Foreword by Grant Wiggins Afterword by Michael Fullan "[Parsons' work remind us] that collegial consideration of what works, what doesn't, and why is . . . interesting and enjoyable professional work." From the Foreword by Grant Wiggins "Whether you are planning a limited innovation in a few classrooms or implementing new state standards as a whole-school or districtwide change, this book will help you chart your course." Judith Renyi, Executive Director The NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education "In clear, accessible language, Beverly Parsons demystifies evaluation and provides numerous practical examples of how schools can use the methods she describes to better understand the process of change and achieve their goals-and to create schools in which youngsters and adults thrive." Dennis Sparks, Executive Director National Staff Development Council "Parson's evaluative inquiry framework is a gold mine of ideas and designs. It is at once complex, accessible, and comprehensive." From the Afterword by Michael Fullan, Dean Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto Improve learning for all students in all environments! Evaluative Inquiry advances the capacity of teachers and principals to provide more effective learning for all students in every type of academic environment. In this jargon-free book, Parsons delivers a systematic program evaluation process for gathering, analyzing, and identifying what changes are needed in schools today for productive learning. Parsons provides the guidance, step-by-step instructions, and easy-to-use forms to help educators and school leaders understand and implement this hands-on, in-depth program evaluation process. Evaluative Inquiry can help you discover if your programs and initiatives are making a difference and whether they enhance the successes of students and teachers alike. Three types of evaluative inquiry are explored in this book: Quality-Does the initiative promote high-quality learning? Sustainability-Can the initiative be sustained? Cultivation-Can the initiative be expanded and nurtured? This unique book puts the evaluative process into the hands of principals, teachers, administrators, board members, foundations, and community members. It contains a number of real-life case examples to clearly demonstrate how the process actually works and outlines the tangible, successful results you can expect to realize in your own school or district.
"Dr. Johnson's book is far more than a how-to guide for constructing meaningful learning activities for students. It is the definitive treatise on the fundamental concepts of acquiring and transferring knowledge. This is an invaluable contribution." Arlene H. Parisot, Director of Workforce Department Office of Commissioner of Higher Education Montana State System "This is a 'must' read for all teachers and administrators in their search for meaning. Elaine Johnson has artfully captured the essence of the 'best practices' conversation taking place in schools today by speaking directly to the heart of classroom experience." Stephen Olczak, Principal Reynolds High School Oregon Contextual teaching and learning (CTL) is a system for teaching that is grounded in brain research. Brain research indicates that we learn best when we see meaning in new tasks and material, and we discover meaning when we are able to connect new information with our existing knowledge and experiences. Students learn best, according to neuroscience, when they can connect the content of academic lessons with the context of their own daily lives. Johnson discusses the elements of the brain-compatible contextual teaching and learning system: making meaningful connections; investing school work with significance; self-regulated learning; collaboration; critical and creating thinking; nurturing the individual; reaching high standards; and using authentic assessment. Drawing on the practices of teachers in kindergarten through university, Johnson provides numerous examples of how to use each part of the CTL system. Contextual Teaching and Learning: What it Is and Why It's Here to Stay is more than a handbook on precise steps to follow to help children of all abilities achieve high standards by joining academic lessons with their immediate context. This book also explains how the brain works, discusses why teachers need to pay attention to context, and makes a strong case for the need to teach students to think critically and creatively. This inspirational book urges educators to eliminate the student question: "Why do we have to learn this?" If the educators invest learning with meaning by relying on context, that question won't have to be asked.
Foreword by Grant Wiggins Afterword by Michael Fullan "[Parsons' work remind us] that collegial consideration of what works, what doesn't, and why is . . . interesting and enjoyable professional work." From the Foreword by Grant Wiggins "Whether you are planning a limited innovation in a few classrooms or implementing new state standards as a whole-school or districtwide change, this book will help you chart your course." Judith Renyi, Executive Director The NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education "In clear, accessible language, Beverly Parsons demystifies evaluation and provides numerous practical examples of how schools can use the methods she describes to better understand the process of change and achieve their goals-and to create schools in which youngsters and adults thrive." Dennis Sparks, Executive Director National Staff Development Council "Parson's evaluative inquiry framework is a gold mine of ideas and designs. It is at once complex, accessible, and comprehensive." From the Afterword by Michael Fullan, Dean Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto Improve learning for all students in all environments! Evaluative Inquiry advances the capacity of teachers and principals to provide more effective learning for all students in every type of academic environment. In this jargon-free book, Parsons delivers a systematic program evaluation process for gathering, analyzing, and identifying what changes are needed in schools today for productive learning. Parsons provides the guidance, step-by-step instructions, and easy-to-use forms to help educators and school leaders understand and implement this hands-on, in-depth program evaluation process. Evaluative Inquiry can help you discover if your programs and initiatives are making a difference and whether they enhance the successes of students and teachers alike. Three types of evaluative inquiry are explored in this book: Quality-Does the initiative promote high-quality learning? Sustainability-Can the initiative be sustained? Cultivation-Can the initiative be expanded and nurtured? This unique book puts the evaluative process into the hands of principals, teachers, administrators, board members, foundations, and community members. It contains a number of real-life case examples to clearly demonstrate how the process actually works and outlines the tangible, successful results you can expect to realize in your own school or district.
Through vivid, real-world examples and an engaging approach to effective leadership, visionary author John Hoyle masterfully illustrates the key to success in any industry, whether the setting is the classroom or the boardroom. Leadership and the Force of Love is a profound yet straightforward exploration of how leaders can inspire others to greatness through these six key actions: Visioning Communicating Teamworking Empowering Mentoring Evaluating Though educators are frequently faced with the challenges of politics, hostility, selfishness, and violence, Hoyle demonstrates that overcoming these obstacles requires teamwork, motivation, empowerment, and communication. While many have written about moral leadership, the notion of leading with love has been largely ignored. Hoyle discusses the implications for love in leadership and affirms once and for all that if you can't love you can't lead.
The Assistant Principal: Essentials for Effective School Leadership, is a combination guidebook and reference book aimed toward developing the role of the assistant principal as an integral position within school administration. It is intended to provide guidance for teachers preparing to become assistant principals, assistant principals preparing to be principals, and current assistant principals who need to develop the skills necessary to be effective school leaders. The book addresses the needs of students, instructors, and practitioners by discussing the ways in which effective leadership and strong relationships between faculty and administration will improve education. In order to assess the skills, knowledge, roles, and responsibilities required of the position, authors L David Weller and Sylvia J Weller administered a comprehensive survey to 100 assistant principals around the country. The results of the survey were used as the basis for the book's content. The Assistant Principal: Essentials for Effective School Leadership is a unique publication, using real life examples, case studies, exercises, and field-based research to show how the effectiveness of an assistant principal is dependent on communication, leadership skills, and knowledge.
An Administrator's Guide to Using Focus Groups in Schools
`Because of its comprehensive scope, this guidebook can be a single tool for designing and implementing focus groups in schools' Patricia A All, Assistant Superintendent Olathe District Schools Olathe, Kanas Focus groups of parents, students, community members, or teachers can be an effective means of gaining support for school decisions, for modifying programmes, and for conducting research. Yet most administrators don't have a clue about designing and running an effective focus group, much less how to ensure they're gathering valid and reliable information. Drawing on focus group methodology, this book uses educational examples, guidelines, and step-by-step guidance to help administrators utilize this powerful qualitative research tool.
The purpose of this book is to help the reader make the important decision about whether or not you should pursue the principalship. Following an actual principal's first year, the chapters of this book present some of the most critical issues that you are likely to face as a principal. You will need to think about your personal values, exactly ......
This in-depth study of grassroots politics - `micropolitics' - in schools, which includes examples from the UK and the USA, explores how teachers, administrators and their students use political power to protect their interests and to bring about change in the status quo.
A Guide For Developing School-Based Drug and Violence Prevention Programs
Despite the growing availability of information on effective drug and violence prevention programmes, schools continue to use programmes that have not been proven effective. Some are using model programmes, but have changed the content or design enough so that the features that made them effective are gone. Or worse, they continue to use programmes that have been proven ineffective simply because that is what is easiest, or most familiar. The school shootings over the last few years are solid reminders that schools can no longer do just anything and call it adequate prevention. It is more critical than ever to learn from the examination of previous prevention efforts and not make the same mistakes a second time in this new arena of violence prevention.
