Praise for the First Edition:
". . . poses a challenging, compelling argument and is highly recommended for any educator in search of tips, tricks, and techniques for self-improvement on the job."
--Midwest Book Review
December 2001
"I treasure this book. It is informative, well written, and important to educational leaders."
--Robert Garmston, Cofounder
Institute for Intelligent Behavior
"This book is essential to anyone interested in a framework and strategies for supporting a school staff in reflecting on its practice to increase learning at the individual and organizational levels, and subsequently enhancing student learning."
--Shirley M. Hord, Program Manager
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
Praise for the Second Edition:
"This book is a must-read for teacher leaders, principals, and central office administrators. The authors make a substantive and powerful argument for addressing reflection at all levels of the organization and provide practical tools and insights to facilitate a comfortable transition from theory to practice. This book will be valuable to anyone serious about ensuring success for all students."
--Stephanie Hirsh, Deputy Executive Director
National Staff Development Council
Use reflective practice to renew your life, enhance your teaching practice, and promote success for your students!
As you reflect on your day, what can be learned about your teaching and leadership practice? When you create space during the week to reflect with your colleagues, in what ways can you share your experiences, successes, challenges, and questions to foster collaborative learning and growth? Reflective practice--individually and with others--counteracts the effects of professional isolation and instills a sense of meaning, renewal, and empowerment in the hectic lives of educators. Insights gained through reflective practice improve teaching and leadership practices that result in enhanced learning and development for students. This book offers a roadmap for reflective practice that presents research-based information and ideas and strategies for engaging in reflective practice alone, with partners, in small groups, and even schoolwide.
Reflective Practice to Improve Schools is the reference tool you need for mastering reflective practice and initiating it in your school. The authors have revamped this second edition to include:
- Additional ideas and strategies for incorporating individual reflection into your life
- New examples of reflective practice for administrators
- New examples of reflective practice for schoolwide implementation
- Greater reflection for fostering equity and cultural competence
A commitment to reflective practice is a commitment to realizing your potential as educators and human beings, not only human doings.
Jennifer York-Barr received her PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her development, research and teaching has been grounded in partnerships with schools and school districts. Her early worked focused most specifically on creating classroom communities in which students with various exceptionalities were included. That work grew into a broader focus on growing school communities grounded in conversations that support ongoing reflective practice and learning. She has been honored with several college and university level teaching awards and has authored or co-authored more than 100 publications most of which are focused on instructional collaboration, inclusive schooling, teacher leadership and professional learning.
William A. Sommers, Ph.D. of Austin, Texas, continues to be a learner, teacher, principal, author, leadership coach, and consultant. Bill has come out of retirement five times to put theory into practice. He was on the Board of Trustees for five years and President for the National Staff Development Council now called Learning Forward.
Dr. Sommers is the former Executive Director for Secondary Curriculum and Professional Learning for Minneapolis Public Schools, and a school administrator for over 30 years. In addition to being an adjunct faculty member at several universities, he has been a program director for an adolescent chemical dependency treatment center and on the board of a halfway house for 20 years.
Bill has co-authored eight books, and co-authored chapters in several other books. In January 2016 Bill and his colleague Skip Olsen launched a website www.learningomnivores.com which includes educational blogs, new rules, and book reviews. Bill is a practitioner who integrates theory into leading and facilitating schools. Dr. Sommers has continued to be a leadership coach for over 25 years to school administrators.
Gail Ghere
Gail received her PhD from University of Minnesota in educational policy and program evaluation. She has a Masters degree in Special Education with practice experience as a related service provider. Over her career, she worked in Pre K-12 education in rural, suburban, and urban school districts. She also has served as a program evaluator for K-12 education, higher education, and private foundations. She is the co-author of several publications on collaboration, program evaluation, and paraprofessional development. Her belief in equitable outcomes and inclusive learning opportunities for students has guided her work throughout her career whether she was working directly with students, supporting adult learning or developing programs that met the needs of diverse learners.
Jo Montie
Jo received her MA in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota (1996) and a BS in Behavioral Disabilities from the University of WI-Madison (1984) when she started her work in schools as a special education teacher. She has been teaching at the University of St. Thomas since 2003 where she also contributes leadership in the areas of teacher education program development and online teaching and learning. Jo’s over 25 years of teaching and work in schools continues to stress the need for more collaboration, reflective practice and greater access and equity for all learners.
