What Effective Schools Do: Re-Envisioning the Correlates - Softcover

Lawrence W. Lezotte; Kathleen McKee Snyder

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1935249517 ISBN 13: 9781935249511

Publisher: Solution Tree, 2010

Synopsis

What Effective Schools Do is designed as guide to assist educators with activities for implementing a continuous school improvement system through application of the seven correlates of effective schools: 1. High expectations for success 2. Strong instructional leadership 3. A clear and focused mission 4. Opportunity to learn/time on task 5. Frequent monitoring of student progress 6. Safe and orderly environment 7. Positive home-school relations The ten chapters provide a comprehensive description of practices that enable educators to build and sustain a school culture that accommodates the learning expectations and needs of all students. The correlates of effective schools represent the knowledge educators need to successfully teach all children. Taken together, the correlates are more than just theory; they are what effective schools do.

About this title

About the Author:

Dr. Lawrence W. Lezotte earned his doctorate from Michigan State University (MSU) in 1969, joining the faculty there that same year. During his eighteen-year tenure at MSU, he served in various capacities, including Chair of the Department of Educational Administration; Associate Director, with Ron Edmonds, of the Center for School Improvement in the College of Education; and Chair of Urban and Metropolitan Studies in the College of Urban Affairs. Dr. Lezotte was a member of the original team of effective schools researchers who identified the characteristics of successful schools that have come to be known as the correlates of effective schools. Since that time, Dr. Lezotte has been at the forefront of the effective schools movement and has written widely on the new mission of public education. He has identified the components of a learner-centered system, as well as the theories and tools necessary for successful and continuous school improvement. As a nationally renowned education consultant and speaker, Dr. Lezotte has devoted his career to assisting schools in their efforts to assure that all students learn. He touches the lives of thousands of educators and tens of thousands of students each year through training programs workshops and conferences across the U.S. and Canada. Dr. Lezotte s training programs not only inspire schools and districts to adopt the learning-for-all mission, but also give them the information and tools they need to plan and implement continuous school improvement and raise student achievement. In recognition of his lifelong efforts, Dr. Lezotte received the 2003 Council of Chief State School Officers Distinguished Service Award presented each year to outstanding American who has made a difference in education. Dr. Lezotte was also selected as the 2009 recipient of the prestigious Brock International Prize in Education. The award is given annually to recognize an individual for innovative and effective ideas in education resulting in a significant impact on the practice or understanding of the field of education. Kathleen McKee Snyder earned her master s degree in 1980 from Michigan State University in Community and Regional Development within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The primary focus of her work there was in the area of community and organizational change, and the role of leadership in creating stakeholder buy-in and consensus. During her time at MSU, she coordinated the Lansing Community Network, a diverse group of citizens who, under the College of Urban Affairs, worked together to bring about positive changes in their community, particularly in regard to the education and welfare of young people. Ms. Snyder also consulted with various communities and nonprofit organizations in conducting perceptual surveys of their stakeholder groups and assisting them in creating buy-in to their various improvement efforts. In 1987, Ms. Snyder became the executive director of an environmental education center in Michigan, where she became well acquainted with the public education system. Working closely with local school districts, Ms. Snyder facilitated the alignment of the center s K 8 education programs with state learning objectives in core areas. During her ten years at the center, she instituted several hands-on science and environmental education programs designed to augment the curricula of the local schools. Ms. Snyder also has firsthand experience with education through her experiences as a substitute teacher in elementary and middle schools, and with her involvement as a parent of three children. Her varied experiences with public education, combined with her knowledge of the change process, continuous improvement, and leadership, have allowed Ms. Snyder to bring a unique perspective to her work at effective schools.

Review:

In school reform, there are few who have endured with such a positive reputation for reliable work as Larry Lezotte. He is not just respected, he is trusted. In this new book, What Effective Schools Do, he teams with Kathleen McKee Snyder and once again speaks with great authority. These two authors bring powerful new insights into effective school reform. This book connects the enduring power of effective schools research with a compelling new application to the contemporary world of continuous school improvement. --Robert D. Barr, emeritus analyst, Center for School Improvement, Boise State University, Boise, ID

This comprehensive discussion of effective schooling updates the knowledge base regarding school reform in a fashion that is both engaging and immediately actionable. Practitioners and researchers should find the work of Lezotte and Snyder equally as useful. --Robert J. Marzano, chief executive officer, Marzano Research Laboratory, Denver, CO

Lezotte and Snyder review and update this enduring approach to school reform. Today s educators should know and value the origins of the equity mission and data disaggregation that predated legislation. The correlates of effective schools are validated through cites from recent research, and practitioners insights from 2009 surveys reveal current perspectives. Components of a data dashboard related to each correlate add a new dimension for today s results-oriented environment. --Edie L. Holcomb, educational consultant and former district administrator, Bellingham, Washington

About this edition

• Publisher: Solution Tree
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1935249517
• ISBN 13: 9781935249511
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176