The role, practice, and preparation of today and tomorrow's superintendent! A strong superintendent is critical to the success of an entire school district. So why is it one of the most deregulated positions? Over the past several decades, many states have either rescinded licensing requirements for school district superintendents or abandoned regulations altogether. The Contemporary Superintendent offers a scholarly and objective analysis of the issues surrounding the state policies that appoint superintendents. Lars G. Bjoerk and Theodore Kowalski have developed a coherent guide to critical professional aspects such as superintendent licensures, professional preparation, and staff development. Featuring the research of educational leadership specialists, this resource is not to be missed! The Contemporary Superintendent includes: Quality strategies by the field's top scholars to implement decisive practices for superintendents Detailed analysis of the concerns over superintendent qualifications and preparations An examination of past, present, and future practices of superintendents A distinct look at the evolution of the role of the superintendent Developed over a three-year period, the authors have compiled a collection of useful, hands-on strategies for aspiring and existing superintendents, as well as ideas for adoption in the educational administration, leadership professional development, and educational policy areas.
Transform teacher-parent relationships into a strategy for children's success! While most parents strive to support their children with the best parenting practices, both teachers and parents often find themselves struggling to reconcile conflicts that can result in hostility, defensiveness, and communication breakdowns. In addition, negative public constructions of parents perpetuate this dilemma, particularly for those parents who are already marginalized through poverty or language barriers. Working from research in three key areas-parent development and skills, social and historical family influences, and parent-school relationships-educator (and parent) Gwen L. Rudney offers teachers: Useful interpretations of parent beliefs and actions Compelling insight into what parents expect from teachers Key ideas that characterize the struggles that parents face while raising children Practical strategies designed to lead to community, trust-building, collaboration, gratitude, and friendship with parents Straightforward chapters offer teachers everything from theory to commonsense strategies for working with parents to improve life and learning for all children.
"Record Keeping Made Simple provides excellent tips and would be perfect for both new and experienced teachers. I picked up a number of useful pointers that I had never thought of in my 28 years of teaching." Sharon Jeffery, National Board Certified Teacher Plymouth Public Schools, MA "This book will help teachers deal effectively with students and parents, protect themselves with adequate and proper documentation, and improve student achievement. It's also easy to read and gets to the point." Charles F. Adamchik, Jr. Director of Curriculum Learning Sciences International, Blairsville, PA Transform record keeping from a dreaded chore into a strategy for success! It's no secret that even the most successful teachers struggle to make the best use of their time. This enlightening text provides tips, strategies, and best practices for how all teachers-from novices to veterans-can find additional daily time while also improving documentation through better record-keeping management. Included in this resource are dozens of reproducible forms to assist teachers in maintaining accurate records, from lesson plans to records of parent-teacher conferences. These forms, along with invaluable author insight, will assist teachers in: Developing lifelong habits in good record keeping Helping their school meet accountability measures while reducing liability threats Discovering the real-life benefits that result from good record keeping Learning how to tailor record-keeping strategies to meet the needs of special populations, parents, and more Learn how fast and accurate record keeping can save time and result in even more successful teaching!
Finding educational ways to fill the expanded blocks of class time is a major problem that teachers in the United States face when a school moves to an alternative schedule. This workbook shows teachers how to teach differently to solve this problem.
Including Students With Disabilities in Standards-Based Reform
This Second Edition offers more substantive information on what it means to access the general curriculum, providing primary and secondary teachers with a resource to help every learner achieve their full potential. Accessing the General Curriculum presents updated frameworks and strategies, with examples, illustrations and flowcharts. As schools continue to move towards a system based on challenging standards, this book will be an effective tool in staying on track for both teachers and parents.
Graduation for All is a very practitioner-friendly guide for administrators interested in decreasing dropout rates. The book helps teachers develop comprehensive and effective models of dropout prevention and intervention for students most at risk of dropping out of school. It offers tools, guidelines, and information to use in the design, modification, or selection of evidence-based intervention models and strategies, rather than simply a list of strategies or a collection of programmes. In addition, tools and techniques for implementing prevention strategies into the larger school system are included. The book includes both a research base and real world examples used to emphasize critical points. User-friendly pedagogy includes icon signposts indicating Myth or Truth sections, Quick Check points, Research and Statistics boxes, Potential Trouble Spot areas, Data Collection Point tools, and Food for Thought reflections, as well as reproducible forms throughout.
"The book is unique in that it addresses the socioemotional stages of professional transitions...this was an easy read that had me highlighting passages on almost every page or citing relevant quotes I want to use or share with others. The material is well integrated so you can see the more global picture of administration, yet allows the reader to focus and actively reflect on the very real scenarios used as examples." -Michelle Kocar, Principal Liberty Elementary School, North Ridgeville, OH "I found myself making stars in the margins or writing YES!, Been There, Done That, I can relate!, Interesting, Good Suggestion, True..." -Ann Porter, 2002 NAESP National Distinguished Principal Lewis & Clark Elementary School, Grand Forks, ND When you maintain your perspective, you find fun in the most unlikely places! Are you apprehensive about leaving the realm of teaching for the world of school administration? Do you wonder how your current relationships will evolve with a change in job title? School administrators fill a crucial need in education, but all too often their social and emotional worlds turn upside-down when they make this momentous career move. This second edition provides an insightful look at the unwritten and unspoken rules of school administration, helping new and sitting administrators work through the initial adjustment and discover the satisfaction that comes with success. Who Said School Administration Would Be Fun? is filled with real-life examples, exercises, and strategies meant to guide school leaders through the motley challenges that they will encounter each day. Sigford draws on years of experience as teacher, leader, and administrator to develop tactics for: Maintaining perspective through humor Managing and leading like a successful systems thinker Transforming school culture into a climate of trust and compassion Responding to all levels of accountability faced in today's schools Fun may not be the first word to describe school administration; however, understanding and self-reflection will lead to the fun of success and satisfaction.
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has direct implications for what happens educationally in the classroom. Based on in-depth data from Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, New York and Virginia and 11 school districts within these states, authors from the acclaimed Harvard Civil Rights Project illuminate for educators the issues raised by NCLB and what the law means for local districts and schools. This is an essential resource for every educational leader interested in understanding the implications of NCLB in the classroom, participating in the dialogue, communicating issues to school communities, and discerning levels of accountability, progress, and standards.
