General

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP THAT WORKS: From Research to Results

What does research tell us about the effects of school leadership on student achievement? What specific leadership practices make a real difference in school effectiveness? How should school leaders use these practices in their day-to-day management of schools and during the stressful times that accompany major change initiatives? Robert J. Marzano, Timothy Waters, and Brian A. McNulty provide answers to these and other questions in School Leadership That Works.

Based on their analysis of 69 studies conducted since 1970 that met their selection criteria and a recent survey of more than 650 building principals, the authors have developed a list of 21 leadership responsibilities that have a significant effect on student achievement. Readers will learn
* the specific behaviors associated with the 21 leadership responsibilities;
* the difference between first-order change and second-order change and the leadership responsibilities that are most important for each;
* how to work smart by choosing the right work that improves student achievement;
* the advantages and disadvantages of comprehensive school reform models for improving student achievement;
* how to develop a site-specific approach to improving student achievement, using a framework of 11 factors and 39 action steps; and
* a 5-step plan for effective school leadership.

Combining rigorous research with practical advice, School Leadership That Works gives school administrators the guidance they need to provide strong leadership for better schools.

What does research tell us about the effects of school leadership on student achievement? What specific leadership practices make a real difference in school effectiveness? How should school leaders use these practices in their day-to-day management of schools and during the stressful times that accompany major change initiatives? Robert J. Marzano, Timothy Waters, and Brian A. McNulty provide answers to these and other questions in School Leadership That Works. Based on their analysis of 69 studies conducted since 1970 that met their selection criteria and a recent survey of more than 650 building principals, the authors have developed a list of 21 leadership responsibilities that have a significant effect on student achievement. Readers will learn * the specific behaviors associated with the 21 leadership responsibilities; * the difference between first-order change and second-order change and the leadership responsibilities that are most important for each; * how to work smart by choosing the right work that improves student achievement; * the advantages and disadvantages of comprehensive school reform models for improving student achievement; * how to develop a site-specific approach to improving student achievement, using a framework of 11 factors and 39 action steps; and * a 5-step plan for effective school leadership. Combining rigorous research with practical advice, School Leadership That Works gives school administrators the guidance they need to provide strong leadership for better schools.

What Great Teachers Do Differently: Fourteen Things That Matter Most

This book describes the beliefs, behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that form the fabric of life in our best classrooms and schools. It focuses on the specific things that great teachers do ... that others do not.

It answers these essential questions:
- Is it high expectations for students that matter?
- How do great teachers respond when students misbehave?
- Do great teachers filter differently than their peers?
- How do the best teachers approach standardized testing?

The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America

Over the last 15 years, the state of inner-city public schools has been in a steep and continuing decline. Since the federal courts began dismantling the landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, segregation of black children has reverted to its highest level since 1968. In many inner-city schools, a stick-and-carrot method of behavioral control traditionally used in prisons is now used with students. Meanwhile, as high-stakes testing takes on pathological and punitive dimensions, liberal education has been increasingly replaced by culturally barren and robotic methods of instruction that would be rejected out of hand by schools that serve the mainstream of society.

Filled with the passionate voices of children, principals, and teachers, and some of the most revered leaders in the black community, The Shame of the Nation pays tribute to those undefeated educators who persist against the odds, but directly challenges the chilling practices now being forced upon our urban systems by the Bush administration. In their place, Kozol offers a humane, dramatic challenge to our nation to fulfill at last the promise made some 50 years ago to all our youngest citizens.

What Works in Schools: Translating Research into Action

What Works in Schools: Translating Research into Action

Any school in the United States can operate at advanced levels of effectiveness-if it is willing to implement what is known about effective schooling. "If we follow the guidance offered from 35 years of research," says author Robert J. Marzano, "we can enter an era of unprecedented effectiveness for the public practice of education." In What Works in Schools: Translating Research into Action, Marzano synthesizes that research to provide clear and unequalled insight into the nature of schooling.

Marzano defines the factors affecting student achievement and offers compelling answers to once-elusive questions:

* How can schools set academic goals that do not underestimate student potential? * How critical are staff collegiality and professional development? * Do all students have equal opportunity to learn given current curriculum requirements? * Supplemental versus required content-is there room for redefinition? * What types of parental and community involvement make a real difference? * What instructional strategies really work? * What influence can an individual teacher have on students? * How can teachers manage classrooms that promote positive student-and-teacher relationships? * How can teachers structure their curricula to better sequence and pace content? * Can teachers really overcome a student's negative home environment? * How does an understanding of motivation theories help students and teachers overcome learning obstacles? * What specific learning strategies can enhance learned intelligence and background knowledge?

In each chapter, Marzano recommends specific-and attainable-action steps to implement successful strategies culled from the wealth of research data.

Schools can and do affect student achievement. In his latest work, Marzano leads the way in establishing positive approaches that can make the long-held dream of effective public education a reality.

Any school in the United States can operate at advanced levels of effectiveness-if it is willing to implement what is known about effective schooling. "If we follow the guidance offered from 35 years of research," says author Robert J. Marzano, "we can enter an era of unprecedented effectiveness for the public practice of education." In What Works in Schools: Translating Research into Action, Marzano synthesizes that research to provide clear and unequalled insight into the nature of schooling. Marzano defines the factors affecting student achievement and offers compelling answers to once-elusive questions: . How can schools set academic goals that do not underestimate student potential? . How critical are staff collegiality and professional development? . Do all students have equal opportunity to learn, given current curriculum requirements? . Supplemental versus required content-is there room for redefinition? . What types of parental and community involvement make a real difference? . What instructional strategies really work? . What influence can an individual teacher have (as separate from the influence of the overall school)? . How can teachers manage classrooms that promote positive student-and-teacher relationships? . How can teachers structure their curricula to better sequence and pace content? . Can teachers really overcome a student's negative home environment? . How does an understanding of motivation theories help students and teachers overcome learning obstacles? . What specific learning strategies can enhance learned intelligence and background knowledge? In each chapter, Marzano recommends specific-and attainable-action steps to implement successful strategies culled from the wealth of research data. Schools can and do affect student achievement. In his latest work, Marzano leads the way in establishing positive approaches that can make the long-held dream of effective public education a reality.

What Great Principals Do Differently: Fifteen Things That Matter Most

What are the specific qualities and practices of great principals which elevate them above the rest? This book reveals the 15 things that the most successful principals do and that other principals do not. It shows you why these practices are effective and it also demonstrates how to implement each of them in your school.

If You Don't Feed the Teachers They Eat the Students: Guide to Success for Administrators and Teachers (Kids' Stuff)

Packed with words of wisdom and inspiration, this is one book no administrator or teacher should be without. Filled with practical tips to improve school climate, communication skills, and fun, this must-have resource will leave you laughing your way to a more successful school year. 144 pages

Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (4th Edition)

For courses in Computers in Education and Educational Technology.

Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching, 4^th edition, by M.D. Roblyer, provides hands-on practice with technology tools to illustrate how to integrate technology into the curriculum to support and shape learning. The author’s five-part Technology Integration Planning Model (TIP Model) shows teachers how to create an environment in which technology can effectively enhance learning.

For this 4^th edition, the author has developed a cohesive, comprehensive technology integration framework that builds on the strong research, the TIP model, and the numerous integration strategies of previous editions, and includes powerful classroom video clips of effective use of technology to shape learning.

SuperVision and Instructional Leadership: A Developmental Approach (7th Edition)

B> This classic market leading title in instructional leadership and supervision continues to challenge the conventional purposes, practices, structure, and language of successful education. This ground breaking book, now in its fifth edition, further challenges and bridges the boundaries of Supervision, Instructional Leadership, Educational Change, and School Success. The change in title to Supervision and Instructional Leadership signifies the need and reality of viewing school improvement as a whole, accounting for complexity, paradoxes, and shifting reforms. This book once again pushes into new frontiers of thinking and practice. For those involved in Leadership positions.

Introduction To Rubrics: An Assessment Tool To Save Grading Time, Convey Effective Feedback and Promote Student Learning

You need rubrics if:
* You find yourself repeating the same comments on most student papers
* You worry that you’re grading the latest papers differently from the first
* You’re concerned about communicating the complexity of a semester-long assignment
* You question the consistency of your and your colleagues’ grading scales
* Grading is taking up far too much of your valuable time

Research shows that rubrics save professors’ time while conveying meaningful and timely feedback for students, and promoting self-regulated and independent learning. The reason rubrics are little used in higher education is that few faculty members have been exposed to their use.

At its most basic a rubric is a scoring tool that divides an assignment into its component parts and objectives, and provides a detailed description of what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable levels of performance for each part.

Rubrics can be used to grade any assignment or task: research papers, book reviews, participation in discussions, laboratory work, portfolios, oral presentations, group work, and more.

This book defines what rubrics are, and how to construct and use them. It provides a complete introduction for anyone starting out to integrate rubrics in their teaching.

The authors go on to describe a variety of processes to construct rubrics, including some which involve student participation.They demonstrate how interactive rubrics--a process involving assessors and the assessed in defining the criteria for an assignment or objective--can be effective, not only in involving students more actively in their learning, but in establishing consistent standards of assessment at the program, department and campus level.

School Law and the Public Schools: A Practical Guide for Educational Leaders (4th Edition)

In a concise, convenient paperback form, this book provides contemporary and practical coverage of relevant legal issues that affect educational leaders in the 21st century. This book is written to provide practical knowledge to practicing and prospective educational leaders, students of educational leadership, teachers, prospective teachers, and policy makers at all educational levels. Legal issues are covered thoroughly yet succinctly, and are discussed in a way that is informative, entertaining and useful so that the audience can effectively perform their professional duties within the boundaries of constitutional, statutory, and case law. For educators and educational administrators.