* Unique focus on effective school board meetings * Hands-on applicability for chairpeople * Includes sample board meeting agendas, board packet cover pages, board agenda items, flow charts, and preparation activities If board meetings are something you simply "get through" so you can get on with your "real" work, this book is a must. As chair, you can turn board meetings into productive, result-getting events that help you focus on teaching and learning to achieve your school's goals with the support of this realistic, detailed, and entertaining book! Rene S Townsend, James R Brown and Walter L Buster, having chaired over 1,000 board meetings between them, discuss: * Creating clarity and building the team to increase effectiveness and support positive working relationships * Developing general operating procedures * Carrying out effective board meetings * Critical aspects of the meeting itself, as well as tips on conducting closed sessions * Post-meeting follow-up and how these activities affect and influence the culture of the district Chairpeople, board members, leadership staff and community members will find this guide invaluable for creating effective and meaningful board meetings.
Practical knowledge and methods designed to help exceptional students soar! A Practical Approach to Special Education for Every Teacher: The 13-Book Collection equips educators with practical knowledge and methods that will help them to better engage students in exploring-and achieving-their fullest potential. Buy all 13 Paperback Books in Slipcase and SAVE 25%-over $64! The modules cover: *The Fundamentals of Special Education *The Legal Foundations of Special Education *Effective Assessment for Students With Special Needs*Effective Instruction for Students With Special Needs *Working With Families and Community Agencies to Support Students With Special Needs *Public Policy, School Reform, and Special Education*Teaching Students With Sensory Disabilities*Teaching Students With Medical, Physical, and Multiple Disabilities*Teaching Students With Learning Disabilities*Teaching Students With Communication Disorders*Teaching Students With Emotional Disturbance*Teaching Students With Mental Retardation *Teaching Students With Gifts and Talents
Formerly a SkyLight Publication. Explore and adopt best-practice teaching strategies to achieve professional excellence! New teachers begin their careers with great enthusiasm and purpose, but often face many challenges in their first years of teaching. A New Teacher's Guide to Best Practices supports new teachers with guidelines for applying best teaching practices to improve their professional effectiveness. Organized around the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) standards, this reflective workbook is full of best-practice tools and strategies. Each chapter focuses on a different teaching challenge-"practical problems" that teachers face daily-and offers research-based solutions, along with teacher tips and student perspectives from across the country. An invaluable resource for new teachers to use at their own pace, or for staff developers presenting teacher induction workshops, this richly detailed text invites new teachers to: Record their present beliefs Outline their aspirations Define their goals and objectives Set a course of action to reach those goals and objectives Enter into dialogue with colleagues and mentors for continued professional growth Through planning, self-reflection, and dialogue, new teachers can enrich their teaching experience, expand their personal and professional goals for success, and shape the way they view their practice and profession.
Formerly a SkyLight Publication.Step-by-step, A Multiple Intelligences Road to a Quality Classroom helps immerse students in the process of creating, testing, polishing, and producing a project.
This book provides tools and strategies that clearly link research with high-quality uses of assessment: formative, progress monitoring, teacher/instructional effectiveness, etc. Designed as a professional development guide for long-term use by school leaders, it includes five content-rich, topic-based modules that: Offer field-tested, teacher-friendly strategies for local school test development Can be used for individual or professional development opportunities Allow for sequential or non-sequential use.
The Curriculum Topic Study (CTS) process, funded by the National Science Foundation, helps teachers improve their practice by linking standards and research to core content, curriculum, instruction, and assessment. This valuable guide shows leaders how to facilitate this research-based, standards-linked approach to increase their science teachers' knowledge of effective teaching and learning and improve the quality of content-focused professional development. Keyed to the core book Science Curriculum Topic Study, this resource helps science professional development leaders and teacher educators understand the CTS approach and how to design, lead, and apply CTS in a variety of settings that support teachers as learners. The authors provide everything needed to facilitate the CTS process, including: - A solid foundation in the CTS framework - Multiple designs for half-day and full-day workshops, professional learning communities, and one-on-one instructional coaching - Facilitation, group processing, and materials management strategies - Ideas for embedding CTS in professional development programs - A CD-ROM with handouts, PowerPoint slides, and templates for developing your own CTS sessions - References to additional resources and materials By bringing CTS into schools and other professional development settings, science leaders can enhance their teachers' knowledge of content, improve teaching practices, and have a positive impact on student learning.
How to link standards and research to mathematics practice The Curriculum Topic Study (CTS) process, funded by the National Science Foundation, supports teachers in improving practice by connecting standards and research to curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Designed for facilitators, this guide provides a robust set of professional development tools, templates, and designs to strengthen mathematics programs, enhance teachers' content knowledge, identify key concepts and procedures, and improve mathematics instruction. A companion to Mathematics Curriculum Topic Study, this comprehensive guide features * A solid foundation in the CTS study process that emphasizes how to meaningfully utilize standards and learning research to improve practice * A process-driven approach that accommodates the dynamic nature of standards-adapting easily to initiatives such as the Common Core Standards for Mathematics and NCTM Focal Points * Introductory sessions that acquaint participants with the CTS process and resources * Designs and guidelines for leading common topic studies and creating your own * Practical suggestions for applying CTS to content, curriculum, instruction, and formative assessment * Examples that illustrate how to embed CTS into ongoing professional development such as collaborative inquiry into examining student thinking or case discussions * Programs for half- and full-day workshops, professional learning communities, and individual coaching * A CD-ROM with handouts, PowerPoint slides, and reproducibles Bringing CTS into schools and other professional development settings is a highly effective way for mathematics leaders to improve teaching practices and boost student learning.
Though schools have long relied on teachers to assume leadership roles, they have received little assistance in becoming the leaders they are expected to be. Leadership preparation tends to focus on teaching educators to become administrators rather than teacher leaders. This innovative sourcebook is designed to redress the balance. Based on a thorough review of current literature, A Handbook for Teacher Leaders guides readers through the leadership skills and strategies they will require. Issues covered include leading in curriculum development and school restructuring, and leading teachers in their professional development.
