How can we partner with our communities to improve school programs and increase students' success? This current era of high stakes testing, accountability, and shrinking educational budgets demands that schools seek bold and innovative ways to build strong learning environments for all students. Community involvement is a powerful tool in generating resources that are essential for educational excellence. Building School-Community Partnerships: Collaboration for Student Success emphasizes the importance of community involvement for effective school functioning, student support and well-being, and community health and development. This sharp, insightful book serves as an excellent resource for educators seeking to establish school-community partnerships to achieve goals for their schools and the students, families, and communities they serve. Schools can collaborate with a wide variety of community partners to obtain the resources they need to achieve important goals for students' learning. Some of these partners may include: Businesses and corporations Universities and other institutions of higher learning National and local volunteer organizations Social service agencies and health partners Faith-based organizations and institutions Work successfully with community partners to improve school programs and curricula, strengthen families, and expand your students' learning experiences!
Looking for effective strategies and best practices to break the cycle of ineffective school reform implementation? Author Grace Sammon takes a sobering look at the state of high school reform and identifies the elements that keep us "running in place", rather than making progress on a road to success. Battling the Hamster Wheel (TM) offers research-based insights and strategies, stories from the field, and humor to help lead change agents and school leaders in a reform process to build the school communities they seek to create. It also provides the skills to establish and sustain the critical elements for schools' success: Demonstrating high expectations and a matching vision Building capacity to create a true climate for success Thinking small and dreaming big Engaging in legitimate community support Thriving with strong, sustained, and shared leadership Effectively aligning and managing resources Understanding the importance of time This insightful resource includes a built-in book study and facilitator's guide for school boards, administrators, teachers, consultants, and students of education, and for professional development events.
Designing Instruction for Diverse Learners with Diverse Learning Styles
'4MAT has transformed my teachers from adequate to outstanding' - Robin Kvalo, Principal, Rusch Elementary School, Portage, WI 'Principals and teachers have continually requested 4MAT training as the 'basic core' of knowledge for teachers in our 80,000-student district. We have trained literally hundreds of teachers over the past ten years to 'teach around the 4MAT wheel' and meet the learning needs of all their students' - Patricia Shelton, Director of Certification and Professional Development, Brevard County Schools, FL 'All children have intelligence. We have asked the wrong question. We ask 'How much?' We must ask 'What kind?' - Mary Meeker, Former Member, Board of Directors, National Association for Gifted Children Learning styles are linked to preferences in the ways people perceive and process experience. Bernice McCarthy's unique 4MAT (R) cycle is a brain-based teaching method that emphasizes diverse learning styles, honors learner individuality, teaches concepts as well as facts, and improves student thinking and performance on traditional as well as high-stakes assessments. With 25+ years of field testing and field use supporting its effectiveness, the 4MAT (R) method uses a 4-quadrant cycle of learning that begins by engaging learners through direct experience, moving them toward: * Reflective observation * Abstract conceptualizing * Active experimentation and problem-solving * Integration of new knowledge and skills
Find research-based answers to: "What is High-Quality Teaching?" "How is High-Quality Teaching Achieved?" The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) establishes a clear demand for highly qualified teachers but does little to help educators define "highly qualified" or instruct them on developing those teachers. This handbook clearly explains the concept ......
Find research-based answers to: "What is High-Quality Teaching?" "How is High-Quality Teaching Achieved?" The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) establishes a clear demand for highly qualified teachers but does little to help educators define "highly qualified" or instruct them on developing those teachers. This handbook clearly explains the concept ......
Strengthen and hone your strategic leadership skills for effective school planning! This is an essential guide for new and veteran school leaders focused on strategic planning, data-driven decision making, and transformational leadership. A comprehensive and practical handbook, it provides nine steps to strategic planning, plus guidelines for promoting a vision and mission, using data to empower and implement change, evaluating school programs, and moving from micro-political to transformational leadership practice. This last volume in a seven-part leadership series features examples, and best practice, including: Insightful questionnaire and response analysis Case study with reflective questions "What You Should Know About" sections framing each chapter Self-assessment resources for leadership effectiveness "In-Basket Simulations" exploring real-life examples For leadership that can empower and transform a school community, this insightful volume provides a sure-footed path for leaders seeking to foster and manage effective and lasting change.
Achieve lasting educational benefits through masterfully administered school program evaluations! The annual process of evaluating school programs raises a legitimate question: how to implement quality program evaluations that will not drain a school's resources, but instead help create a school culture that promotes inspired teaching and high academic achievement-and meets NCLB guidelines? In this updated edition of the bestselling text, authors James R. Sanders and Carolyn D. Sullins demonstrate how an effective program evaluation process can conserve resources while yielding substantial benefits for teachers, parents, students, and schools. This user-friendly resource provides concise yet comprehensive coverage of school program evaluation through a highly regarded five-step program. Illustrated by examples and case studies, this approach is designed to help educators develop competence and confidence in program evaluation. Both practicing and aspiring educators can learn to: Successfully manage logistical and scheduling problems Strategically approach school politics, ethical considerations, and interpersonal relations Comprehensively organize and analyze information regarding school programs Effectively respond to the No Child Left Behind Act Discover how to skillfully administer school evaluations that produce lasting educational results!
The first in its series, What Every Principal Needs to Know About Instructional Leadership recognizes that today's headteacher must play an active and on-going role as instructional leader if that headteacher's primary goal is raising student achievement. Aligned to the standards for effective school leadership defined by the Educational Leadership Constituent Council in the USA, this book highlights the essentials of instructional leadership for aspiring, new, and experienced headteachers. Full of strategies, the latest research, and reflective questions, readers will hone and refresh the skills necessary to be effective instructional leaders.
Looking for effective strategies and best practices to break the cycle of ineffective school reform implementation? Author Grace Sammon takes a sobering look at the state of high school reform and identifies the elements that keep us "running in place", rather than making progress on a road to success. Battling the Hamster Wheel (TM) offers research-based insights and strategies, stories from the field, and humor to help lead change agents and school leaders in a reform process to build the school communities they seek to create. It also provides the skills to establish and sustain the critical elements for schools' success: Demonstrating high expectations and a matching vision Building capacity to create a true climate for success Thinking small and dreaming big Engaging in legitimate community support Thriving with strong, sustained, and shared leadership Effectively aligning and managing resources Understanding the importance of time This insightful resource includes a built-in book study and facilitator's guide for school boards, administrators, teachers, consultants, and students of education, and for professional development events.
