific ways to maximize study groups, student data, classroom walk-throughs, and more. The interactive self-assessment procedures focus on: o achieving a sense of purpose o facilitating program coherence o invigorating classroom teaching o supporting the professional development of teachers o developing wider circles of leadership Issuing a call to action for all educational communities, this easy-to-use manual offers a visionary yet grounded approach to revitalize educators and reenergize their efforts for meaningful, lasting reform.
"This book will make you laugh, make you shake your head in disbelief, and keep you amazed. Most important, this book will help you become a more enlightened and effective educator as you gracefully sidestep difficult situations by remembering the practical lessons within these pages." -Jennifer Brooks, Fourth-Grade Teacher Olmos Elementary School, San Antonio, TX Avoid common teaching mistakes and acquire positive strategies and approaches! All teachers make mistakes, but when those missteps involve students, they can have negative effects for years to come. This second edition of the bestseller by Carolyn Orange offers reflective scenarios and insights to help teachers learn from examples of undesirable teaching techniques and find better ways to address challenging or stressful classroom situations. 25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make and How to Avoid Them, Second Edition, includes newly updated scenarios containing real student voices and teacher vignettes, as well as the author's prescriptions for better solutions. Drawn from many years of teaching experience, each prescription is aligned with sound educational theory and provides a dash of humor to help the solution stick. The book is organized into six sections, covering: Discipline Teacher-student relations Classroom policy and practices Classroom management and instruction Personality and professionalism Teaching style and behavior Excellent for staff development workshops and seminars, preservice and inservice teachers, and teacher leaders and mentors, this book's real-life examples offer valuable professional lessons while helping teachers better understand the responses and feelings of their students.
Using Gifted Strategies to Enrich Learning for Every Student
Developed for teachers of English and literacy, this rich resource incorporates higher-level thinking and reading strategies that promote academic achievement for both gifted learners and struggling students. Susan E. Israel, Dorothy A. Sisk, and Cathy Collins Block, recognized leaders in the fields of reading and literacy, provide teachers with tools to create collaborative literacy classrooms where students can generate ideas independently, discuss them, and then develop new concepts within a group environment. Collaboration boosts critical thinking skills and helps develop and enrich reading, writing, speaking, and thinking experiences not just for gifted readers, but for all learners! You'll gain important insights on: * Understanding how collaborative literacy affects gifted students and your entire classroom * Building collaborative literacy using specific resources such as adaptable lessons and activities * Creating an enriched collaborative literacy environment for all students * Involving parents in collaborative literacy learning * Stimulating creativity to increase critical thinking and develop richer comprehension Develop higher-level thinking and reading strategies to help your students become independent researchers, writers, and readers!
"This volume is exemplary in synthesizing research and condensing pertinent data on early childhood services both for practitioners and policymakers." -Charles Bruner, Director, Child and Family Policy Center "Any school district struggling with low test scores, high mobility, and/or high poverty should consider the benefits of early intervention-and read this book." -Mathieu Aubuchon, Preschool Coordinator The Early Childhood Center at Gregory Hill, Westminster, CO Your research-based reference for developing quality early educational experiences! School and district administrators, as well as policymakers, are increasingly recognizing that early education and intervention services for young children have a direct and positive impact on later school performance and quality of life. But which programs and services should be operated and funded? To answer that question, this book highlights the principles that characterize effective practices and programs for children ages 3-8. Written specifically for busy administrators, Evidence-Based Practices and Programs for Early Childhood Care and Education synthesizes what works, what doesn't, and what we still need to know based on the reviews of scientific literature by an expert panel of contributors. Key topics include: Definition and assessment of readiness of children and schools Early intervention for children in poverty, English language learners, and students with special needs Publicly funded, home-based, school-age, and out-of-schooltime programs The future of personnel preparation and professional development The result is a highly readable presentation of the evidence needed to make informed practice, program, and policy decisions in early care and education.
"This volume is exemplary in synthesizing research and condensing pertinent data on early childhood services both for practitioners and policymakers." -Charles Bruner, Director, Child and Family Policy Center "Any school district struggling with low test scores, high mobility, and/or high poverty should consider the benefits of early intervention-and read this book." -Mathieu Aubuchon, Preschool Coordinator The Early Childhood Center at Gregory Hill, Westminster, CO Your research-based reference for developing quality early educational experiences! School and district administrators, as well as policymakers, are increasingly recognizing that early education and intervention services for young children have a direct and positive impact on later school performance and quality of life. But which programs and services should be operated and funded? To answer that question, this book highlights the principles that characterize effective practices and programs for children ages 3-8. Written specifically for busy administrators, Evidence-Based Practices and Programs for Early Childhood Care and Education synthesizes what works, what doesn't, and what we still need to know based on the reviews of scientific literature by an expert panel of contributors. Key topics include: Definition and assessment of readiness of children and schools Early intervention for children in poverty, English language learners, and students with special needs Publicly funded, home-based, school-age, and out-of-schooltime programs The future of personnel preparation and professional development The result is a highly readable presentation of the evidence needed to make informed practice, program, and policy decisions in early care and education.
