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The only way the education system can transform is to work together. Teachers and Administrators must work in a partnership to make lasting changes to a system that has historically been slow to evolve.The Teacher (Gary Armida) and the Admin (Dr. Kris Felicello) give the blueprint to this partnership to make schools better for kids.
Educational reform is a big business in the United States. Parents, educators, and policymakers generally agree that something must be done to improve schools, but the consensus ends there. The myriad of reform documents and policy discussions that have appeared over the past decade have not helped to pinpoint exactly what should be done. The case for investment in education is an economic one: schooling improves the productivity and earnings of individuals and promotes stronger economic growth and better functioning of society. Recent trends in schooling have, however, lessened the value of society's investments as costs have risen dramatically while student performance has stayed flat or even fallen. The task is to improve performance while controlling costs. This book is the culmination of extensive discussions among a panel of economists led by Eric Hanushek. They conclude that economic considerations have been entirely absent from the development of educational policies and that economic reality is sorely needed in discussions of new policies. The book outlines an improvement plan that emphasizes changing incentives in schools and gathering information about effective approaches. Available research and analysis demonstrates that current central decisionmaking has worked poorly. Concentrating on inputs such as pupil-teacher ratios or teacher graduate degrees appears quite inferior to systems that directly reward performance. Nonetheless, since experience with such alternatives is very limited, a program of extensive evaluation appears to be in order. Attempts to institute radical change on the basis of currently available information involve substantial risks of failure. Many people today find proposals such as charter schools, expanded use of merit pay, or educational vouchers to be appealing. Yet there is little evidence of their effectiveness, and widespread adoption of these proposals is sure to run into substantial problems of implementation. Instead of choosing the "right" approach, this book advocates a more systematic approach of experimentation, evaluation, and change. In addition to Hanushek, the contributors are Charles S. Benson, University of California, Berkeley; Richard B. Freeman, Harvard University; Dean T. Jamison, UCLA: Henry M. Levin, Stanford University; Rebecca A. Maynard, University of Pennsylvania; Richard J. Murnane, Harvard University; Steven G. Rivkin, Amherst College; Richard H. Sabot, Williams College; Lewis C. Solmon, Milken Institute for Job and Capital Formation; Anita A. Summers, University of Pennsylvania; Finis Welch, Texas A&M University; and Barbara L. Wolfe, University of Wisconsin.
America's leading expert in educational testing and measurement openly names the failures caused by today's testing policies and provides a blueprint for doing better. 6 x 9.
Building Better Schools with Evidence-based Policy: Adaptable Policy for Teachers and School Leaders provides an extensive set of free-to-use policies for building better schools. The policies included in this book cover a broad range of popular topics for schools that are not readily accessible, and each policy is built on theory, driven by research, and created by experts. Each policy is based on substantial evidence, and this is ensured through the inclusion of contributors who are active and highly reputable in their respective field. Most schools are obliged to write and maintain policy, and not all school leaders have the required skills, time, or expertise to do this effectively. Building Better Schools with Evidence-based Policy: Adaptable Policy for Teachers and School Leaders is a time-saving resource for schools. It aims to address the reported research-to-practice gap in education by delivering accessible evidence-based practice in a ready-to-use adaptable format. All policies within this book are designed to be adapted and tailored to the unique diversity and needs of each school as reflected by the context and the people that make up the school community. This book is relevant to every person who works in a school – worldwide. Users of this book can rest assured that each policy has been carefully formulated from the current understandings of best practice. This is a practical innovation and an example of how schools can use research evidence in their day-to-day practices. "The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license."
Introducing a bold, persuasive new argument into the national debate over education, Dr. William Ouchi describes a revolutionary approach to creating successful public schools. This program has produced significant, lasting improvements in the school districts where it has already been implemented. Drawing on the results of a landmark study of 223 schools in six cities, a project that Ouchi supervised and that was funded in part by the National Science Foundation, Making Schools Work shows that a school's educational performance may be most directly affected by how the school is managed. Ouchi's 2001-2002 study examined innovative school systems in Edmonton (Canada), Seattle, and Houston, and compared them with the three largest traditional school systems: New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Researchers discovered that the schools that consistently performed best also had the most decentralized management systems, in which autonomous principals -- not administrators in a central office -- controlled school budgets and personnel hiring policies. They were fully responsible and fully accountable for the performance of their schools. With greater freedom and flexibility to shape their educational programs, hire specialists as needed, and generally determine the direction of their school, the best principals will act as entrepreneurs, says Ouchi. Those who do poorly are placed under the supervision of successful principals, who assume responsibility for the failing schools. An essential component of this management approach is the Weighted Student Formula, a budgetary tool whereby every student is evaluated and assessed a certain dollar value in educational services (a non-English-speaking or autistic student, or one from a low-income family, for example, would receive a higher dollar value than a middle-class student with no special needs). Families have the freedom to choose among public schools, and when schools must compete for students, good schools flourish while those that do poorly literally go out of business. Such accountability has long worked for religious and independent schools, where parents pay a premium for educational performance. Making Schools Work shows how the same approach can be adapted to public schools. The book also provides guidelines for parents on how to evaluate a school and make sure their child is getting the best education possible. Revolutionary yet practical, Making Schools Work shows that positive educational reform is within reach and, indeed, already happening in schools across the country.
This book provides a guide for a long-overdue public dialogue about why and how we need to reinvent our nation's schools. How has the world changed for our children; what do all students need to know in light of these changes; how do we hold students and schools accountable for results; what do good schools look like; and what must leaders do to create more of these schools? These are some of the questions that drive this book. The answers emerging to these questions may surprise many. The most successful public schools of the 21st century look a lot more like our 19th century village schools than our current factory model of schooling. This book describes these "new village schools" that have been created in the last decade and suggests that they are a prototype for the schools of the future.
Are You Ready to Take the First Step Toward Excellence? What does it take to be the very best teacher--or the very best leader? What sets excellent educators apart from their peers? And how can you join their ranks? In their work leading up to Start. Right. Now. Todd Whitaker, Jeff Zoul, and Jimmy Casas studied educators from across the nation and discovered four key behaviors of excellence: Excellent Leaders and Teachers... Know the Way From their content to best practices, these educators know their stuff. Show the Way Casting a bright vision for the future, these educators see possibilities where others see problems. Go the Way Leading by example is a way of life for the very best. and Grow Each Day A focus on personal and professional development helps these educators succeed. Wherever you are on your journey as an educator, choose to become even greater still--our kids are worth it. Start. Right. Now.
This field book shows educators how to improve schools by developing group culture, enhancing facilitators' skills, and equipping groups to resolve complex issues around student learning.
"A humane blueprint for school reform that--instead of startingwith a 'deficiency' model of what teachers can't do and giving them'inservice' workshops ad infinitum--would build on the educationalstaff's existing strengths." --The New York Times BookReview Barth hows how communication, collegiality, and risk-takingamong adults can create an atmosphere of learning and leadershipfor all.
Wanted: A Queen of Education Candidate must be able to take decisive action, cut through red tape, deflate the bureaucratic bloat, wrestle with the diagnostic nightmare of ADHD, and refuse to sell out her students to the corporate fat cats. Though we have "education presidents" who give lip service to fixing schools—what we really need is a Queen of Education who will get the job done. Anyone searching for such a candidate would put LouAnne Johnson's resume on the top of the stack of likely applicants. LouAnne Johnson is the gutsy ex-marine turned teacher who has wrestled with tough kids and even tougher adults. Her life inspired the movie Dangerous Minds — which was based on her book My Posse Don't Do Homework. Johnson's knack for finding original solutions to intractable problems has not only made her an exemplary teacher but a popular speaker on the lecture circuit. In this engaging book, "Queen" LouAnne offers her down-to-earth advice about fixing schools. Johnson makes no secret about the fact that she is fed up with an educational system that is too quick to label and write off children who don't fit the mold. Among her royal rules for fixing the system: no class shall have more than 20 students, all elected representatives must teach in a public school classroom for two weeks, and the testing frenzy must stop this very second! LouAnne is a passionate advocate for schools that are smaller, healthier, more humane, and more attuned to different learning styles. With humor and good sense, she shows how a compassionate teacher or parent can cut through the red tape and make a crucial difference in the life of a child. "LouAnne Johnson's book is a blend of common sense, humor, and practical, down-to-earth ideas of how each one of us, as a parent or a concerned citizen, can make a contribution toward improving America's public schools. I highly recommend it." —Michele Borba, Ed.D., author, Don't Give Me That Attitude!, No More Misbehavin', and Building Moral Intelligence "As a former student of LouAnne's first 'at risk' class, I experienced firsthand her approach to education. The result was nothing less than a miracle. This book has the power to do for the United States education system what it did for our class; turn a flawed reality into an exemplary system of education." —Dan Mueller, associate producer and designer, BottleRocket Entertainment Inc. "LouAnne Johnson writes with passion, humor, and good old common sense about the joys and frustrations of teaching, and the ways in which caring individuals can make a critical difference. Her book is a must read for all who have a stake in the success of our schools." —Robert R. Spillane, United States Department of State, Office of Overseas Schools, former New York State Deputy Commissioner of Education and former superintendent of the Boston and Fairfax County Virginia Public Schools Praise for Dangerous Minds "Johnson shows the importance of basic respect, constant encouragement, and unorthodox teaching strategies for a generation (another generation) of disenfranchised students." —Kirkus Review "Remarkable - Johnson proves that unorthodox methods can turn a problem kid into an "A" student." —Vogue
