Based on a study of a group of teachers and principals, this book details the Maine Academy for School Leaders' programme which argues that there is a direct correlation between leadership effectiveness and the improvement of student performance. The authors explore the soundness of the programme's innovative ideas by following closely the results gained by the study group.
In view of the high incidence of violence and intimidation in schools, this book is concerned with the need for students to learn conflict resolution, social problem- solving and peace-making skills. To strive for a peaceful community, the authors stress the need for children to learn socially acceptable behaviour, to challenge injustices and to establish personal and academic goals. Written for teachers at all levels, this book will serve as a useful resource for those wishing to address the growing problem of violence among young people.
The author of this innovative book develops the thesis that educational reform in its current state is incomplete and ill-suited to democratic nations. Maxcy argues that 'decentralization' philosophies could seriously damage schools and children. He advocates a comprehensive 'new school order' to suit the changing features of postmodern culture. Key themes in this text include: poststructuralist versus structuralist assumptions; and order versus chaos in popular reform movements. Democracy, Chaos and the New School Order should become a landmark in postmodern approaches to education.
Written by an elementary principal in a poor, urban neighbourhood in the United States, The Least of These recounts a year in the life of a school and challenges the proposition that school reform can be achieved smoothly. The author describes the conditions of the children's lives and those of the people who struggle to help them. Her account is a moving narrative depicting poverty, violence and neglect, and the teachers' struggle to offset these dismal conditions. The book highlights the restrictions facing the school which result from a large bureaucracy and a powerful teachers' union.
Current cultural and economic conditions can present a range of challenges to teachers, particularly when faced with the complex problems and needs of some students. Within this context, teachers must be able to meet students' educational and emotional needs, while ensuring their own personal survival. This guide uses research findings on teacher stress and `burnout' to provide support and encouragement to teachers. Suggestions offered include how to prioritize work, and how to recognize and tap administrative support.
This book provides unique insights into one of the United States' most comprehensive school-restructuring movements, the Accelerated Schools Project. Since its inception in 1986, the Project has aimed to transform school cultures which slow down learning through remediation into cultures which accelerate the learning of all students. The contributors to the book explore the challenges which face those involved in the Project.
School-based professional community is a concept that portrays teachers as working together towards a set of shared goals of improved professionalism for themselves and increased learning opportunities for students. Attempts to put this into practice in urban schools in the United States have met with varying degrees of success. Using case studies, the contributors to this book examine the reasons for this inconsistency, focusing on the structural, social and human relations conditions of schooling.
Quoting cases from his teaching experience, the author of this innovative guide demonstrates how humour can be used effectively in teaching. Richard Lodish believes that schools can become more successful if they incorporate more laughter into serious learning, arguing that this will improve children's learning.
In consideration of the new and varied leadership roles teachers are expected to fill as schools restructure and reform, this collection offers an insightful vision of the changes needed in teacher education to prepare teachers to be proactive leaders. Contributors reflect on key aspects of contexts, processes, communication and curriculum. Topics discussed include: occupational stress; special preparation of urban teachers; peer coaching and collaboration; communication skills; and workplace barriers to leadership development.
