Download or read book School Improvement One Student at a Time Voices of Students who Struggle at School written by Kristin G. Sherwood and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 550 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Student Voice in School Reform written by Dana L. Mitra and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2014-03-14 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: High schools continue to be places that isolate, alienate, and disengage students. But what would happen if students were viewed as part of the solution in schools rather than part of the problem? This book examines the emergence of "student voice" at one high school in the San Francisco Bay area where educators went straight to the source and asked the students to help. Struggling, like many high schools, with how to improve student outcomes, educators at Whitman High School decided to invite students to participate in the reform process. Dana L. Mitra describes the evolution of student voice at Whitman, showing that the students enthusiastically created partnerships with teachers and administrators, engaged in meaningful discussion about why so many failed or dropped out, and partnered with teachers and principals to improve learning for themselves and their peers. In documenting the difference that student voice made, this book helps expand ideas of distributed leadership, professional learning communities, and collaboration. The book also contributes much needed research on what student voice initiatives look like in practice and provides powerful evidence of ways in which young people can increase their sense of agency and their sense of belonging in school.

Download or read book Student Voice and School Governance written by Marc Brasof and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-06-05 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While student voice has been well-defined in research, how to sustain youth-adult leadership work is less understood. Students are rarely invited to lead school reform efforts, and when they are, their voice is silenced by the structural arrangements and socio-cultural conditions found in schools. This volume investigates problems with the neoliberal school reform movement, and how youth-adult partnerships have resulted in more effective reforms within schools and community organizations nationally and internationally. Stemming from an eight-year ethnographic study at a civic-themed public high school, the volume highlights the process of creating a school governance structure which produces active and informed citizens. Made up of executive, legislative and judicial branches, the program gives students the power to make, implement and review school policies and practices—a model that has found to effectively distribute leadership and trigger organizational learning, and is thus at the forefront of civic education.

Download or read book International Handbook of Student Experience in Elementary and Secondary School written by D. Thiessen and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-06-03 with total page 910 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This handbook brings together in a single volume the groundbreaking work of scholars who have conducted studies of student experiences of school in Afghanistan, Australia, Canada, England, Ghana, Ireland, Pakistan, and the United States. Drawing extensively on students’ interpretations of their experiences in school as expressed in their own words, chapter authors offer insight into how students conceptualize and approach school. The book examines how students understand and address the ongoing social opportunities for and challenges in working with other students and teachers, and the multiple ways in which students shape and contribute to school improvement.

Download or read book The Gradual Art of School Improvement written by Richard Steward and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-06-13 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: School improvement in recent years has largely focused on rapid improvement and quick fixes. Yet, genuine and sustainable school improvement is complex, gradual and incremental. It requires developing a culture and focusing relentlessly on teaching and learning. The Gradual Art of School Improvement is a comprehensive practical guide to school improvement, covering aspects such as improvement planning, staff development, the learning environment, dealing with outside pressures including inspection, curriculum design and the role of leaders at all levels. It includes: Detailed accounts of the steps that can be taken to create a positive learning culture over time Case studies and worked examples, concentrating on the practical aspects of school improvement from the perspective of an experienced and successful head teacher Ready-to-use practitioner resources that readers can adapt and use in their own settings Accessibly written and entertaining, this book is an invaluable resource for leaders at all levels and stages of their career.

Download or read book Student Voices written by Martha E. Casazza and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2017-12-12 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We are surrounded by voices, but how often do we actually stop and listen to the stories they have to tell? Martha E.Casazza and Sharon L. Silverman have been listening to the stories of students for the past five years, and they share how high achievers have overcome obstacles. Throughout the interviews, students told the authors having someone believe in them was key to their success. Find out what else made a difference in their lives by listening closely to Student Voices. This book offers a fundamental truth: If you listen carefully when students talk, you will learn a great deal. Casazza and Silverman listened, and the result is both a celebration of student achievement and a model for how to foster it. Mike Rose, author, Back to School: Why Everyone Deserves a Second Chance at Education Casazza and Silverman go right to the source, the purest source, the student voice, to find out what truly works for students. This is what we as educators need to hear and heed if we truly want to succeed in our efforts to improve education. Robin Ozz, president, National Association for Developmental Education

Download or read book Dissertation Abstracts International written by and published by . This book was released on 2009-08 with total page 498 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Voices Unheard written by Nikole Suzanne Salinas and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 414 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Students who have been labeled "at risk" because of their academic struggles often go through a negative classroom experience because of teacher perception and bias, accountability, and the self-fulfilling prophecy. This is a problem because these negative experiences can become progressively worse through the years, impacting students' sentiments toward school. If students view school as a place where they feel defeated and unaccepted, they are more likely to start falling behind, which could eventually lead to them failing or dropping out of school all together. Without an adequate education, students are less likely to obtain a quality job and earn a decent living. This impacts the economy in terms of what they can offer as a productive member of their community and what they are able to contribute to society in an increasingly competitive world market. Those students that are particularly affected by these negative experiences in the classroom are marginalized groups, such as Hispanic and African American students. These struggles in school are even further compounded for students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds that were found to be "more likely than other students to be deficient in basic mathematics and reading skills. These students were also more likely than other students to drop out between the 8th and 10th grades" (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 1992, p.V). According to the California Department of Education, minorities accounted for over half (71.55%) of the state's Graduation Cohort in 2012 (http://www.cde.ca.gov). On a national level, minority students comprise a majority of our schools' populations and therefore, the way these students experience school is a definite cause for concern. If students find school to be an unpleasant experience, especially in the early years, they will more than likely develop negative sentiments toward school. Students who harbor these feelings run a heightened risk of dropping out, let alone achieving the educational attainment they are capable of. The data will be obtained through open-ended teacher surveys, Likert Scale student surveys, and one-on-one student interviews. All surveys and interviews will take place at the same elementary school site, and will be compared to each other for analysis and statistical differences. After obtaining the results from the teacher surveys as well as the student surveys and interviews, several connections emerged between the data and the literature reviewed in preparation to conduct the current research study. These major themes included: Critical Pedagogy, Students' Lived Experiences, Academic Resiliency and Self-Fulfilling Prophecy. The study began with the assertion by the founder of Critical Pedagogy, Paulo Freire, which stated, "World and human beings do not exist apart from each other, they exist in constant interaction" (1970, p. 50). When the teacher and student data was compared to one another, this seemed to be an issue. There seemed to be a lack of interaction between teachers and their pupils, especially from the perspective of the students. On many of the student survey questions, children were unable to answer countless questions about their teachers that should have been relatively easy to comment on. However, students showed the lack of interaction they were receiving when they repeatedly listed that they were "not sure" or "neutral" on many of these questions. The teachers also commented several times throughout their surveys about the lack of home-school connection and parent and/or student apathy. Had teachers and students alike shared this idea about a need for constant interaction, it is likely that their responses would have been more reflective of one another. One quote in particular from Duncan-Andrade and Morrell shed light primarily on the results of the student surveys. In their 2008 book, the authors state "When one set of schools is given the resources necessary to succeed and another group of schools is not, we have predetermined winners and losers" (p. 1). In the context of this study, it seemed to be the students that were divided into "predetermined winners and losers". Although not directly stated by teachers or students, responses in both student surveys and interviews revealed that there was an obvious gap in the way students perceived their teacher and their experience in the classroom. Being that these feelings were exuded in both the surveys and interviews, it was not by chance that these students felt divided on many of the questions regarding their place in the classroom and the education they were receiving. One specific point where students were divided was regarding the feedback they received from teachers about their progress in school. This relates to a quote regarding Students' Lived Experiences in which the authors state, "...students in low-income culturally diverse urban schools who are academically underachieving may be the least likely but most in need to experience feedback about their strengths and potential competence for academic and career development" (Jackson, Perolini, Fietzer, Altschuler, Woerner & Hashimoto, 2011, p. 1024). Being that a majority of the students surveyed in this sample are low-income, from culturally diverse backgrounds, and considered "at-risk" while all attending an urban elementary school, it is evident by this quote how much these students in particular need this feedback. Without it, these students will be ill-prepared for the academics they will encounter, which will later affect the types of jobs they can obtain and the lives they will lead. No matter what the students' demographics, there is undeniable potential for academic resiliency. Rivera and Waxman (2007) state that one of the key characteristics of resilient students is "having a positive relationship with a competent adult" (p.12). Embedded throughout the student surveys and interviews, many of the students articulated either through words or by their answer choice on the Likert Scale that they were feeling a strong disconnect with their teachers. Some showed outright disagreement, while others maintained neutrality because of simply not knowing where their teacher stood when it came to them personally. If rapport with a teacher can be a determining factor in whether a student is academically resilient or not, then their responses in the data collected is a major cause for concern. Part of the reasoning for students experiencing these varied encounters in the same classroom may be due to the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy. Being that at this particular school site "student placement cards" are used, much about the student is already "known" about them before the first day. Brophy cautions against this when he states, "expectations can be affected significantly by information about test performance, performance on assignments, track or group placement, classroom conduct, physical appearance, race, social class, ethnicity, sex, speech characteristics, and various diagnostic labels" (1982, p. 11). The student responses, especially in the surveys, revealed that many of them were in fact having contrasting experiences in the classroom and were often divided, especially when it came to their teachers' perceptions of them as well as what they thought students were capable of. The abovementioned research supports the fact that these discrepancies may be accounted for by teachers' preconceived notions and the varying levels of expectations that accompany them.

Download or read book Continuous School Improvement written by Mark A. Smylie and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2009-12-10 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A hallmark volume by one of the nation′s most accomplished school improvement scholars. This is the most thoroughly researched, well-crafted, and useful volume on continuous improvement available. Smylie does for ′continuous improvement′ what Fullan did for change." —Joseph Murphy, Professor Vanderbilt University Discover what it takes to create lasting, positive change for your school, your teachers, and your students! Focusing on school change that improves teaching and learning, this guide for principals integrates evolutionary change theory with the research on continuous improvement. Mark A. Smylie begins with a succinct overview of organizational change that provides readers with the foundation they need to embark on a school change initiative. Interviews with educators involved with organizational change provide insightful examples and first-person responses to the challenges inherent in school change. Continuous School Improvement also addresses the major implementation problems that leaders face, such as: Building trust Creating a culture of mutual responsibility Building support Setting goals Responding to teachers′ stress in the face of change

Download or read book Listening to Urban Kids written by Bruce L. Wilson and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2001-01-11 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: According to the many student voices in this book, urban middle school students want teachers who "stay on them" to complete their work, maintain orderly classrooms, give them the extra help they need to succeed, explain their work clearly, draw on a variety of teaching strategies, and make their work relevant and meaningful. This book, rich in detail, brings these inner-city students' perspectives to life and issues a compelling call for urban school reform that actually touches students' daily lives.

Download or read book More High School Graduates written by Ben Levin and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2011-11-30 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A proven system to boost high school graduation rates This guide helps school leaders and government policymakers boost high school graduation rates. Drawing from his knowledge as an education official and professor, author Ben Levin presents a system to turn around secondary schools that is adaptable for local-, district-, and state-level decision making. Components include: Keeping track of all students’ progress and intervening early to prevent failure Establishing curriculum and graduation requirements that support increased student success Improving teaching and learning Connecting with the community to engage families, local businesses, and other stakeholders in improving graduation rates Implementing methods for planning, communicating, and winning support

Download or read book The A Z of School Improvement written by David Woods and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2013-05-28 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: School improvement is an increasingly complex field with developments in policy, research, practice and language making it difficult to get a complete picture. Leading authors David Woods and Tim Brighouse pull together the approaches, characteristics and technical terms needed for busy school leaders, teachers, governors and parents to quickly get to grips with current approaches and best practice. Combining their extensive experience of school improvement in action, they provide an authoritative and up-to-date overview of the field and easy access to the wide range of information, ideas and practices on making schools the best they can be. A comprehensive A-Z introduces the characteristics, approaches and language of school improvement ranging from appreciative enquiry to zero tolerance. Quotations, case studies and 'butterflies' (little ideas with big impact) illustrate the entries and bring them to life through the experiences of real schools. They include discussion of key debates and controversies to stimulate discussion and guided reading by topic to help with further research.

Download or read book Student Voice in Mathematics Classrooms around the World written by Berinderjeet Kaur and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-09-06 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Learner's Perspective Study ascribes to the premise that the investigation of social practice within the mathematics classrooms must attend to the learners’ practice with at least the same priority as that accorded to the teachers’ practice. In focusing on student voice within this partnership, as enacted in many different guises across different cultures and socio-political learning environments, we hope that we will be better informed to understand the relationship between pedagogy and learning mathematics, and between pedagogy and the empowerment of diverse learners. Research findings from the Learner's Perspective Study reported in this book and its companion volumes affirm just how culturally-situated are the practices of classrooms around the world and the extent to which students are collaborators with the teacher, complicit in the development and enactment of patterns of participation that reflect individual, societal and cultural priorities and associated value systems. In this book, we attend closely to this collaboration with our focus on the voice of the student. Collectively, the authors consider how the deliberate inclusion of student voice can be used to enhance our understandings of mathematics classrooms, of mathematics learning, and of mathematics outcomes for students in classrooms around the world. The Learner’s Perspective Study aims to juxtapose the observable practices of the classroom and the meanings attributed to those practices by classroom participants. The LPS research design documents sequences of at least ten lessons, using three video cameras, supplemented by the reconstructive accounts of classroom participants obtained in post-lesson video-stimulated interviews, and by test and questionnaire data, and copies of student written material. In each participating country, data generation focuses on the classrooms of three teachers, identified by the local mathematics education community as competent, and situated in demographically different school communities within the one major city. The large body of complex data supports both the characterization of practice in the classrooms of competent teachers and the development of theory.

Download or read book Master s Theses Directories written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Education, arts and social sciences, natural and technical sciences in the United States and Canada".

Download or read book Leadership for Low Performing Schools written by Daniel L. Duke and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2015-01-15 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No greater challenge faces our society than improving the educational opportunities for millions of young people trapped in chronically low-performing schools. Overcoming this challenge requires talented and dedicated school leaders whose knowledge and skills extend far beyond what is covered in conventional principal preparation programs. This book draws on extensive research by the author and others on the actions needed to turn around low-performing schools. First, however, the book examines the personal qualities needed to undertake the turnaround process. Following chapters provide guidelines on diagnosing the school-based causes of low achievement and developing a school turnaround plan. The author focuses on the importance of continuous planning – a departure from standard practice. A major portion of the book is devoted to examples of first-order and second-order strategies for raising achievement. Specific recommendations for launching the turnaround process and sustaining gains beyond the first years of turnaround are provided. The concluding chapter addresses the role of school districts in supporting school-based turnaround efforts.

Download or read book Flip Your Classroom written by Jonathan Bergmann and published by International Society for Technology in Education. This book was released on 2012-06-21 with total page 123 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Learn what a flipped classroom is and why it works, and get the information you need to flip a classroom. You’ll also learn the flipped mastery model, where students learn at their own pace, furthering opportunities for personalized education. This simple concept is easily replicable in any classroom, doesn’t cost much to implement, and helps foster self-directed learning. Once you flip, you won’t want to go back!

Download or read book Professional Standards for Educational Leaders written by Joseph F. Murphy and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2016-12-21 with total page 463 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unpack the standards and build a plan for leading learning Professional Standards for Educational Leaders introduces the foundations of the recently revised professional educational leadership standards and provides an in-depth explanation and application of each one. Written by the primary architect of PSEL, educational leadership expert Joseph F. Murphy, this authoritative guide to understanding and applying the standards explores the new emphasis on: Leadership of learning, school culture, and diversity Values, ethics, and professional norms of educational leadership Teacher quality, instruction, and caring support Written for higher education faculty, professional development providers, and school and district leaders, the author truly brings the standards to life. This comprehensive manual will power the educational leadership profession through the challenges of the next decade and beyond. "Murphy offers an exploration of the kind of leadership that matters most for each and every student. Let us hope the thinking reflected in this book and the new PSEL standards redirects our attention to what it really means to lead in education." Michelle D. Young, UCEA Executive Director, Professor of Leadership University of Virginia "Joseph Murphy debunks myths about standards for educational leaders and skillfully unpacks the moral, foundational, and experiential basis for the revised professional standards to guide effective leadership of our nation’s schools. This book is a must read for those interested in leadership for learning and the academic success and wellbeing of students, because these standards will shape our field for the next quarter century as the ISLLC standards have done since 1996." Martha McCarthy, Presidential Professor Loyola Marymount University