Download or read book Turning a School Around written by Josh Martin and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2019-12-06 with total page 117 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Currently in education everyone is debating what is required to turn around struggling campuses. Some argue the need for additional programs, some suggest merit pay to bring in and retain the most effective teachers. What this book will argue is that is rests solely on the shoulders of the principal. As the book will discuss, it is the principals job to hire and train quality teachers to ensure students receive the high quality instruction they deserve. In order for principals to accomplish this task, there are certain aspects of instructional leadership they must understand and be able to put into practice. Principals first and foremost must truly understand instruction. Principals must understand how to evaluate students and teachers through formative assessment. Principals have to find ways to get into classrooms as opposed to finding ways that keep them out. Finally, principals must understand data well enough that they can truly hear the story the data is telling. It is through these aspects of instructional leadership that principals are able turn campuses around.

Download or read book Turnaround Principals for Underperforming Schools written by Rosemary Papa and published by R&L Education. This book was released on 2011-08-16 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There's no mystery in turning around low-performing or failing schools, but there are also no recipes. In Turnaround Principals for Underperforming Schools Rosemary Papa and Fenwick English identify the essential ingredients for success. The causesof failure are complex and interactive. Schools are not inert structures but living organisms. Putting schools back together is a collaborative venture. It takes a team to turn around a school, but it all begins with the leadership. The key to success rests in a school leader who has a fundamental understanding of the dynamics of schooling, human motivation, and possesses the resiliency and energy to engage in altering the internal landscape of an unsuccessful school. Two veteran educators have put together a work based on their research and experience for the past half-century. They pull no punches. The challenge is not only to turn low-performing or failing schools around, but to enable them to become more socially just places for all students.

Download or read book Turning Your School Around written by Robert Barr and published by Solution Tree Press. This book was released on 2011-11-01 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Learn a step-by-step protocol for the self-guided audit that focuses on the most crucial areas of school improvement identified in The Kids Left Behind, the nationally recognized work by Robert D. Barr and William H. Parrett. The authors give readers a realistic view of the work involved in a top-to-bottom audit, while providing supporting evidence of its effectiveness.

Download or read book Leading School Turnaround written by Kenneth Leithwood and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2010-09-14 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: LEADING SCHOOL TURNAROUND Leading School Turnaround offers new perspectives and concrete, evidence-based guidelines for the educational leaders and administrators faced with the challenge of turning our low-performing schools around. Using the tools outlined in this groundbreaking book, school leaders can guide their schools to higher levels of achievement and sustained academic success. Based on research conducted in the United States, Canada, and England, Leading School Turnaround addresses in three parts the dynamic context of the turnaround environment, what turnaround leaders do, and the incredible challenges of moving from turnaround to "stay around." Filled with illustrative examples, the book outlines the best practices and behaviors successful turnaround leaders exercise. The authors include detailed information for applying the four main categories of turnaround leadership: direction setting, developing people, redesigning the school, and managing the instructional program. This important resource can help any school leader get their school back on the track to academic success.

Download or read book School Turnaround Policies and Practices in the US written by Joseph F. Murphy and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-12-12 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume provides an analysis of what we know about turning around "failing" schools in the United States. It starts with an in-depth examination of the barriers that hinder action on turnaround work. The book analyses the reasons why some schools that find themselves in serious academic trouble fail in their efforts to turn themselves around. Beginning with a discussion of what may best be described as "lethal" reasons or the most powerful explanation for failed reform initiatives, which include an absence of attention to student care and support; a near absence of attention to curriculum and instruction; the firing of the wrong people. Covered in this volume are "critical" explanations for failed turnaround efforts such as failure to attend to issues of sustainability, and "significant" explanations for failed turnaround efforts such as the misuse of test data. The volume concludes by examining what can be done to overcome problems that cause failure for turnaround schools and reviewing ideas in the core technology of schooling: curriculum, instruction, and assessment. As well as exploring problems associated with the leadership and management of schools to see where improvement is possible and an analysis of opportunities found in relationships between schools and their external partners such as parents and community members.

Download or read book Enduring Myths That Inhibit School Turnaround written by Coby V. Meyers and published by IAP. This book was released on 2017-05-01 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The concept of school turnaround—rapidly improving schools and increasing student achievement outcomes in a short period of time—has become politicized despite the relative newness of the idea. Unprecedented funding levels for school improvement combined with few examples of schools substantially increasing student achievement outcomes has resulted in doubt about whether or not turnaround is achievable. Skeptics have enumerated a number of reasons to abandon school turnaround at this early juncture. This book is the first in a new series on school turnaround and reform intended to spur ongoing dialogue among and between researchers, policymakers, and practitioners on improving the lowest-performing schools and the systems in which they operate. The “turnaround challenge” remains salient regardless of what we call it. We must improve the nation’s lowest-performing schools for many moral, social, and economic reasons. In this first book, education researchers and scholars have identified a number of myths that have inhibited our ability to successfully turn schools around. Our intention is not to suggest that if these myths are addressed school turnaround will always be achieved. Business and other literatures outside of education make it clear that turnaround is, at best, difficult work. However, for a number of reasons, we in education have developed policies and practices that are often antithetical to turnaround. Indeed, we are making already challenging work harder. The myths identified in this book suggest that we still struggle to define or understand what we mean by turnaround or how best, or even adequately, measure whether it has been achieved. Moreover, it is clear that there are a number of factors limiting how effectively we structure and support low-performing schools both systemically and locally. And we have done a rather poor job of effectively leveraging human resources to raise student achievement and improve organizational outcomes. We anticipate this book having wide appeal for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in consideration of how to support these schools taking into account context, root causes of low-performance, and the complex work to ensure their opportunity to be successful. Too frequently we have expected these schools to turn themselves around while failing to assist them with the vision and supports to realize meaningful, lasting organizational change. The myths identified and debunked in this book potentially illustrate a way forward.

Download or read book How to Turn a School Around written by Anna L. Valdez Perez and published by Corwin. This book was released on 1999-01-20 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on key findings from literature and the author's own experience, this book is designed to help principals and other administrators improve schools. The authors guide the reader through developing a collective vision, providing professional development, involving stakeholders in decision-making, and building support for change. Each chapter examines a different aspect of the school change process.

Download or read book Improbable Scholars written by David L. Kirp and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2015 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Improbable Scholars, David L. Kirp challenges the conventional wisdom about public schools and education reform in America through an in-depth look at Union City, New Jersey's high-performing urban school district. In this compelling study, Kirp reveals Union's city's revolutionary secret: running an exemplary school system doesn't demand heroics, just hard and steady work.

Download or read book Turning Around Failing Schools written by Joseph Murphy and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2007-11-01 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book provides critical understandings on the causes of organizational decline, a comprehensive conception of the turnaround process, and powerful insights for transforming failing schools into the kind we all want for our children." —Kenneth Leithwood, Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Ontario Institute for Studies in Education "Murphy and Meyers do a first-rate job of mapping the territory of school turnarounds and identifying the options for educators to consider and researchers to investigate." —Daniel L. Duke, Professor of Educational Leadership and Research University of Virginia The guide to successfully restructuring schools in trouble! This insightful resource integrates research, strategies, and lessons from business, government, and not-for-profit organizations that have transformed their substandard performance into a proactive approach for renewal. The authors provide: A comprehensive overview of the literature on organizational deterioration An in-depth examination of the causes and symptoms of degeneration A two-part model for preventing educational collapse and crafting an effective turnaround A review of the efficacy of educational reform initiatives This indispensable text is ideal for district administrators, superintendents, policy makers, and individuals with an interest in organizational accountability and meaningful school reform.

Download or read book Turning It Around written by Todd Whitaker and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2024-09-05 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What needs to be improved at your school? In this essential new book, Todd Whitaker and Courtney Monterecy provide a clear roadmap to making the changes that will bring lasting benefits to your students and staff, whether those changes are small tweaks or larger overhauls. You’ll learn step-by-step ways to diagnose the issues and listen to your staff about what needs to change, to hire more effectively and improve the teachers you have, to implement structures and coaching to address student behavior, and to communicate before you need to. Whitaker and Monterecy also show you how to grow as a leader by making time for what only you can do, by developing other leaders within the building, and by always communicating your why. Each chapter is filled with helpful strategies and inspiring true stories. With this book's wisdom and practical takeaways, you will have the courage and know-how to implement the important changes your students truly deserve.

Download or read book Turning Around Low Performing Schools in Chicago written by Marisa De La Torre and published by Consortium on Chicago School Research. This book was released on 2012-11-15 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Specific strategies for "turning around" chronically low-performing schools have become prominent, with the U.S. Department of Education enacting policies to promote four school improvement models that include "fundamental, comprehensive changes in leadership, staffing, and governance." Despite the attention and activity surrounding these types of school improvement models, there is a lack of research on whether or how they work. To date, most evidence has been anecdotal, as policymakers have highlighted specific schools that have made significant test score gains as exemplars of school turnaround, and researchers have focused on case studies of particular schools that have undergone one of these models. This has led to a tremendous amount of speculation over whether these isolated examples are, in fact, representative of turnaround efforts overall--in terms of the way they were implemented, the improvements they showed in student outcomes, and whether these schools actually served the same students before and after reform. To begin addressing this knowledge gap, the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research and American Institutes for Research (air) partnered to examine five different models initiated by the Chicago Public Schools (cps) in 36 schools. The goals of the study were to make clear how school reform occurred in Chicago--showing the actual changes in the student population and teacher workforce at the schools--and to learn whether these efforts had a positive effect on student learning overall. Appended are: (1) Description of Low-Performing Schools that Underwent Intervention; (2) Data and Data Sources; and (3) Research Methods and Results. (Contains 19 figures, 24 tables, 62 endnotes.).

Download or read book How to Turn a School Around written by and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 94 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Turning Around the Nation s Lowest Performing Schools written by Karen Baroody and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 29 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Across the country, states and school districts are focusing on turning around the nation's lowest-performing schools. Unprecedented federal Race to the Top and School Improvement Grant funding accompanied by a more prescriptive approach for using the funds has raised the profile of turnaround efforts. This focus on school turnaround, while welcome, is not new. State, district, and school leaders have been trying for years to turn around persistently low-performing schools. But while some schools have made significant gains in student achievement, results overall are decidedly mixed. One of the overarching reasons for the uneven results is that districts generally have failed to recognize that persistently low-performing schools face unique challenges that require aggressive, customized, and sustained interventions. Education Resource Strategies, Inc., or ERS, has identified five steps that districts can take in designing and implementing their school improvement programs that will increase the probability that their efforts will achieve lasting improvement: (1) Understand what each school needs; (2) Quantify what each school gets and how it is used; (3) Invest in the most important changes first; (4) Customize the strategy to the school; and (5) Change the district, not just the schools. There is no silver bullet--no single solution for how to turn a failing school around. But by taking these five steps district leaders can improve their probability for sustainable and scalable success. (Contains 26 endnotes.).

Download or read book Turning Our Schools Upside Down written by Larry Gene Deweese and published by L & B Educational Services. This book was released on 2011-11-14 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book provides readers with a different perspective on how to turn our schools around ... A plan is presented that would restore the dignity of teaching, make schools consider parents as their number one customers, and place educating children as the most important service a community can provide."--Back cover.

Download or read book Turning Around Turnaround Schools written by Frank Desensi and published by Silver Tree Publishing. This book was released on 2018-05-26 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Practical Guide for K-12 Schools in an Era of High-Stakes Accountability Turning Around Turnaround Schools, now in its 2nd edition, is the go-to resource for leaders working in or with turnaround schools. In a practical "what to do" format - rich with concrete examples and tools to implement at your school - this book helps schools find relevant and targeted best practices for improving student achievement in an era of high-stakes accountability. Turning Around Turnaround Schools explores the idea of "student as learner" vs. "student as performer," and helps educators to capture and sue the right data. Written by a team of educators from Educational Directions, LLC, this book shares lessons learned, as well as proven strategies and processes implemented with struggling schools, both urban and rural, in several states. The book chronicles the changes in perceptions, practices, and assumptions made by these educators during their 20 years of working with "turnaround schools." The authors focus on areas that produced the greatest leverage in changing schools (e.g., identifying all the learnings and learner characteristics required by standards or developing causal data streams) and on some of the barriers that made these high leverage strategies difficult to implement (e.g., compliance cultures or entrenched programs). The book develops a new approach to the idea of intentional education, to educating the whole child, and to the process of using data to inform instruction. A major emphasis of the book is that change must be rooted in "output," not "input." Many of the early failures of conventional wisdom could be traced back to the fact that leaders were trying to change adult work, strategies, or materials without first defining the output that was expected from the students or identifying the causes of off-level performance. This 2nd edition guidebook contains assessments and toolkits that educational leaders can use - right away - to begin understanding and addressing the changes before them. The authors of Turning Around Turnaround Schools don't present their approach as a magic bullet to solve all turnaround school problems. Rather, they document how they had to address the fact that preconceived realities and assumptions limited their ability to move schools in a way that would predictably improve student performance. Their hope is that this book will stimulate a similar reevaluation in the readers so that they can come to grips with personal assumptions and deal with the barriers they will face as they come to grips and try to change practice in their schools. --- "Test scores cannot be used as the only indicator of a student's performance. Scores are a data point, and not a decision point. We must dig deeper to determine what is wrong with student work and why it breaks down. This causal analysis helps us to enable each child to maximize his or her potential." Educational Directions, LLC, (Ed Directions) is an educational consulting company providing training and leadership support for K-12 schools. Ed Directions was founded in 1998 to enable a group of retiring educators to continue working with schools struggling to improve student learning and performance. Since its establishment, the company has worked with both urban and rural schools, in several states, providing leadership development, assisting struggling schools, and collaborating with districts in developing programs and software to enhance school improvement. Learn more at www.EdDirections.com.

Download or read book Turning Around The Culture Of Teaching And Learning written by Rachael B. Lawrence and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2009-2010, Riverton Elementary School in Portland, ME was awarded a School Improvement Grant (SIG), supported by the Federal Department of Education (Federal DOE) through the Maine Department of Education. With this funding, Riverton undertook the challenge of the turnaround school model between 2010-2013, which resulted in positive change in academic achievement for their students and an improved teaching and learning climate and culture. This dissertation examines why the turnaround model may work, what is currently known about SIG funded turnaround schools, and what the specific actions and changes that led to the successful turnaround of this school were. While Riverton followed the turnaround model with fidelity and maintained a clear, singular focus on the academic goal of English Language and Literacy Acquisition, they employed changes above the model that facilitated improvement in teaching practice, resulting in impressive gains in student achievement on standardized tests. With the change in academic trajectory came a change in the teaching and learning culture at Riverton School, which may support a long-term, sustainable change. Sustainability is further explored through discussing the funding sources of many of the changes and plans made by local leadership to continue the success of the program when the SIG funding expired. Finally, I explore the potential long-term economic effect of the improved literacy achieved by students as a result of this intervention in terms of savings to society, which may be quite large. As the population of Riverton School is typical of many urban schools, with many recent immigrants to this country, this SIG likely made a large difference in the lives of the students at Riverton.

Download or read book Turning Around Turnaround Schools written by Joe DeSensi and published by Silver Tree Publishing. This book was released on 2020-04-06 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the second volume in the Turning Around Turnaround Schools series, called Embracing the Rhythm of the Learner Year, the authors explore the neuroscience of how students learn and then use those insights to recommend a powerful and proven methodology for planning the school year around student need.Teachers don't take state tests or college readiness tests -- students do. Therefore, our metric of success in K-12 education cannot be how much is taught, but rather, how much is learned.While the Rhythm of the Learner Year process is not focused on increasing test scores, it stands to reason that if we are creating independent learners who can perform at high levels and are willing to give best effort, increases on high-stakes testing should be a natural byproduct.The Learner Year teaches the reader (K-12 teachers, principals, superintendents, and other educational leaders) to consider the whole child in program design, taking into account both cognitive and non-cognitive abilities and indicators. Ultimately, the authors make the case for a just-in-time approach to:--Developing a school's culture and climate--Unpacking standards--Building independent learners--Making those learners performers--Winning hearts and minds to get best effort for assessments--Mitigating the summer losses of content and process.The Learner Year starts with summer planning, involving reviewing what worked this past academic year, what didn't, where the faculty were strong, and where professional development might be most useful. This goes into the opening of school, critical to setting the culture and climate for learning. In the fall, we increase a student's potential to learn and store that learning in long-term memory. In the spring, we continue the learning but equally focus on retrieving that learning and performing tasks at the level the students will ultimately be assessed. As testing rolls around, we make sure that we have hearts and minds to get best effort, and the new school year starts with the last few weeks of closing the current school year. It's a continuous, thoughtful, strategic, and proven way to do exactly what the title suggests -- Embrace the Rhythm of the Learner Year.