Cultural Caring: The Human Side of Professional Learning Communities at Work (Building a culture of care for students and adults)

A nurturing, caring school environment is essential for school improvement and student motivation. In this book, Douglas Reeves and Robert Eaker bring the importance of a caring environment to the forefront of school transformation efforts. They identify who is responsible for shaping school communities, what qualities are vital for them to exhibit, and what educational leaders and practitioners can do to promote more caring for all.

K–12 leaders, administrators, policy makers, and teacher leaders will:

• Understand the direct impacts of care and connection on student motivation and learning
• Support and empower parents in their efforts to nurture children’s growth and education
• Build collaborative teaching teams to encourage supportive professional development
• Implement regular feedback to maintain commitment to improved caring practices
• Inspire broader cultural changes among districts, communities, and national leadership

Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Caring Imperative
Chapter 2: Caring Classrooms
Chapter 3: Getting Feedback Right
Chapter 4: Supporting Caring Beyond the Classroom
Chapter 5: Caring and Teacher Needs
Chapter 6: Caring Collaboration
Chapter 7: Caring Leadership
Chapter 8: Caring Governing Boards
Chapter 9: Leading With Care—Five Essential Decisions
Chapter 10: Caring Communities and a Caring Nation
Epilogue
References and Resources
Index

Douglas Reeves, PhD, is the author of more than forty books and more than one hundred articles on leadership and education. He has twice been named to the Harvard University Distinguished Authors Series and was named the Brock International Laureate for his contributions to education.
His career in professional learning led to him receiving a Contribution to the Field Award from the National Staff Development Council, now Learning Forward. His volunteer activities include FinishTheDissertation.org, providing free and noncommercial support for doctoral students, and The SNAFU Review, publishing the essays, poetry, stories, and artwork of disabled veterans. Dr. Reeves lives with his family in downtown Boston. He tweets @DouglasReeves and blogs at CreativeLeadership.net.

Robert Eaker, EdD, is a professor emeritus at Middle Tennessee State University, where he also served as dean of the College of Education and interim vice president and provost. Dr. Eaker is a former fellow with the National Center for Effective Schools Research and Development. He has written widely on the issues of effective teaching, effective schools, helping teachers use research findings, and high expectations for student achievement. He was cited by Phi Delta Kappan as one of the nation’s leaders in helping public school educators translate research into practice. Dr. Eaker was instrumental in the founding of the Tennessee Teachers Hall of Fame and was a regular contributor to the Effective Schools Research Abstracts series.