It considers how to make effective use of good evidence to build, refine and adapt leadership development initiatives so they contribute to growth in powerful forms of leadership and those conditions in schools that matter most to students.
How teachers teach depends on their motivations, capacities, and the conditions under which they work. If the conditions in which they work are not supportive and caring, teachers have less incentive to teach at peak levels. As such, students who do not have supportive and caring classrooms have less incentive to perform and learn at levels at which they might be capable. Based on a groundbreaking study of "soft conditions" (i.e. supportive relationships; school climate) and their effects on teachers' work, well-known author, Kenneth Leithwood, offers for school leaders a path toward building this important and often hidden infrastructure of quality teaching. School leaders will learn how to craft the conditions that support all their teachers so that teaching and learning, the work of schooling, can be conducted at maximum levels.
"Clears out the bureaucratic techniques of impersonal management and focuses the core of leadership on dealing with school change as a most human endeavor. When all is said and done, the quality of education revolves around the aspirations, commitments, and wellness of teachers giving their best." -Carl Glickman, Scholar in Residence The University of Georgia Develop a leadership approach that responds to the emotional needs of teachers! School leaders know that an engaged and committed faculty is critical to student learning and the success of a school community, yet traditional leadership practices often fail to take the affective needs of teachers into consideration. Kenneth Leithwood and Brenda Beatty draw on theory and empirical evidence to show how teachers' emotional well-being can affect their performance in the classroom. This invaluable resource provides principals and other school leaders with specific practices to positively influence teacher perspectives, and examines teacher emotions in five key areas: Job satisfaction and morale Stress, anxiety, and burn-out Sense of individual and collective self-efficacy Organizational commitment and engagement Willingness and motivation to improve their practices When educational leaders create conditions that support teachers in their work, schools can experience higher teacher retention rates, improved climate and culture, and increased student achievement.
Empower students to reach new levels of thinking through teaching for deep understanding! How do teachers successfully bridge the chasm between large numbers of very specific educational standards and deep understanding of important ideas? This well-researched text is based on the collaborative work between researchers and school practitioners to help answer this fundamental question. The authors have drawn from the most up-to-date research to help teachers, curriculum developers, and school leaders discover how to implement and promote learner-centered, quality teaching strategies that encourage students' understanding. Organized into five parts, this text systematically uncovers how to: Advance student learning using leading-edge research on powerful forms of instruction Foster metacogniton in students and encourage them to take control of their own learning Extend learning from academic thinking to real-world application across all disciplines Learn how to instill a culture of deep understanding among students while still meeting specific achievement standards found in most district and state curricula This timely and accessible resource reveals how rethinking school curriculum and teaching for deeper knowledge transfer can help students take control of their own learning.
