School Improvement for the Next Generation - Softcover

White Dr, Professor Of Politics Stephen; Smith, Dr Raymond L

9781935249207: School Improvement for the Next Generation

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1935249207 ISBN 13: 9781935249207

Publisher: Solution Tree, 2010

School improvement, in its current form, has been around for generations and is used in schools all over the globe. Unfortunately, such widespread use has not created widespread results, despite the work of talented, informed professionals. While this first generation of school improvement certainly established a foundation for change, authors Stephen White and Raymond L. Smith pursue the idea that a deeper, more focused school improvement process can achieve the improvement results schools have been working so hard for. School Improvement for the Next Generation addresses a few fundamental shifts in thinking and practice that will allow schools to move beyond the first generation of school improvement and achieve those ambitious goals that have been elusive thus far. Based around a modified planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation cycle, this resource explains step by step how each phase of the cycle can produce tangible achievement gains. The authors begin with a review of first-generation school improvement and then contrast that with what they see as next-generation school improvement; they also include successful, concrete examples from schools throughout the United States and Canada. Separate chapters are devoted to planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, leadership, and focus, each with specific strategies to uncover best practices and improve both learning and teaching. Additionally, a storyline is woven throughout that recounts the struggles and successes of fictional Kelly County High School as the teachers and administrators attempt to implement an improvement plan that actually works. School Improvement for the Next Generation provides readers with concrete steps to improve a process that has the potential to change the lives of both students and teachers. The theory of action is simple: make school improvement the most important work at each school and do everything necessary to make best practice common practice. With the guidance of White and Smith, successful school improvement is possible.

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About the Author:

Dr. Stephen White is executive director of Research, Accountability, and Program Evaluation for Denver Public Schools, a leading urban district committed to closing achievement gaps and reframing the paradigm of teaching and learning. His deep experience as a public school administrator twenty years includes service as a superintendent, assistant superintendent, executive director, CEO of a higher education Board of Cooperative Educational Services, high school principal, and coordinator of special education. Dr. White also served as senior professional development associate with the Leadership and Learning Center from 2003 to 2010, and has provided expertise in data analysis, systems, leadership assessment, program evaluation, and school improvement to help change the way educators view themselves and manage data in an era of high-stakes accountability and testing. In addition to School Improvement for the Next Generation, Dr. White has authored Leadership Maps (2009), Beyond the Numbers (2005), Show Me the Proof (2005), twenty articles, and two invited chapters for bestselling authors, including the book Ahead of the Curve (2007). Dr. White brings over thirty-five years of experience at all levels, is the primary author of the PIMTM school improvement framework and the Leadership Map, and has reviewed over 2,300 school improvement plans since 2005. He is active in his church, The Rock, Real Community, in Castle Rock, Colorado, and lives with his lovely wife, Linda. Together, they have eight children and seven grandchildren. Dr. Raymond L. Smith was a public school educator for thirty-four years, serving as a teacher, principal, and director of secondary education, and has taught graduate course work. He is a professional development associate with the Leadership and Learning Center in Englewood, Colorado. Dr. Smith travels throughout the United States to assist school systems in implementing best practices related to leadership development, change, executive coaching, and school improvement planning. He has done extensive research and implementation on school improvement practices. Toward that end, he served as a co-primary researcher on a team who conducted the original Planning, Implementation and Monitoring (PIM) Study for the Leadership and Learning Center. The PIM Study was highlighted in Douglas Reeves book, The Learning Leader: How to Focus School Improvement for Better Results (2006). Dr. Smith has authored several learning modules for the Ohio Leadership Advisory Council, which are intended for use by superintendents, district leadership team members, and building leadership team members, as well as by others such as central office personnel, principals, teachers, related services personnel, and school board members interested in improving instructional practice and achievement for all students. The modules are aligned with essential practices outlined in Ohio's Leadership Development Framework (Ohio Leadership Advisory Council, 2008). His primary motivation is to be a force for positive change and to inspire others to greatness. Dr. Smith holds an MA in educational administration and earned his PhD in educational leadership and innovation from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colorado. He lives with his wife Julie in Pacific City, Oregon.

Review:

This book offers a particularly thorough, well-grounded account of the real challenges faced by those engaged in school improvement work. Organized around a coherent, well-tested framework, the book is also a goldmine of practical guidance likely to add significantly to the impact on students of current school improvement efforts. --Ken Leithwood, professor, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Before you write your next school improvement plan, study this book. It will save time and reduce stress for your entire leadership team. Most importantly, it will focus your time and energy on those areas that have the strongest links to student achievement. White and Smith have waded through thousands of pages of school plans, discovering some gems among the piles of wasted paper. Their findings are significant not only for teachers and administrators, but for state and national policy makers. We know how to improve student results and educational equity. The only question is whether we will follow the wise counsel of the authors and focus on a few leadership initiatives and implement them deeply. --Douglas Reeves, founder and chairman, The Leadership and Learning Center

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