This book on teamwork is different from others in that instead of expecting a facilitator to be responsible for group success these authors posit that it is the individual group members who are critical for successful collaboration. Teamwork isn't always productive. In some cases, collaboration can lead to group members feeling anxious, vulnerable, and distrustful of others. The way through this is to capacitate groups to structure thoughtful conversations that lead to better decision making for sustainable change. This book gives team members guidance on how to be effective (mindful) members who construct meaning, listen, are self-revealing, have social sensitivity, adhere to group norms, maintain awareness of group processes, and monitor group goals. The focus of this book is on cultivating and sustaining generative groups where everyone takes an active role in determining the success or failure of the group's work.
A New Approach to Supporting Equity-Focused School and District Leadership
Because equity and instruction are inextricably bound Why are equity visits such a critical first step to increasing opportunity and access for our under-served students? Because they take instructional rounds to a new level, providing a powerful lens for investigating the intersections of equity and instruction. After all, how can we possibly deliver equitable learning experiences, opportunities, and outcomes for our students, without first pinpointing problems of practice? That's where Equity Visits will prove absolutely indispensable to district and school administrators. It details how to combine a strong focus on instruction with explicit, intentional efforts to address systemic inequities. Inside you'll find A range of data collection activities and tools to target central issues of equity in your school Clear guidelines on how to investigate the ways instructional practices, structures, and beliefs lead to inequitable educational experiences-and how these are often masked in the day-to-day life of schools and districts A frank discussion of how to make race and racism an explicit part of investigating and addressing educational inequities Voices of school and district leaders who have taken crucial first steps to become "equity warriors" Recommendations on how to develop policies, initiatives, and practices to confront those inequities Few dispute that instructional improvement must be a central focus of educational leadership, but for too long achieving educational equity has been absent from the conversation. Here is your opportunity to ensure equity occupy a central spot in data collection and analysis, and be explicitly discussed at all levels of your school or district organization. In short, essential reading and doing for all administrators!
Programs and policies that can hurt students and learning abound. School accountability plans, educator evaluation programs, standardization of curriculum and assessment, contradictory policy-maker expectations, and influences from international testing programs are just some of the current issues that exert pressure on public school leaders via rhetoric and education reform policy proposals. School leaders need to be able to make accurate judgments about the ethics and efficacy of education reforms so they can decide whether they must defend students and educators from practices and policies built on nothing more than rhetoric, junk-science, and anti-intellectual ideology, or whether they should support a proposal or program founded on evidence of positive outcomes.
Leading a Coherent System of Continuous Improvement
Built from the principles of Fullan/Quinn's hugely successful book, Coherence, this book explains why the long-term success of school districts requires a systemic approach for creating a coherent system of continuous improvement. The reason is that the district is the most important 'unit' of system change, not the school by itself. School districts demonstrating the clarity, commitment, collaboration, and accountability needed to create a coherent system of continuous improvement are deemed Districts on the Move. We use the phrase 'on the move' because forward motion is essential for coherence-making and continuous improvement as both necessitate constant adapting and adjusting to realize the equitable improvement of student learning outcomes.
The purpose of this book is to argue for the importance of caring in schools and school leadership and to provide understanding and guidance for the practice of caring school leadership. This book will provide a counterbalance to today's emphasis on academic press and accountability. Caring is at the heart of successful school leadership and successful schooling for students. The authors wish to enrich the understanding and practice of caring school leadership through the perspectives of other human service professions. This book will affirm for educators the importance of caring as a fundamental part of schooling for students. It will help practicing educators develop deeper understanding of caring as a quality of human relationships and it will help them understand the relationship of caring to student academic success and well-being. Most importantly, the book will benefit practicing educators by promoting understanding of caring school leadership and promoting its practice.
Learning to Teach and Teaching to Learn Through Practitioner Inquiry
This book helps educators everywhere to understand the importance of teacher inquiry and data analysis as pathways to amazing results in the classroom. It provides a step-by-step description of the classroom research process covering methods of formulating action research questions, collecting and analyzing data, and using it to create lasting solutions. It includes a range of real-life examples, practical exercises in every chapter and an accompanying website with extra resources. New to this edition: * Clear links between teacher inquiry and the creation of more equitable classrooms. * enhanced coverage of data analysis * using teacher inquiry to promote collective efficacy * the emergence of Professional Practice doctoral programs (a new market for Dana's work)
Best-selling author and renowned educator and consultant Marcia Tate provides teachers with ready-to-use lesson plans that take advantage of the way that students really learn.
Bestselling author and renowned educator and consultant Marcia Tate provides teachers with ready-to-use lesson plans that take advantage of the way that students really learn.
