Confronting gaps in school achievement requires a systematic examination of the entire school system and a comprehensive problem-solving approach. Written for school leaders, this completely revised and expanded edition outlines 50 detailed, researched-based strategies for developing high-performing schools. Emphasizing the provision of equal educational opportunities for all learners, this book is organized around six critical standards: - Teach a well-crafted, focused, valid, and clear curriculum - Align assessments, programmes, and instructional resources with curriculum - Promote student equality and equity - Focus on mastery learning and effective teaching strategies - Provide resources for establishing curriculum expectations, monitoring, and accountability - Institute effective district and school planning, staff development, and resource allocation to create a quality learning environment With field-tested best practices and an expanded bibliography and research base, this hands-on guide provides school leaders with strategies that give all learners the opportunity to succeed.
More than ever, this third edition of the best-selling Writing Meaningful Evaluations-Right Now!! is vital tool for every busy administrator. In an era of increasing demands for quality performance-based evaluations, this book offers supervisors a diverse bank of areas to address during an evaluation plus sample phrases to assist in describing a teacher's performance. By supplying users with quick and efficient tools for writing fact-filled and comprehensive teacher evaluations, the book empowers educators to verbalize their goals and vision for their schools. Updated throughout, this essential reference guide provides sample evaluations, forms, performance proficiency statements, and a timesaving CD-ROM with forms that can be easily customized. The book greatly enhances administrators' capacity for monitoring, assessing, and documenting instructional performance by providing tools for developing evaluations that are individualized and that provide an accurate, meaningful record for both administrators and staff.
Low pay, increased responsibilities and high-stakes standardized testing - these are just some of the reasons why more talented teachers are leaving the profession than ever before. Drawing on in-depth interviews with teachers all over the country, Katy Farber presents an in-the-trenches view of the classroom exodus and uncovers ways that schools can turn the tide. Farber's findings paint a sometimes shocking picture of life in today's schools, taking a frank look at: - Challenges to teacher endurance, including tight budgets, difficult parents, standardized testing, unsafe schools, inadequate pay, and lack of respect - Strategies veteran teachers use to make sure the joys of teaching outweigh the frustrations - Success stories from individual schools and districts that have found solutions to these challenges - Recommendations for creating a school environment that fosters teacher retention Featuring clear analysis and concrete suggestions for administrators and policy makers, Why Great Teachers Quit takes you to the front lines of the fight to keep great teachers where they belong: in the classroom.
"This book should be given to every new teacher as soon as they sign their teaching contract." -Cathy D. Hicks, Induction Program Director San Dieguito Union High School District, Encinitas, CA "Siciliano's gem of a book is crammed with sage financial advice. He reminds us that we need to approach financial planning the way we approach teaching: clear-eyed, armed with facts, and with our eyes on the prize." -Janet Carroll, District Principal of Human Resources Chilliwack School District and CSD Mentor Program, BC, Canada The money management book that no educator can afford to be without! Teaching has many rewards, including the opportunity to change young people's lives and make a meaningful difference in a community every day. However, despite the important work they do, teachers often find themselves struggling to survive on a teaching salary. Written by certified financial advisor and award-winning speaker Gene Siciliano, Financial Mastery for the Career Teacher is a comprehensive yet concise primer for educators balancing modest salaries with skyrocketing expenses in challenging economic times. The author covers the personal finance questions and concerns that all educators face, including: Providing for a family on a teacher's salary Making every dollar stretch Buying a home Managing debt Planning for retirement Understanding and purchasing insurance Investing in the stock market or real estate Taxes and tax planning Start planning your financial future now so you can have a fulfilling career as a teacher and still come out ahead!
Great staff make great schools, and by choosing your staff carefully and helping them to develop, you will make a significant impact on the lives of the young people in your care. The school workforce isn't only teachers these days, and good staff development must take into account everybody working in the setting. As a practical guide to developing your staff, this book offers an inspirational and exciting view of the transformative power of highly motivated personnel. It summarizes the most recent research that sets staff development in context, and then provides examples of good practice and successful ideas from a range of schools, colleges and local authorities. The authors address practical considerations, as well as management and leadership implications, to help devise strategies for developing the school workforce in order to become more learning-centred and student focused. Topics covered include: - why staff development matters - leading staff development - being strategic - finding time for staff development - identifying needs and planning for impact - evaluating the impact of staff development With an emphasis on practical and research-based perspectives, this book offers tried and tested strategies for successful and rewarding staff development that, most importantly, can contribute to improving student outcomes. This book is particularly relevant to those responsible for leading and managing staff development in schools, colleges and at local authority level. It is also useful for anyone working towards higher degrees in Education Leadership and Management, Mentoring-Coaching and the new qualifications for leaders of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and the Masters in Teaching and Learning (MTL). Sara Bubb is involved in many aspects of staff development, leads the national Advanced Skills Teachers (AST) network, and lectures and researches at the Institute of Education, University of London. Peter Earley is Professor of Educational Leadership & Management at the London Centre for Leadership in Learning, Institute of Education, University of London.
Great staff make great schools, and by choosing your staff carefully and helping them to develop, you will make a significant impact on the lives of the young people in your care. The school workforce isn't only teachers these days, and good staff development must take into account everybody working in the setting. As a practical guide to developing your staff, this book offers an inspirational and exciting view of the transformative power of highly motivated personnel. It summarizes the most recent research that sets staff development in context, and then provides examples of good practice and successful ideas from a range of schools, colleges and local authorities. The authors address practical considerations, as well as management and leadership implications, to help devise strategies for developing the school workforce in order to become more learning-centred and student focused. Topics covered include: - why staff development matters - leading staff development - being strategic - finding time for staff development - identifying needs and planning for impact - evaluating the impact of staff development With an emphasis on practical and research-based perspectives, this book offers tried and tested strategies for successful and rewarding staff development that, most importantly, can contribute to improving student outcomes. This book is particularly relevant to those responsible for leading and managing staff development in schools, colleges and at local authority level. It is also useful for anyone working towards higher degrees in Education Leadership and Management, Mentoring-Coaching and the new qualifications for leaders of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and the Masters in Teaching and Learning (MTL). Sara Bubb is involved in many aspects of staff development, leads the national Advanced Skills Teachers (AST) network, and lectures and researches at the Institute of Education, University of London. Peter Earley is Professor of Educational Leadership & Management at the London Centre for Leadership in Learning, Institute of Education, University of London.
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.
"The Ellers have done an excellent job identifying supervision problems that plague administrators on a daily basis. They provide clear and detailed strategies to address personnel problems covering virtually every employment group. I strongly recommend this book as a quick reference for all school administrators as they deal with difficult employees." -Dan Hoverman, Superintendent Mounds View Public Schools, Shoreview, MN Help marginal employees take positive steps to improve their performance and behavior! Managing difficult employees is one of the most challenging aspects of a school leader's job. Written by experienced administrators, this resource provides specific techniques and strategies to identify, work with, and evaluate marginal school employees. John F. Eller and Sheila Eller provide essential information for understanding and dealing with employees who may have negative attitudes, lack awareness of their behavior, blame others for problems, or are marginal performers. Drawing on the authors' extensive experience, this book includes: Skills and sample dialogues for conducting difficult conversations Templates for putting concerns into writing and developing improvement plans Information about legal issues and ways to protect yourself Specific strategies for working with teachers, secretaries and assistants, paraprofessionals, and custodial staff Steps to take when termination becomes necessary This ready reference helps administrators develop the leadership skills and competencies necessary to confront marginal and deficient behaviors and achieve successful results.
Managing difficult employees is one of the most challenging aspects of a headteacher's job. Working With and Evaluating Difficult School Employees is designed to help educational leaders learn and apply specific techniques and strategies for effectively dealing with difficult school employees. Drawing on their extensive experiences in working productively with marginal, deficient, and downright difficult school employees, John F. Eller and Sheila Eller provide essential information and proven strategies to help administrators improve their leadership skills and competencies in dealing with employees who may have negative attitudes, display a lack of awareness about their behaviour, blame others for problems, or are marginal performers. This resource opens each chapter with an overview of the content, offers a summary with questions for reflection, and presents easy-to-understand concepts, actual stories and vignettes, and abundant templates, bullet points, and key points throughout. A ready reference that allows readers to go to the specific section that meets their immediate needs, the book outlines: - The nature of difficult employees - Skills and tools for confronting the behaviours of difficult employees and achieving successful results - Self-protection techniques for handling emotionally-draining encounters while staying on track with an improvement agenda - Specific strategies for working with teachers, paraprofessionals and teaching assistants, administrative assistants and office staff, and custodians.
