Educational administration and organization Books

Book SynopsisThe purpose of this book is to examine the tensions, gaps, and intersections between the practices of leadership in educational systems, school leadership preparation programs, and the often different worlds of academia and k12 schools. Voices from both academia and k12 schools are used to illustrate the tensions that cluster around capacity, politics, and the everyday practice of inspiring, engaging, and preparing school leaders.

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Book SynopsisCoaching between educators is one of the best ways to improve outcomes for all learners—but coaches rarely get formal preparation for mastering this important role. Give coaches the expert support they need with this essential new resource, a comprehensive guide to what effective coaching looks like across the PreK-12 grade span and how to conduct powerful coaching cycles with teachers and teams. With a focus on improved practice for coaches and big-picture systems change, the authors combine relevant research with hands-on guidance and resources for planning, conducting, and reflecting on the quality of coaching when working with individual teachers or leadership teams. Readers will start with foundational information on coaching goals, activities, and challenges; a synthesis of research on coaching practices that work with teachers and teams; and guidance on applying systems-level change principles to the coaching process. Then they’ll get strategies and resources to help them implement the key features of an effective coaching framework (see below). Vivid examples show what successful coaching looks like at different grade levels, and 30 downloadable tools help coaches take confident action, reflect on their practices, and continuously improve. A must-have professional reference for coaches, educator teams, and administrators, this book is the key to conducting powerful coaching sessions that lead to better outcomes for every student. Implement an effective coaching framework through: Alliance building: Take an intentional approach to developing an equitable, mutually beneficial partnership with a shared purpose. Observing: Watch the teacher or team in action, gather simple data, and use the data to construct feedback and encourage reflection. Modeling: Demonstrate to coachees how to use a specific teaching or teaming practice. Providing performance feedback: Share your feedback so that coachees have concrete, actionable data that helps them reflect on their practices and advance their goals. Includes 30 coaching tools: Coaching Protocols Reflecting on My Coaching Role Coaching Compact Readiness Assessment Understanding System Challenges Conducting Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycles Alliance Assessment Tips for Networking Teachers and Teams Coaching Implementation Checklist Calculating the Fiscal Costs of Coaching Coaching Self-Assessment and more! Table of Contents About the Downloads About the Authors Introduction Section I: Introduction and Core Concepts Chapter 1: Making the Case for Coaching: From an Historical to a Contemporary View Chapter 2: Coaching Goals, Activities, and Common Challenges Chapter 3: Effective Coaching Practices: A Synthesis of Research Chapter 4: Applying Systems Level Change Principles to the Coaching Process Section II: Strategies and Resources for More Effective Coaching Chapter 5: Building Alliance: Laying the Foundation for Effective Coaching Chapter 6: Moving Beyond Alliance: Conducting Cycles of Observation, Modeling, and Providing Performance Feedback Chapter 7: Facing the Complexities of Change: Resources and Tools to Enhance Forward Movement Chapter 8: Let’s Make It Real: Applying Coaching to Critical Issues Section III. Implementing an Effective Coaching Framework Chapter 9: Coaching that Sticks: Resources and Tools Appendices Index

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Book SynopsisHow can special education teams create effective IEPs that improve student outcomes and meet legal requirements? Find practical answers in the second edition of this one-stop IEP guide, updated with new chapters on key topics, online resources, and practical features that make this edition perfect for either preservice courses or in-service teamwork.Current and future education teams will get a thorough introduction to IEPs and a comprehensive framework for IEP development, featuring a unique, in-depth checklist that breaks the whole process into small, manageable steps. IEP team members will learn how to collaborate during a meeting, assess a student’s present levels of performance, develop meaningful IEP goals and objectives for all students (including culturally diverse learners), choose accommodations, use progress monitoring data to make instructional decisions, and support transitions from school to adulthood. Practical content throughout the book—including planning tips, vivid examples, reflection questions, and practice activities—gives readers the knowledge and experience they need to create legally compliant IEPs and put them into action.WHAT’S NEW: New chapters on making IEP practices culturally responsive, designing behavior intervention plans, and supporting students with disabilities in private and parochial schools Student-friendly features such as chapter objectives, reflection questions, a glossary, and challenge scenarios to encourage critical thinking skills Updated activities that help guide and improve IEP development All-new online resources, including English- and Spanish-language parent surveys Updates on critical new research and practices in the field of special education INCLUDES READY-TO-USE TOOLS: IEP meeting preparation checklists, the IEP Checklist for confirming that required elements are included, an IEP Rubric for evaluating each element, and a template for making corrections based on the IEP Rubric.Table of ContentsAbout the Online MaterialsAbout the AuthorsAbout the ContributorsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionSECTION I: Foundations for Understanding the Development of a Meaningful IEPChapter 1 – Overview of the History and Legal Perspectives of Special EducationChapter 2 – IEP Considerations for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse LearnersChapter 3 – Collaborative Teaming for Better IEPsSECTION II: IEP ContentChapter 4 – Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional PerformanceChapter 5 – GoalsChapter 6 – Short-Term ObjectivesChapter 7 – Measuring and Reporting Progress SECTION III: Supporting InformationChapter 8 – Least Restrictive EnvironmentChapter 9 - Accommodations and Modifications to Meet the Needs of the LearnerChapter 10 – Transition Teaming: Meeting Post-Secondary NeedsChapter 11 – Designing Behavior Intervention PlansChapter 12 – Supporting Students with Disabilities in Private and Parochial Schools Appendix A – IEP ToolsThe IEP ChecklistIEP RubricIEP Rubric/CorrectionGlossaryReferences

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Book SynopsisAs schools reopen their doors and students return to the classroom, what will the “new normal” of special education look like? The pandemic exposed educational inequities and areas of urgent need—and now, schools have a unique opportunity to press pause and reimagine their practices. This book helps K–12 school leaders and educators take the lessons of the COVID-19 era and turn them into action: by closely examining what worked during distance learning, letting go of practices that keep some students struggling, and planning new routines and environments that meet the needs of every learner.A visionary call to action from inclusion experts Jenna Mancini Rufo and Julie Causton, Reimagining Special Education guides readers in creating more equitable schools and services, through practical strategies teachers can use right away and thought-provoking, big-picture questions for administrators to tackle. Readers will explore how inclusive educational practices can address each student’s unique needs as schools reopen and bridge learning gaps for students who struggle. Throughout the book, vignettes and anecdotes spark lightbulb moments for educators and show what recommended practices look like in real classrooms.Essential reading for administrators, classroom teachers, and other education professionals, this is the forward-thinking guide every school needs to reimagine the possibilities for special education, support authentic inclusion, and help learners with and without disabilities thrive in a changing world.DISCOVER HOW TO: Re-story students by focusing on their gifts and strengths rather than their deficits Redesign instruction and assessment to be more flexible and better meet students’ unique needs Restructure intervention frameworks to move away from sorting and labeling students and toward a flexible model that provides access to all Revitalize co-teaching with tools and strategies for serving students with and without disabilities Realign service delivery through inclusion facilitation and consultative supports Rethink equity by creating a culture of belonging, dismantling exclusionary programs, and tackling individual and institutional biases Table of Contents About the Online Materials About the Authors Foreword Preface Acknowledgements Dedication Chapter 1 ?? Resetting School: Lessons Learned from COVID-19 Remote Instruction Chapter 2 ?? Re-Storying Students Chapter 3 ?? Redesigning Instruction and Assessment Chapter 4 ?? Restructuring Intervention and Enrichment Chapter 5 ?? Revitalizing Co-Teaching Chapter 6 ?? Realigning Service Delivery Chapter 7 ?? Rethinking Equity Afterword References Index

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Book SynopsisThe Autism Program Environment Rating Scale – Middle/High School (APERS-MH) is an assessment used to evaluate the quality of educational programs for preschool/elementary students with autism. The APERS-MH contains 69 assessment items organized in 11 domains (e.g., Learning Environments, Curriculum and Instruction, Post-Secondary Transition Planning etc.). To complete the assessment, a trained APERS rater visits the school program. The rater 1) reviews student records for 2-3 focal students with autism, 2) interviews school personnel and parents of the focal students, and 3) observes these students throughout their school day, taking notes throughout the process, before completing an electronic scoring tool. The rater then shares the results with school personnel to use in improving program quality.Table of Contents About the Downloads About the Authors Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Introduction to the Autism Program Environment Rating Scale The APERS and Program Quality APERS-MH at a Glance Context for the APERS: Assessment of Quality in Education APERS Development APERS 2023 Summary Chapter 2: Getting Started: APERS Training and Administration Step 1: Complete APERS Training Step 2: Make Initial Arrangements for the APERS Step 3a: Review IEPS and Other Relevant Student Records Step 3b: Conduct Observations Step 3c: Complete Interviews Additional Considerations for Self-Contained Special Education Classes and Inclusive Programs Summary Appendix 2.1 APERS-MH Record Review Guide Appendix 2.2 APERS-MH Observer Guide Appendix 2.3 APERS-MH Tip Sheet Appendix 2.4 Sample Letter to Administrator Appendix 2.5 APERS-MH Planning Guide (Preliminary Interview) Appendix 2.6 Sample Letter to Parent Chapter 3: Scoring the APERS Data Used to Score the APERS-MH Reviewing Data Making Judgments About APERS-MH Items Using the Scoring Tool Item Format and Scoring Scoring Description by Domains Automatic Generation of Scores APERS-MH Scoring Calculator Summary Chapter 4: Using APERS Information National, State, and Local Leaders’ Use of APERS Information Research Uses of APERS Results Summary Chapter 5: APERS Self-Assessment Format for Items Description of Program Quality Domains Procedures for Completing the APERS-MH Self-Assessment Tool Using the APERS-MH Self-Assessment Program Ratings Summary Chapter 6: Understanding the Empirical Foundations and Research Uses of APERS Psychometric Features of the APERS NPDC and the First Use of APERS in Research and Evaluation Evaluating the NPDC Model When Implemented in Elementary Schools Evaluating Changes in Program Quality in the Efficacy Study of the Center on Secondary Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (CSESA) Using APERS to Promote Program Quality in Sweden Summary Frequently Asked Questions Glossary References Index

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Book SynopsisThe Autism Program Environment Rating Scale – Preschool/Elementary (APERS-PE) is an assessment used to evaluate the quality of educational programs for preschool/elementary students with autism. The APERS-PE contains 62 assessment items organized in 10 domains (e.g., Learning Environments, Curriculum and Instruction, Family Involvement, etc.). To complete the assessment, a trained APERS rater visits the school program. The rater 1) reviews student records for 2-3 focal students with autism, 2) interviews school personnel and parents of the focal students, and 3) observes these students throughout their school day, taking notes throughout the process, before completing an electronic scoring tool. The rater then shares the results with school personnel to use in improving program quality.Table of Contents About the Downloads About the Authors Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Introduction to the Autism Program Environment Rating Scale The APERS and Program Quality APERS-PE at a Glance Context for the APERS: Assessment of Quality in Education APERS Development APERS 2023 Summary Chapter 2: Getting Started: APERS Training and Administration Step 1: Complete APERS Training Step 2: Make Initial Arrangements for the APERS Step 3a: Review IEPS and Other Relevant Student Records Step 3b: Conduct Observations Step 3c: Complete Interviews Additional Considerations for Self-Contained Special Education Classes and Inclusive Programs Summary Appendix 2.1 APERS-PE Record Review Guide Appendix 2.2 APERS-PE Observer Guide Appendix 2.3 APERS-PE Tip Sheet Appendix 2.4 Sample Letter to Administrator Appendix 2.5 APERS-PE Planning Guide (Preliminary Interview) Appendix 2.6 Sample Letter to Parent Chapter 3: Scoring the APERS Data Used to Score the APERS-PE Reviewing Data Making Judgments About APERS-PE Items Using the Scoring Tool Item Format and Scoring Scoring Description by Domains Automatic Generation of Scores APERS-PE Scoring Calculator Summary Chapter 4: Using APERS Information National, State, and Local Leaders’ Use of APERS Information Research Uses of APERS Results Summary Appendix Sample Report to Building-Level Leaders Chapter 5: APERS Self-Assessment Format for Items Description of Program Quality Domains Procedures for Completing the APERS-PE Self-Assessment Tool Using the APERS-PE Self-Assessment Program Ratings Summary Chapter 6: Understanding the Empirical Foundations and Research Uses of APERS Psychometric Features of the APERS NPDC and the First Use of APERS in Research and Evaluation Evaluating the NPDC Model When Implemented in Elementary Schools Evaluating Changes in Program Quality in the Efficacy Study of the Center on Secondary Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (CSESA) Using APERS to Promote Program Quality in Sweden Summary Frequently Asked Questions Glossary References

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Book SynopsisInformed by years of research and on-the-ground reporting, Schools That Succeed is Karin Chenoweth’s most inspiring and compelling book yet—an essential read for educators who seek to break the stubborn connection between academic achievement and socioeconomic status.Chenoweth draws on her decade-long journey into neighborhood schools where low-income students and students of color are learning at unexpectedly high levels to reveal a key ingredient to their success: in one way or another, their leaders have confronted the traditional ways that schools are organized and adopted new systems, all focused on improvement. In vivid profiles of once-embattled schools, Chenoweth shows how school leaders doggedly and patiently reorganized internal systems in order to prioritize teaching and learning, resulting in improved outcomes that in many cases exceeded statewide averages.From how they use time to how they use money, schools that succeed combine a deep belief in the capacity of their students to achieve with deliberate systems focused on student needs. As a result, they create vibrant places “where teachers want to teach and students want to learn.”Trade Review“In Schools that Succeed, Chenoweth focuses on the structure of schools that connect people, systems, and processes for the purpose of addressing the needs of students, especially those from minority groups and from low-income and working families. Educators will find this work both enlightening and inspiring.” - Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, president, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

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Book SynopsisCreating Research-Practice Partnerships in Education is an invaluable resource for educators and researchers seeking to develop long-term collaborations in which educators and researchers work together to study and solve pressing problems of practice. Drawing on a wide range of examples, the authors describe the purposes for which partnerships may be organized, the forms that these endeavors may take, challenges that they typically face, and strategies for overcoming those challenges. The book includes tools and routines for working together as well as strategies for ensuring equity of participation on both sides.One of the most pressing concerns in education today is bringing research evidence to bear on problems of educational improvement. Research-practice partnerships (RPPs) are drawing new attention as a way to bridge gaps between research and practice. Drawing on the authors’ extensive experience in working with RPPs, this book is a practical and insightful guide for those embarking on or engaged in these complex and promising endeavors.

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Book SynopsisCreating Research-Practice Partnerships in Education is an invaluable resource for educators and researchers seeking to develop long-term collaborations in which educators and researchers work together to study and solve pressing problems of practice. Drawing on a wide range of examples, the authors describe the purposes for which partnerships may be organized, the forms that these endeavors may take, challenges that they typically face, and strategies for overcoming those challenges. The book includes tools and routines for working together as well as strategies for ensuring equity of participation on both sides.One of the most pressing concerns in education today is bringing research evidence to bear on problems of educational improvement. Research-practice partnerships (RPPs) are drawing new attention as a way to bridge gaps between research and practice. Drawing on the authors’ extensive experience in working with RPPs, this book is a practical and insightful guide for those embarking on or engaged in these complex and promising endeavors.

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Book SynopsisHow to Create the Conditions for Learning shows how the conditions for continuously improving instruction can be created at every level—from the classroom to the school to the central office.Ann Jaquith presents a framework for understanding and building instructional capacity, based on her original research in schools and districts and ideas drawn from the literature on instructional resourcing. She describes four types of resources—knowledge, technology, relationships, and structures—and discusses the contextual conditions that allow these resources to be identified, taken up, and put to effective use. Through case studies of schools and districts engaged in the sometimes messy work of developing the capacity to improve instruction, Jaquith shows ways that school and district leaders can identify and deploy underutilized resources and create organizational routines that support the ongoing development of instructional capacity.How To Create the Conditions for Learning represents an important contribution to the effort to stimulate, support, and sustain excellent teaching and inspired learning in our schools.

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Book SynopsisIn The Fight for America’s Schools, Barbara Ferman brings together a diverse group of contributors to investigate how parents, communities, teachers, unions, and students are mobilizing to oppose market-based reforms in education. Drawing on a series of rich case studies, the book illustrates how disparate groups can forge new alliances to work together toward common goals.The Fight for America’s Schools tackles recent changes in the landscape of education policy that have prompted significant alterations in the politics of education. Collectively, No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, the Common Core State Standards, and now the Every Student Succeeds Act have chipped away at the traditional center of community control—a trend reinforced by the charter movement, school closures, and state takeovers of some urban schools. At the same time, market-based reforms have sparked resistance from teachers, parents, students, and community groups.The book explores grassroots organizing campaigns in mid-Atlantic cities and suburbs, describing the reconfiguration of historical alliances, the mobilization of new organizations, and the potential for new coalitions that provide a countervailing force to establish political configurations and strive to preserve education as a public good.

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Book SynopsisPrincipled Resistance: How Teachers Resolve Ethical Dilemmas brings together senior scholars and activist teachers to explore the concept of resistance as a necessary response to mandates that conflict with their understanding of quality teaching. The book provides vivid examples of the pedagogical, professional, and democratic principles undergirding resistance, as well as the distinct perspective of each of its contributors: teachers who reflect on their acts of principled resistance; teacher educators who study teachers and support their professional growth; and historians who demonstrate that a tradition of teachers’ principled resistance has had a significant impact on American society, not only on schools and teaching. They also show the steps teachers take, in their reasoning and in their actions, to resist policies and mandates they are expected to enact.This volume offers a critical and unique resource for teacher educators who are preparing prospective teachers to navigate the contentious terrain of education politics, teachers who are interested in leading change, and others interested in educational ethics.Table of Contents Table of Contents INTRODUCTION Doris A. Santoro and Lizabeth Cain Part 1 Pedagogical Principles 1. THE CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION’S REJECTION OF THE COMMON CORE A Case History of Teacher Resistance Michelle Strater Gunderson 2. PRINCIPLED RESISTANCE TO SYSTEM MANDATES AMONG EARLY-CAREER TEACHERS Clive Beck, Clare Kosnik, Judy Caulfield, and Yiola Cleovoulou 3. RESISTING NO-EXCUSES CULTURE AS A BLACK MALE TEACHER Valuing Critical Thinking and Relationships over Compliance Randy R. Miller, Sr. 4. WORKING THE SYSTEM Teacher Resistance in a Context of Compliance Alisun Thompson and Lucinda Pease-Alvarez Part 2 Professional Principles 5. THE UNITED TEACHERS OF NEW ORLEANS STRIKE OF 1990 Emma Long 6. PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION Principled Responses to an Ethos of Privatization in Teacher Education Margaret Smith Crocco< 7. BUILDING FOUNDATIONS FOR PRINCIPLED RESISTANCE Tom Meyer, Christine McCartney, and Jacqueline Hesse 8. TEACHER RESISTANCE Personal or Professional? Jocelyn Weeda Part 3 Democratic Principles 9. DEDICATED, BELOVED, AND DISMISSED Teachers as Public Intellectuals in New York City Public Schools of the 1950s Lizabeth Cain 10. STAKING A CLAIM IN MAD RIVER Advancing Civil Rights for Queer America Karen Graves and Margaret A. Nash 11. TEACHING AND LEADING AS A PRINCIPLED ACT How Ethel T. Overby Built Foot Soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement, 1910–1957 Adah Ward Randolph and Dwan V. Robinson 12. TWEETING TO TRANSGRESS Teachers on Twitter as Principled Resisters Jessica Hochman, Doris A. Santoro, and Stephen Houser 13. NAVIGATING DILEMMAS IN A DEMOCRACY Lizabeth Cain and Doris A. Santoro Notes About the Editors About the Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisIn Educational Inequality and School Finance, Bruce D. Baker offers a comprehensive examination of how US public schools receive and spend money. Drawing on extensive longitudinal data and numerous studies of states and districts, he provides a vivid and dismaying portrait of the stagnation of state investment in public education and the continuing challenges of achieving equity and adequacy in school funding.Baker explores school finance, the school and classroom resources derived from school funding, and how and why those resources matter. He provides a critical examination of popular assumptions that undergird the policy discourse around school funding—notably, that money doesn’t matter and that we are spending more and getting less—and shows how these misunderstandings contribute to our reluctance to increase investment in education at a time when the demands on our educational system are rising.Through an introduction to the concepts of adequacy, equity, productivity, and efficiency, Baker shows how these can be used to evaluate policy reforms. He argues that we know a great deal about the role and importance of money in schools, the mechanisms through which money matters for student outcomes, and the trade-offs involved, and he presents a framework for designing and financing an equitable and adequate public education system, with balanced and stable sources of revenue.Educational Inequality and School Finance takes an issue all too often relegated to technical experts and makes it accessible for broader public empowerment and engagement.Table of Contents Table of Contents 1. Why Money Matters 2. School Finance 101 3. Money Myths and Misdirections 4. How Schools Use Money 5. School Finance Reforms and Results 6. State Funding Formulas and District Disparities 7. The Erosion of Equity and Adequacy 8. Evaluating Education Innovations 9. Applying High-Quality Cost Analysis to School Finance Policy 10. Equitable, Adequate, and Sustainable School Funding Notes Acknowledgments About the Author Index

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Book SynopsisOutside Money in School Board Elections documents and analyzes the injection of external funding into local elections. Local school board contests have recently become flashpoints of national donor interest. Some observers see this engagement as a needed boost for complacent school districts while others view it as a threat to local democracy. Drawing on a detailed study of elections in five districts (Bridgeport, Connecticut, Denver, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and New Orleans), the authors explore what happens when national issues percolate downward into local politics. They suggest that the involvement of wealthy individuals and national organizations in local school board elections are signs of the nationalization of local education politics that potentially have significant implications for equity and democracy. Outside Money in School Board Elections brings attention back to local participation and the diversity of players at that level, and highlights the national trend of increasing wealth inequality and its impact on the politics of education. This cross-case investigation demonstrates that local and national education politics are not separate fields but closely intertwined areas of political advocacy with complex interactions.

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Book SynopsisAward-winning educator Tina M. Owen-Moore details the beliefs and practices that made the Alliance School of Milwaukee the focus of national attention as the first school to open with the mission of being bully-free. The Alliance Way illustrates how creating a safe, inclusive, and academically challenging environment goes beyond a programming approach that targets bullying to a more holistic one in which building relationships takes center stage. Owen-Moore describes the core tenets adopted by the school's staff and students, including the importance of shared power and authentic work; the role of relationships and joy in preventing harm; the need to prepare staff to support LGBTQ students and students who have experienced trauma; and systems for reporting and repairing harm when it occurs. She highlights how school leaders can lead from the middle within their districts to bring about change and provides tools and resources such as sample agendas from staff meetings, retreats, and team‐building activities. Filled with real stories from an innovative school with a critical and compelling mission, The Alliance Way is an inspiring and practical resource for educators seeking answers on how to make schools engaging, accepting, and safe for all students.

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Book SynopsisIn Fulfilling the Promise, Mandy Savitz-Romer shows what is possible when schools and districts draw upon the talents of their counselors and put them at the center of students' school experience.Savitz-Romer offers a strategic approach to school counseling that enables educational leaders to draw on existing staff to create supportive contexts and programs for students. In this model of the “academic home,” counselors serve as the first point of contact for student support, connecting and coordinatingservices much like primary care physicians coordinate patient care in medical settings. They serve as the hub of a network of supports to prevent students from falling between the cracks.By highlighting promising practices in schools, districts, and states, and the efforts of individual school counselors and leaders, Fulfilling the Promise presents a conceptualization of school counseling that is relevant for all educators, as well as policy makers and funders. In order to create the conditions for school counselors to be most effective, however, systemic barriers must be addressed. This book brings together research, practical experience, and policy recommendations to envision a focused and practical role for school counselors in the twentyfirst century.

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Book SynopsisIn Where Teachers Thrive, Susan Moore Johnson outlines a powerful argument about the importance of the school as an organization in nurturing high‐quality teaching. Based on case studies conducted in fourteen high-poverty, urban schools, the book examines why some schools failed to make progress, while others achieved remarkable results. It explores the challenges that administrators and teachers faced and describes what worked, what didn't work, and why. Johnson draws on vivid portraits of schools to highlight an array of school‐based systems and practices that support teachers' professional growth and effectiveness. These include a rich and interactive hiring process; team‐based curriculum planning and assessment; and informative feedback and ongoing professional learning. Critical to all of these is the role of the principal as an essential agent in a school's success. Although these elements may vary from school to school, Johnson argues that together these systems provide a comprehensive, mutually reinforcing set of well-orchestrated strategies that can help schools deliver results that exceed the sum of teachers' individual efforts. Since 2000, policy makers and education officials have diligently sought to improve schools by improving the quality of individual teachers. However, even if those teachers are skilled and committed, the schools where they work are all too often disjointed, dysfunctional organizations that serve no one well. Where Teachers Thrive explains clearly how educators within a school can join together to adopt systems of practice that ensure growth and success by all teachers and their students.

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Book SynopsisIn Unconscious Bias in Schools, two seasoned educators describe the phenomenon of unconscious racial bias and how it negatively affects the work of educators and students in schools. "Regardless of the amount of effort, time, and resources education leaders put into improving the academic achievement of students of color," the authors write, "if unconscious racial bias is overlooked, improvement efforts may never achieve their highest potential." In order to address this bias, the authors argue, educators must first be aware of the racialized context in which we live. Through personal anecdotes and real-life scenarios, Unconscious Bias in Schools provides education leaders with an essential roadmap for addressing these issues directly. The authors draw on the literature on change management, leadership, critical race theory, and racial identity development, as well as the growing research on unconscious bias in a variety of fields, to provide guidance for creating the conditions necessary to do this work-awareness, trust, and a "learner's stance." Benson and Fiarman also outline specific steps toward normalizing conversations about race; reducing the influence of bias on decision-making; building empathic relationships; and developing a system of accountability. All too often, conversations about race become mired in questions of attitude or intention - "But I'm not a racist!" This book shows how information about unconscious bias can help shift conversations among educators to a more productive, collegial approach that has the potential to disrupt the patterns of perception that perpetuate racism and institutional injustice.

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Book SynopsisIn Applied Research for Sustainable Change, Sharon M. Ravitch and Nicole Mittenfelner Carl draw on twenty years of teaching and research to offer an incisive guide to practitioner-led qualitative research. They make the case for "local knowledge generation" - inquiry-based, school-level research that can contextualize quantitative data, enrich insight, and guide leaders in making more effective decisions leading to sustainable organizational change. The authors offer a framework for conducting applied research that connects practitioner research to theories of transformational leadership and professional development. They show how to align research studies with the school's mission and context and offer step-by-step guidance on forming a research team, designing the research project, collecting and analyzing data, and formulating, sharing, and acting on results. In each chapter, they draw on examples provided by education leaders who have participated in their courses. This book provides an invaluable resource for empowering education leaders at a time when their professional judgment is often circumscribed or dismissed. A central theme of the book is the power of participatory research to counter simplistic, often deficit-based narratives about patterns of student achievement and to foster transformational, sustainable change.

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Book SynopsisIn Rethinking Recess, sociologist Rebecca A. London argues that recess has been overlooked as an essential part of the elementary school experience, with major implications for how well schools serve all students equitably and responsively. Given its potential to support students' social and emotional learning and physical activity, London says, recess should be designed intentionally, with attention to safety, health, and engagement. The book shows how school leaders and other educators-even those with budget and space constraints-can make the most of recess time by using a variety of proven strategies, and also provides examples of schools that have put these strategies to use. Rethinking Recess highlights the need for equitable access to recess and supplies alternatives to the common practice of withholding recess for misbehavior or as a punishment, along with other policy recommendations, assessment tools, and resources that practitioners can use to redesign recess. When unstructured or poorly planned, recess can be a major source of disciplinary incidents and office referrals, eating into instructional time, adding stress, and affecting perceptions of school climate for students and staff, among other negative outcomes. Conversely, taking organizational steps to create a well‐designed recess can engage students, improve school climate, build valuable social and emotional skills, reduce behavioral incidents, and promote healthy lifestyles. Meticulously researched and filled with practical and often easy to implement changes for recess policies and practice, this book provides a critical resource for school leaders and others looking to make every aspect of school a positive one for students.

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Book SynopsisSchool innovation expert John B. Nash demonstrates how design thinking can be adapted successfully by busy school leaders seeking student-centered solutions to a range of challenges. Based on a decade of work teaching school leaders nationally and internationally, Design Thinking in Schools shows how leaders can adopt a design thinking mindset to uncover problems and harness the ideas and energy of students and other stakeholders to create unique, effective solutions within a single semester or school year. The book is a step-by-step guide that offers critical guidance and field‐tested tools for choosing design teams, developing prototypes, and selecting promising ideas to take to scale. It includes rich examples of educators at the elementary, middle, and high school level who have used design thinking to find creative solutions for improving student engagement, school climate, and parent-teacher conferences, among many other challenges. Nash illustrates how school leaders can use the design thinking process to access a range of student voices for a diversity of opinions and feedback on topics that better inform school change. Lively and inspiring, Design Thinking in Schools is a critical resource for school leaders seeking to leverage the untapped wealth of knowledge and experience contained within their own buildings to make schools innovative places of learning.

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Book SynopsisIn Natural Allies, Soo Hong offers a paradigm shift in how we think about family engagement with schools. Hong challenges the conventional depiction of parents and teachers as 'natural enemies,' and shows how, through teachers’ initiative and commitment, they can become natural allies instead. Based on a three-year ethnographic study, the book features the experiences and motivations of five urban school teachers who have successfully created meaningful, productive relationships and partnerships with students' families. In Natural Allies, the teachers' personal narratives are juxtaposed with rich descriptions of their interactions with families and children. The book explores how the dimensions of race, class, culture, and family history shape the interactions between teachers and families, particularly in schools where teacher-parent dynamics may be fraught with distrust or misunderstanding. The book demonstrates how commitment to families and community can become a central part of educators' development as professionals. In addition, the research provides new insight and seeks to merge the study of family engagement with the field of culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogies. Offered with optimism and urgency, Natural Allies addresses an area in which many educators feel ill equipped and unprepared. Readers will emerge from a reading of the book with new ideas on family engagement that are grounded in an analysis of the deep contours of the parent-teacher relationship.

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Book SynopsisIn A Single Garment, Genevieve Siegel-Hawley explores the leadership, policies, and practices that support contemporary school integration. Drawing on a wide range of sources, as well as her own experience as a parent, former student, and teacher, Siegel‐Hawley provides a richly layered account of four Richmond, Virginia schools, each committed to building successful, diverse communities as a foundation for a just, democratic society. Siegel-Hawley explores a range of internal and external considerations for promoting integration through portraits of four schools: a preschool, a suburban elementary school, an urban middle school, and a regional high school. She takes an in-depth look at how students are assigned to classrooms, how families are engaged, and who gets access to what curricula and which teachers. Siegel-Hawley also delves into what it takes to bring students together in the first place, and how policies and practices regarding student assignment and school choice, transportation, and outreach can work to support or undermine integration. Timely and compelling, A Single Garment, makes a powerful argument in favor of local, intentional integration efforts at a critical moment. The book illuminates a way forward for school leaders, policy makers, and others interested in pursuing equitable education in an age of shifting demographics and divisive politics.

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Book SynopsisSix Shifts to Improve Special Education and Other Interventions offers a set of bold, new ideas for dramatically raising the achievement of students with mild to moderate disabilities and students experiencing serious academic, social and emotional, and behavioral difficulties. Despite much effort and caring on the part of educators, a new approach to supporting struggling students is critically needed so they can master grade-level skills and complete college, argues author Nathan Levenson. Combining research with evidence from his own implementation work in more than a hundred districts, Levenson makes the case for a wholesale rethinking of how interventions are delivered summarized by six essential 'shifts.' Designed to be practical and draw on the talents of existing staff, Levenson's shifts are paired with concrete advice and lessons learned from the field to improve special education and general education interventions such as Response to Intervention and Multi-Tiered Student Supports.Six Shifts to Improve Special Education and Other Interventions serves as both a call to action and a critical guide for administrators looking for more effective, affordable ways to close the achievement gap.

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Book SynopsisImprovement in Action, Anthony S. Bryk's sequel to Learning to Improve, illustrates how educators have effectively applied the six core principles of continuous improvement in practice. The book highlights relevant examples of rigorous, high-quality improvement work in districts, schools, and professional development networks across the country. The organizations featured in the book have addressed, with remarkable results, long-standing inequitable educational outcomes in high school graduation rates, college readiness, and absenteeism. The cases emphasize the measures the educators took and the thinking that motivated their actions. Bryk describes how improvers, working in different contexts and confronting different problems, used select principles, tools, and methods to make improvement come to life. Brief analytic reflections are embedded throughout the narratives, and each chapter concludes with an analysis of a set of larger lessons illuminated by the organization's story. Taken as a set, these examples offer readers valuable insights about the actual dynamics of doing improvement work.Improvement in Action, paired with Learning to Improve, provides readers with a comprehensive understanding of the practice, method, and theory of large-scale continuous improvement in education.Table of Contents Introduction 1 Attacking Inequities in Postsecondary Opportunities 2 Supporting Improvement Through an Analytic Hub 3 Becoming a Learning Organization 4 Infusing Improvement into a Charter Network 5 Advancing Instructional Improvement 6 Transforming a School District 7 Charting Paths Forward Notes Acknowledgments About the Author About the Contributing Authors Index

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Book SynopsisWritten by two leading experts in education research and policy, Common-Sense Evidence is a concise, accessible guide that helps education leaders find and interpret data and research, and then put that knowledge into action. In the book, Nora Gordon and Carrie Conaway empower educators to address the federal Every Student Succeeds Act mandate that schools use evidence-based improvement strategies. Recommendations include utilizing existing research; generating evidence on the success of their own improvement efforts; and building an organizational culture of evidence use. The authors walk readers through the processes for determining whether research is relevant and convincing; explain useful statistical concepts; and show how to quickly search for and scan research studies for the necessary information. The book directs readers through case studies of typical scenarios including a superintendent trying to reduce chronic absenteeism; a middle school math department chair trying to improve student performance on exams; and a chief state school officer attempting to recruit teachers for rural schools.Common-Sense Evidence helps education leaders build capacity for evidence-based practice in their schools and districts.Table of Contents Introduction 1 Turn Problems of Practice into Research Questions 2 Know Where to Find Useful Research Fast 3 Determine How Relevant and Convincing the Research Is 4 Understand What ESSA Says About Evidence (and What It Leaves Out) 5 Build Evidence by Learning from Your Own Data 6 Interpret and Share Your Evidence 7 Build and Sustain Evidence Use in Your Organization Conclusion Further Readings Notes Acknowledgments About the Authors Index

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Book SynopsisIn Districts That Succeed, long-time education writer Karin Chenoweth turns her attention from effective schools to effective districts. Leveraging new, cutting-edge national research on district performance as well as in-depth reporting, Chenoweth profiles five districts that have successfully broken the correlation between race, poverty, and achievement. Focusing on high performing or rapidly improving districts that serve children of color and children from low-income backgrounds, the book explores the common elements that have led to the districts’ successes, including leadership, processes, and systems. Districts That Succeed reveals that helping more students achieve is not a matter of adopting a program or practice. Rather, it requires developing a district-wide culture where all adults feel responsible for the academic well-being of students and adopt systems and processes that support that culture. Chenoweth explores how districts, from urban Chicago, Illinois to suburban Seaford, Delaware, have organized themselves to look at data to guide improvement. Her research highlights the essential role of districts in closing achievement gaps and illustrates how successful outliers can serve as resources for other districts. With important lessons for district leaders and policy makers alike, Chenoweth offers the hard-won wisdom of educators who understand the power of schools to, as one superintendent says, “change the path of poverty.”

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Book SynopsisUsing original qualitative and quantitative data, Schools Under Siege confronts the many ways, direct and indirect, in which US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policies and practices disrupt education. The book explores the impact of these policies not only on the six-million-plus K–12 students in the US at risk for being directly affected by enforcement, but also the wide-ranging consequences for their classmates, educators, and communities. Fear, stress, and trauma invoked by the threat of ICE detention and deportation contribute to increased absenteeism, decreased student achievement, and parent disengagement. Bullying becomes more widespread, and a multitude of other effects impact school climate and student health and well-being. Amplifying the burden, these effects are experienced disproportionately in poorly funded districts and Title I schools and are felt more acutely among vulnerable populations such as immigrant students, English language learners, and Latinx students.Schools Under Siege highlights the work of teachers, counselors, and administrators who are addressing these day-to-day challenges in support of students and families. It provides a profile of a model sanctuary school and offers practical advice for how educators, local government, and nonprofit agencies can work together to mitigate the collateral damage of immigration enforcement. The book suggests ways in which concerned persons can advocate for immigration policy reform at the local, state, and federal levels. Ultimately, editors Patricia GÁndara and Jongyeon Ee chart a course into a future that makes good on the promise of equitable education for all students.

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Book SynopsisPaul LeBlanc has re-imagined higher education, with a focus on the most fundamental of functions: student learning. In Students First, he advocates for an entire higher education ecosystem in which students have the flexibility to gain, assess, and certify their knowledge on their own terms and timelines. In a perceptive analysis, LeBlanc provides a clear-eyed view of how and why higher education is failing to reach and serve a great many potential students. He then deftly explores how reform can address systemic inequities, improve college affordability, and broaden accessibility. Through case studies, he highlights alternative delivery models such as online, distance, and just-in-time learning, and envisions a learning environment that values competencies rather than credit hours. LeBlanc describes how these innovations and others will allow colleges and universities to help close the skills gap and respond to a rapidly evolving, technology-driven job market. Although a college education remains one of the great drivers of socioeconomic mobility, today's higher education industry has built financial, logistical, and practical barriers that keep out the very students who are most in need of opportunity. Students First makes a persuasive case that realigning US educational priorities will enable larger populations of graduates to enjoy return on investment in the form of good pay, meaningful work, and a stable future. As the book emphasizes, such change is imperative, for in better serving its students, higher education will better serve society.

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Book Synopsis“This volume combines specific recommendations, observations, and takeaways filled with candor, humor, and uplifting stories for one of education’s most challenging roles.”—FROM THE FOREWORDAn indispensable manual for the most demanding position in higher education, The College President Handbook supports campus leaders in becoming powerful and effective stewards of their institutions.This comprehensive guidebook offers clear counsel in the form of candid essays by highly regarded current and former college and university presidents from across the nation. It pairs their expert appraisals with research and data to examine the critical issues that define the role today.The book's contributors acknowledge the broad skill set that presidents, and their executive teams, must cultivate in order to achieve success. Beginning with a macro view, the contributors address the universal questions of vision that each higher education leader must consider critically and understand strategically: Why be a president? How should campus leadership engage with our board of trustees? What tone should our actions communicate to stakeholders?The book's chapters offer concrete tactical advice in a range of key leadership areas and emphasize essential career skills such as managing financial resources and strategic planning. The contributors speak to student-facing concerns as well as institutional interests, and discuss personal issues specific to the office, such as weathering controversy, attaining work–life balance, and planning for post-presidential life.Drawing on the unique expertise of peers and predecessors, this work will prove to be a core resource for anyone who is or aspires to become a president or chancellor in higher education.

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Book SynopsisIn the updated edition of Smarter Budgets, Smarter Schools, Nathan Levenson proposes fresh strategies for more efficient, equitable resource allocation within school districts.Budgets, according to Levenson, can be a surprisingly powerful lever for improved student achievement outcomes and equity. Readers of this revised edition will find practical advice for funding equity initiatives and social-emotional services, among other student needs. Levenson also discusses how to accommodate common, necessary school expenses and district improvement measures such as capital purchases, personnel costs, and campus renovations within tight funding models. The key is creativity: Levenson invites readers to shift their mindsets and embrace innovative ideas for using limited resources strategically.An indispensable guide, Smarter Budgets, Smarter Schools delivers proven, successful practices for school leaders—superintendents, central office leaders, building principals, and school board members—who hope to make smarter, better informed financial decisions and stretch declining district budgets. It outlines budget management tactics for working around financial constraints brought on by shrinking tax revenues, rising health care and pension costs, and increased special education needs. The book also addresses how to manage declining or increasing enrollment numbers.Throughout this useful and timely work, Levenson provides real-world examples, critical worksheets, and actionable suggestions to help decision-makers apply these concepts and realize a greater academic return on their investments.

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Book SynopsisRacial Opportunity Cost turns critical attention to the specific challenges faced by high-achieving students of color and gives educators a framework for recognizing and addressing these issues. Terah T. Venzant Chambers roots her discussion in the concept of racial opportunity cost, using a term borrowed from economics to refer to the obstacles faced and tradeoffs made by Black and Latinx students on the path to academic success.Gathering first-hand accounts from students, practitioners, and researchers, Chambers underscores a set of experiences common to academically successful students from racially minoritized backgrounds, especially those who attend predominantly white schools. These individual testimonies collectively show how, despite their successes, high-achieving students of color regularly encounter educational racism. As their experiences reveal, their academic progress may also be impeded by secondary stressors such as peer and cultural isolation and struggles with racial identity. These personal accounts illustrate the many ways in which the negative effects of racial opportunity cost extend from K–12 education into postsecondary academics and beyond.In this clarifying work, Chambers identifies the factors, such as school culture, intersectionality, and community acceptance that can increase or lessen racial opportunity cost across educational environments. She considers how the individual challenges that high-achieving and high-ability students of color confront reflect larger systemic problems. Chambers’ framework will help educators proactively cultivate change in their classrooms and schools so that they may lower racial opportunity cost and improve student experiences.

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Book SynopsisEquality or Equity sets forth a compelling argument urging us to shift our understanding of the role of our education system from providing equal opportunity to building an equitable society.A leading scholar-practitioner and ardent proponent of culturally responsive forms of education, Jeffrey M. R. Duncan-Andrade aims to settle the debates over whether we should work toward a public education system built on the goal of equality, in which identical resources are provided for all students, or equity, in which different resources are offered in response to differences in student interests and needs. Duncan-Andrade centers his argument on the importance of creating meaningful education experiences for all students, particularly for low-income students of color and immigrant students, who have gained relatively fewer benefits from decades of equality-focused education reform.Drawing on research from across a range of disciplines, including neuroscience, social epidemiology, public health, and social work, Duncan-Andrade introduces three essential domains of a pedagogy that are both culturally and community responsive: relationships, relevance, and responsibility. He enlists the voices of practitioners to provide grounded examples of what community-responsive pedagogy looks like in each of these domains. These examples demonstrate how equitable classroom practices can enrich student engagement, enhance trauma responsiveness, and improve educational outcomes.Equality or Equity makes an urgent appeal for designing and implementing a truly equitable school system and shows us how we can begin to accomplish that goal.Trade ReviewIn this volume, Duncan-Andrade cogently demonstrates what happens when you 'mathematize' a social/cultural problem. His admonition that equity is the 'superior growth model' is the watch phrase every educator must embrace. This book is a tour de force!"—Gloria Ladson-Billings, professor emerita, University of Wisconsin and fellow of the British Academy“One of the most influential educators of our generation provides a thought-provoking work that asks who we are as a nation and where we want to go when it comes to educational opportunity. Duncan-Andrade provides an important historical analysis of school inequities that are essential to understanding today’s realities. He reminds us that giving our students what they need, when they need it matters, and is at the heart of educational equity. Duncan-Andrade provides a compelling, personal, and robust interdisciplinary analysis of how our education system can and must do better. Put this book at the top of your reading list!”—Tyrone C. Howard, Pritzker Family Endowed Chair in Education for Strengthening Children and Families, University of California, Los Angeles“At a time when there is so much contestation over questions of social justice within schools and society, Equality or Equity shines a bright light on the hidden realities of a system historically designed to perpetuate educational apartheid in this country. In doing so, Duncan-Andrade not only issues a passionate clarion call for culturally democratic change, he skillfully provides us sound theoretical and practical directions for putting our commitment to educational justice into daily practice within our communities."—Antonia Darder, Leavey Presidential Endowed Chair of Ethics and Moral Leadership, Loyola Marymount University“A powerful, challenging book. Equality or Equity dissects (or rather disembowels) the current educational system in a masterful combination of storytelling and scholarly insight that helps the reader understand the structural and cultural intention of public education: to support and maintain the historical and existing power structures in our society. But more than simply illuminating these issues, Equality or Equity offers hope for meaningful transformation in education…This important book should be required reading for all educators, administrators, school boards and anyone who cares about children and our future.”—Bruce D. Perry, principal, Neurosequential Network“Lays out clear recommendations—mandates—for student success and zeroes in on creating an environment that prioritizes student health over standard markers of achievement like grades and test scores.——Truthout“Andrade brings together his real-life experience working with students of color together with his years of working with systems in his groundbreaking book. He guides the reader to explore the fundamental elements or root causes of the educational systems failure, especially with Black and Brown students. It pushes us to decide as individuals and systems, in earnest, whether we are ready to truly honor, embrace, and prepare all children for a life of health, healing, life fulfillment, and success.”—Jerry Tello, award-winning author and Director, National Compadres Network“Duncan-Andrade makes a provocative, persuasive, and deeply researched argument for equity in education—defined as what each and every student needs and deserves. Thoughtful and thought-provoking, much needed, and as nuanced a perspective as I've seen on the past, present, and future of public education.”—Angela Duckworth, Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, and New York Times bestselling author of Grit

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Book SynopsisEarly Colleges as a Model for Schooling advocates for early college high schools as an effective means of reducing academic, cultural, and financial obstacles to postsecondary education.This perceptive work evaluates, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the impacts of early colleges—hybrids that blend elements of secondary and postsecondary education. It examines the strengths and challenges of early college models of different designs and explores their place in the greater education system.Julie A. Edmunds, Fatih Unlu, Elizabeth J. Glennie, and Nina Arshavsky craft their narrative around the findings of one of the most ambitious studies to date on early college high schools, a fifteen-year longitudinal study involving more than four thousand students across nineteen secondary schools that have adopted the model. They offer insight into the student experience within early college high schools and beyond.The authors demonstrate how the well-structured and supportive educational environment of early college not only prepares students academically for college-level coursework but also helps students navigate logistical challenges in applying for colleges and universities. They show how the positive outcomes of the early college experience can help tip the balance toward successful postsecondary educational experiences, especially for historically underserved students such as low-income students, minority students, and first-generation college students.As the authors point out, a shift in the way the transition between secondary and postsecondary education is implemented provides an achievable approach to improving college readiness and lowering educational barriers. They argue persuasively that wider adoption of this educational model in high schools has great potential to improve overall access to higher education.Trade Review“Early Colleges as a Model for Schooling represents an important contribution to the field of education policy and practice. The early college idea is poorly understood, minimally studied (compared to other significant concepts in education reform), and vastly underutilized (relative to the proven success of its outcomes). This book addresses all three in a serious and useful way.”—Stephen Tremaine, Vice President for Early Colleges, Bard College “I have encountered early colleges before, but had no clear understanding of them until I read [this] remarkable new book.”—Jay Mathews, Washington Post

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Book SynopsisThe Instructional Leadership Cycle introduces a multifaceted model for continuous school and system improvement, founded on an adaptable set of professional practices for K–12 leaders.Daniel Allen draws on a breadth of education system experience, spanning from classroom to top office, to outline a flexible framework—the Instructional Leadership Cycle—that supports school leaders in advancing equitable, high-quality instruction. In this comprehensive and deeply practical work, Allen mentors leaders through the framework’s cycles of implementation, analysis, reflection, and improvement, which are anchored in the rhythms of the annual school calendar.As Allen counsels readers on the application of the Instructional Leadership Cycle, he also explains the genesis of the framework, which has been successfully implemented in more than sixty California schools, resulting in dramatic annual student achievement gains. With ample real-world examples, Allen demonstrates how leaders can move beyond strategic planning to fulfill the promise of organizational change. Incorporating elements of universal design for learning, multi-tiered systems of support, and key performance indicators, Allen’s approach encourages leaders to develop an instructional vision for their institution and then set it in motion. The work shows how the process circles back to a few key tenets: ensure that all educators have access to a common set of tools to use in support of instructional improvement, effectively measure progress with school data analysis, and leverage organizational learning.This clear-sighted work guides equity-focused school leaders to reliably bring about instructional transformation, moving toward positive learning outcomes for all students.

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Book SynopsisA vital inquiry into trans issues in education, this compelling work argues for the design of education research, policies, and environments that honor all gender experiences and identities.Edited by two prominent figures in trans studies, Mario I. SuÁrez and Melinda M. Mangin, Trans Studies in K–12 Education brings together scholars and professionals representing a range of academic traditions, research methodologies, and career backgrounds to explore why and how schools should affirm gender diversity and challenge gender-based inequities.The collection offers a comprehensive examination of how gender is manifested in the educational context. Gathering a wealth of evidence, the book’s contributors expose the prevailing norm of gendered environments, which are entrenched in the very design and execution of educational research. The collection also lays out a critical overview of US laws and policies related to gender equity, gender identity, and gender expression and how these frameworks impact educational environments. These findings draw attention to deficit-oriented, pathologizing ideologies that surround nonconforming gender identities and the detrimental, often traumatizing effects on transgender students and educators.Throughout, the contributors recommend methods for establishing gender-affirming research, policy, and practice. They outline the sociopolitical and legal pathways that trans and nonbinary students and school employees may use to secure education and workplace rights. They discuss the positive gains made by professional development for teachers, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and community programs that successfully support transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals.Ultimately, the volume highlights the promise of creating K–12 education spaces that are liberating rather than constraining.

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Book SynopsisAn incisive study of the mechanisms reinforcing the underrepresentation of women of color in STEM fields and a call for systemic change to address the imbalance.In a detailed exploration of inclusion in physics, social scientist Maria Ong makes the case for far-reaching higher education reform, noting that despite diversity efforts to recruit more women and students of color into science and mathematics programs, many leave the STEM pipeline. The Double Bind in Physics Education takes readers inside the issue by following 10 women of color from their entrance into the undergraduate physics program at a large research university through their pursuit of various educational and career paths. Candid interviews with these women, their instructors and mentors, and their peers, conducted over 25 years, allow Ong to trace how pervasive challenges, such as navigating the intersectionality of race and gender discrimination, have shaped their academic opportunities and career choices.Despite the ideals of objectivity promoted in STEM disciplines, the women profiled here encounter continued patterns of systemic oppression within their departments. In their stories, Ong identifies overt behaviors and microaggressions that harass, exclude, and otherwise disadvantage women of color and members of other minoritized groups.Ong also shows how aids such as student support programs, peer groups, allies, and mentors, which are centered on the individual, can go only so far toward a sustainable solution. In order to provide equitable opportunities, she argues, greater work must be done to dismantle institutional norms and replace them with a culture of inclusion.Trade ReviewCentering and relaying the experiences of women of color in physics through their lenses and voices, over the course of a 25-year study, Ong masterfully illuminates barriers and navigation strategies that inform us all on how to ensure positive career trajectories for everyone." —Gilda Barabino, president, Olin College"Grounded in research and practice, this compelling book skillfully reveals the experiences of women of color navigating systemic challenges in the field of physics. The individual distinctiveness and the interconnections among the women are highlighted, leading to persuasive recommendations for organizational and cultural change in the field." —Sharon Fries-Britt, professor of higher education, University of Maryland

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Book SynopsisFive in-depth case studies reveal the innovative practices that position U.S. community colleges as pathways to quality employment.In America’s Hidden Economic Engines, editors Robert B. Schwartz and Rachel Lipson spotlight community and technical colleges as institutions uniquely equipped to foster more equitable economic growth across America’s regions. As Schwartz and Lipson show, these colleges are the best-placed institutions to reverse the decades-long rise in US economic inequality by race, class, and geography.In the book, Harvard Project on Workforce researchers introduce detailed case studies of five institutions—Lorain County Community College in Ohio, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Northern Virginia Community College, Pima Community College in Arizona, and San Jacinto Community College in Texas—that show what is possible when governments, employers, and communities invest in their community colleges’ economic and workforce development mission.These case studies reveal key institutional policies and practices, leadership behaviors, and organizational structures of successful collaborations between colleges and their regional partners in the public and private sector. Each case underscores how, although community colleges face distinct challenges based on local context, successful schools demonstrate a consistent focus on economic mobility and good jobs across all their programs and activities. In a concluding chapter, the editors champion community colleges as the most critical institutions for the future of US workforce development policy.Trade Review“Schwartz and Lipson make a powerful case for why community colleges will be critical to building the next generation of good jobs in America. By investing in pathways for Americans without four-year degrees, we can ignite an economy that works for the many and not just the few. These five colleges, spanning from Ohio to Arizona to Virginia to Mississippi, show what’s possible when America’s educators and employers work together to revitalize our regional economies and grow the jobs of the future.”—Ro Khanna, Silicon Valley member of Congress and author of Dignity in a Digital Age“If the nation is to respond to pressure to raise workforce skills and spread prosperity, community colleges must be the nexus for training, access, and equitable mobility. America’s Hidden Economic Engines is a handbook to make this happen. It combines a powerful vision for cooperation; in-depth analysis of innovation across diverse institutions; and a strategy to catalyze leadership to meet regional labor market demands.”—Karen A. Stout, president and CEO, Achieving the Dream“With profiles of five standout institutions each focused on job readiness and career success, Schwartz and Lipson convince us that America’s community colleges are the most practical, scalable means to a highly skilled workforce, income mobility, and equitable economic growth. America’s Hidden Economic Engines should be required reading for educators, economists, and policy makers.”—Kenneth Adams, president, LaGuardia Community College“Despite some common narratives, the median worker in the US does not have a bachelor's degree, but rather is skilled through alternative routes. In America’s Hidden Economic Engines, Lipson and Schwartz demonstrate the potential of community colleges as vital routes to opportunity for a nation of working learners. Their inspired case studies of community colleges as an adaptive resource for learners and employers alike make the case to fully unleash their potential.”—Byron Auguste, CEO and cofounder, Opportunity@Work

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive analysis of the astonishing changes that elevated the Chicago public school system from one of the worst in the nation to one of the most improved. How a City Learned to Improve Its Schools tells the story of the extraordinary thirty-year school reform effort that changed the landscape of public education in Chicago. Acclaimed educational researcher Anthony S. Bryk joins five coauthors involved in Chicago-based education reform, Sharon Greenberg, Albert Bertani, Penny Sebring, Steven E. Tozer, and Timothy Knowles, to illuminate the many factors that led to the ultimate success of Chicago Public Schools.Beginning in 1987, Bryk and team lay out the civic context for reform, outlining the systemic challenges such as segregation, institutional racism, and income and resource disparities that reformers grappled with as well as the social conflicts they faced. Next, they analyze continuous improvement to teaching and learning, including the recruitment and retention of high-quality educators and leadership, a transformation validated by unprecedented increases in benchmarks such as graduation rates and college matriculation. This riveting account introduces key actors within the schools, city government, and business community, and the partnerships they forged. It also reveals the surprising yet essential role of Chicago's innovative information infrastructure in aligning disparate initiatives.In making clear how elements such as advocacy, expanded civic capacity, improvement research, and strong democracy contributed to large-scale progress in the system's 600-plus schools, the book highlights the greater lessons that the Chicago story offers for system improvement overall.Trade ReviewIn this compelling account of Chicago school reform, key players join forces to build a promising future for the city’s students. Policymakers empowered local communities. Funders invested in promising programs. Researchers studied pressing problems. Administrators cultivated capacity. And teachers delivered for kids. Despite daunting challenges and setbacks, these reformers achieved remarkable success." - Susan Moore Johnson, Jerome T. Murphy Research Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education"How a City Learned to Improve Its Schools is a book of monumental importance. At a time when more is asked of public education than ever before, when racialized inequality continues to threaten the promise of public schooling, and when the fastest growing sector of the student population are youngsters of color, school districts should be looking for new approaches to do better for all students. In their new book, Tony Bryk joins some of the most important scholars working in education today to treat us to a panoramic overview of how systems can move the needle in serving all students. This book is the antimony to facile silver bullets, tired old quick-fixes, and magical thinking in education. It is the book every scholar, policy maker, superintendent, teacher, parent and concerned citizen needs to read." - Marcelo M. SuÁrez-Orozco, chancellor, University of Massachusetts, Boston, the UCLA Wasserman Dean Emeritus, and author of Education: A Global Compact for a Time of Crisis

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Book SynopsisAn incisive account on the underrepresentation of women, especially women of color, in positions of leadership in K–12 schools and how to correct this bias.Educational Lead(her)ship exposes the systemic obstacles that impede the professional advancement of women in K–12 education and offers readers the tools to recognize and combat these inequities. In this rousing work, educational leadership scholars Jennie Weiner and Monica Higgins investigate patterns of gender bias in the profession, prompted by the observation that, although the great majority of classroom educators are women, disproportionately few women inhabit leadership positions such as principal, superintendent, or school administrator. Through candid interviews with more than 200 women educational leaders, Weiner and Higgins pinpoint implicit and explicit means of repression and highlight the resources that these leaders have marshaled to punch through systemic barriers. The interviewees recount the many forms of sexism and racism they have confronted in the workplace, including microaggressions, stereotypes about women's work, and the expectation of uncompensated emotional labor. Taking aim at the widespread gender and racial discrimination in school systems, Weiner and Higgins identify paths to empowerment for women in education. They advocate solidarity, collective action, and leveraging networks of allies to push for the re-engineering of our educational organizations, environments, and cultures to sow a more balanced and equitable leadership landscape.Trade Review“Weiner and Higgins hit it out of the park by spotlighting a seldom recognized or acknowledged facet of education leadership: gender discrimination and gendered racism. Framing the issues with theory, real-life cases, and thought-provoking questions, this book is a practical must-read for education leaders and their board members, who will be compelled to act.” —Fran Rabinowitz, executive director, Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents“Weiner and Higgins capture authentically, graphically, and transparently the myriad impediments that historically—and regrettably, continually—plague, challenge, and beset women seeking leadership roles within America’s public educational systems. In their riveting case studies, the authors both chronicle these challenges and illuminate ways to rethink the ‘glass cliff” debacle, refute the personal tax often demanded, and reset the narrative depicting women’s leadership capabilities. This book is a must-read for current and aspiring women leaders and all system-level leaders, including school board members, superintendents, and their male counterparts at every level of the system.” —Deborah Jewell-Sherman, Gregory R. Anrig Professor of Practice in Educational Leadership, Harvard Graduate School of Education“This book provides excellent insights into ways to disrupt gendered discrimination and gendered racism in educational leadership. Women leaders and women who aspire to leadership need to read it to strengthen their own agency and to learn how to be activists for gender and racial equity.” —Margaret Grogan, professor emerita of educational leadership and policy, Donna Ford Attallah College of Educational Studies, Chapman University

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Book SynopsisAn astute assessment of the educational leadership skills and leadership development practices that align with deeper learning in K–12 schools.Leadership Preparation for Deeper Learning spotlights educational leaders as key actors in the urgent task of readying students for college, careers, and citizenship in an evolving world. Marjorie Wechsler and Steven Wojcikiewicz argue that, in response to new understandings of learning and development and emerging societal needs, K–12 school leaders must be able to shift institutions toward deeper learning models, in which collaboration, critical thinking, and project-based learning are fundamental concepts. Through detailed case studies, Wechsler and Wojcikiewicz demonstrate how educational leadership development programs can prepare principals to guide their schools, teachers, and students toward deeper learning and equity. They highlight the approaches of five exemplary leadership preparation programs—the University of Illinois at Chicago, Long Beach Unified School District, Arkansas Leadership Academy, National Institute for School Leadership, and the University of California, Berkley—which together serve educational leaders at all career levels, from initial training for candidates through in-service professional development for seasoned school principals. They identify school structures and classroom practices that enable these programs to confer the skill set needed for deeper learning leadership, and they describe the education policy priorities that can support school leaders in acquiring these necessary skills. This book shows that targeted leadership development is a vital component of transforming schools to create deeper learning opportunities for all students.Trade Review“A compelling look at how school leaders can be prepared to foster empowering and equitable learning for all students. Through insightful case studies, Wechsler and Wojcikiewicz offer valuable strategies for enabling principals to support student engagement, achievement, and advancement, especially for those furthest from opportunity. This book is an essential resource for educators, policymakers, and others interested in developing school leaders for the twenty-first-century schools we need.”—Linda Darling-Hammond, president, Learning Policy Institute and professor emeritus, Stanford University“Everyone tells school leaders they should be ‘instructional leaders,’ but rarely does administrative training or professional development actually prepare them to be instructional leaders. Preparing School Leaders for Deeper Learning provides school leaders with ‘existence proofs’—real-life examples of how the work is done. Bravo to Wechsler, Wojcikiewicz, and their team!”—Gloria Ladson-Billings, professor emerita, University of Wisconsin-Madison and immediate past president, National Academy of Education“Wechsler and Wojcikiewicz make an important contribution to program planners and policymakers by providing insightful guidance that derives from detailed case examples from a variety of perspectives, including universities, states, districts, and non-profits. Anyone who develops programs or policies for school leaders will take away valuable approaches.” —Jody Spiro, author of High-Payoff Strategies: How Education Leaders Get Results

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Book SynopsisA model guide for reconceiving the central office to help educational leaders build equity-aligned, research-based approaches to district reform. In From Tinkering to Transformation, Meredith Honig and Lydia Rainey call on superintendents and other district leaders to rethink the very premises that underlie the long-standing ways of working in their central offices. Based on the results of nearly two decades of research from districts of 200 to 200,000 students, Honig and Rainey pinpoint how central offices support equitable teaching and learning in schools through specific changes in key central office functions: teaching and learning, human resources, principal supervision, operations, and the superintendent's cabinet. Using lively case studies, detailed examples, and performance data from ten US school districts, Honig and Rainey deftly highlight how central offices must transform in order to support equitable teaching and learning in schools. They identify typical pitfalls district leaders may encounter, illustrate a guiding set of design principles that can be used to inform transformation efforts, and offer practical advice on how to realize the ambitious goals of fundamental systemic change for equity. This inspiring work shows how district leaders can move forward with revolutionary central office reforms that support equitable teaching and learning for every student.Trade Review“From Tinkering to Transformation is a beautifully written book that is crystal clear about a new role for school districts that has so far escaped the attention of the most ardent reformers. The solution is nuanced and requires flipping the problem to determine what really drives transformation in learning. Honig and Rainey literarily and specifically help districts turn themselves inside-out, thereby providing a clear roadway and map to system change. Interesting to read, compelling to contemplate, and irresistible to the action oriented. Use this book now!” —Michael Fullan, professor emeritus, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto“It is one thing to talk about transformation. It is another to do it. This book is for every educator who wants to be part of making systems that disrupt current inequities rather than reinforce them. Honig and Rainey offer research-based, practical ideas for how to do the right and necessary work of making school systems places for all children to thrive.” —Elizabeth City, senior lecturer on education, Harvard Graduate School of Education“In From Tinkering to Transformation, Honig and Rainey address many classic district missteps, such as the way time is often spent on nonstrategic initiatives and the lack of staff connection to a unifying vision. But they don’t leave us hanging. They share critical shifts needed to tackle years of deeply entrenched historical inequities. Honig and Rainey offer relevant, timely, and meaningful provocation and practicality asking us, ‘What would it mean to start from a blank page?’”—Nancy Gutierrez, president and CEO, The Leadership Academy

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Book SynopsisA thought-provoking examination of how public education systems can be strengthened through strategic relationships both within schools and with outside partners. In Democracy and Reform in Public Schools, Saul Rubinstein, Charles Heckscher, and John McCarthy apply their expertise in labor relations to public school reform. They envision a model of K–12 education that shifts away from the tenets of neoliberalism and centers on productive collaboration among school boards, school administrators, teacher unions, and other education stakeholders. Providing evidence of the links between collaborative partnerships and improved student outcomes, Rubinstein, Heckscher, and McCarthy build on a rich body of research on interorganizational cooperation. They highlight case studies such as that of the New Jersey Public School Labor-Management Collaborative as leading examples of how better student performance, more intra-district learning and innovation, and reduced teacher turnover can be traced to greater educator collaboration. Citing examples not only from the K–12 educational sector but also from successful union–management partnerships in the automobile, steel, and telecommunications industries, they then identify proven strategies to foster collaborative partnerships at district, state, and national levels. They discuss techniques for forging new partnerships, sustaining collaborative efforts, and expanding the collaborative partnership model to larger scales. This work expertly demonstrates how employment relations practices are antecedents to whole-system reform in schools.Trade Review“Failed leadership can be linked to a multitude of traits and characteristics. In my experience, I see this lack of collaboration as a core association of failure. With a tremendous investment in stakeholder collaboration, Rubinstein, Heckscher, and McCarthy have statistically demonstrated success that has resulted in improvements in both student achievement and teacher retention. While working together and building mutual respect seem intuitive, it can be a prodigious undertaking. Rubinstein and his coauthors establish the environment to successfully facilitate these conversations and partnerships with the ultimate goal of building an educational system where all children can achieve their full potential.”—Timothy Purnell, executive director and CEO, New Jersey School Boards Association“Democracy and Reform in Public Schools is a powerful research-based antidote to failed neoliberal, top-down school reform. The authors’ careful research and convincing evidence demonstrate the value of a collaborative pathway to sustainable improvements in education outcomes. Every education leader and policymaker should use this as a guide for action.”—Thomas A. Kochan, George M. Bunker Emeritus Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management“The authors offer a compelling critique of education reform efforts over the last forty years and provide powerful research and case studies that argue for collaborative partnerships to improve teaching and learning. I strongly encourage teacher union leaders and school administrators as well as other stakeholders to build on the lessons in this book to improve our public schools.”—Jo Anderson, Jr., founder of the Consortium for Educational Change, retired executive director of the Illinois Education Association-NEA, and senior consultant with the Collaborative Leadership Consulting Group

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Book SynopsisA visionary blueprint for educational reform that envisions school systems as opportunity engines, preparing young citizens for future workplace success, civic engagement, and fulfilling lives.Educating for Purposeful Life documents positive change within the Anaheim Union High School District, whose overarching mission is to prepare high school graduates who possess a clear sense of purpose and the capacity to achieve their goals. Superintendent Michael Matsuda and education consultant David Brazer lay out the district's innovative approaches to organizing, leading, teaching, and learning. They demonstrate how education policy, organization theory, and external partnerships work together within this grades 7–12 district to scaffold student success, resulting in greater high school graduation rates and four-year college matriculation and persistence rates. A rousing account of effective school reform, this work illuminates the district's Career Preparedness Systems Framework, which integrates affective and cognitive development opportunities, trade and professional development programs, and community engagement efforts. Matsuda and Brazer show how this framework, combined with a strengths-based approach that recognizes and affirms students' individual life experiences, helps meet the educational needs of all students, including those from traditionally underserved populations. Presenting secondary education as a means to support democracy, address employability gaps, and elevate student voice and purpose, this thought-provoking work provides ample ideas for how other districts might engage in educating for purposeful life.Trade Review“Educating for Purposeful Life offers readers an overview of select evidence-based practices and principles that enable school stakeholders to engage in authentic systemic change that has the potential to transform communities. With a particular emphasis on student voice, the pathways of students and their development is not only acknowledged, but also valued and central to shifting the learning environment, climate, experience, and outcomes for students within various school contexts. This book is timely for scholars and practitioners committed to preparing youth for the next stage of their academic trajectories, fostering community and engagement, and supporting students’ personal fulfillment while also accelerating generational mobility.” —Frances Contreras, dean and professor, School of Education, University of California, Irvine“When it comes to changing schools, too few books for educators skillfully combine the conceptual with the practical. In Educating for Purposeful Life, Brazer and Matsuda do exactly that. An in-depth near decade-long study of the urban Anaheim (CA) district, describes and analyzes the systemic changes that altered the district’s path. School board members, superintendents, and principals who read this book will gain useful theoretical and practical knowledge to guide change in their schools.” —Larry Cuban, professor emeritus of education, Stanford University“Not only does this book tell the story of the necessary changes that schools must undergo for our students' experiences to improve, but Brazer and Matsuda also provide the details necessary for readers to fulfill their obligation for making change in their owns systems. What's important for me, as a reader, is that the core concepts—systems thinking, human relations, organizational learning, and instructional leadership—are all grounded in solid research and best practices for educational leaders.” —T. J. Vari, assistant superintendent, Appoquinimink School District, and coauthor of Retention for a Change: Motivate, Inspire, and Energize Your School Culture

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Book SynopsisRevised and updated to address shifts in the climate of bullying in schools and online, this timely work suggests anti-bullying approaches that are concrete, practical, and grounded in research. In this deeply insightful work, nationally renowned bullying expert Elizabeth Kandel Englander offers sensible perspectives on student social behavior and equips educators and parents with effective strategies to identify and address bullying. This second edition of Bullying and Cyberbullying reveals how enormous social changes, increased digital connections, and a global pandemic have indelibly altered the psychological world of children—and in turn shaped their peer interactions. Englander notes that effective school bullying prevention and intervention is rooted in a solid understanding of child development, social structures in schools, and the connections between online behavior and in-school socializing. Building on continuing research on smartphone and social media usage, online privacy, and sexting and other risky behaviors, this updated edition prepares educators and parents to identify gateway behaviors, anticipate bias-based bullying, and respond to aggression and harassment. Englander offers sage advice for promoting resilience, strong friendships, and healthy technology use, among other prosocial behaviors that can avert bullying among students. This much-needed work provides an accessible framework for understanding and responding effectively to bullying and offers suggestions for collaboration between educators and parents.Trade Review“Englander's second edition brings a wealth of new knowledge to educators and parents who seek to combat bullying and cyberbullying. My favorite chapters tackle the role of bystanders—and how we can empower them—and the best ways to come alongside parents in supporting their children. Her tone is kind, motivating, and helpful; she realizes these problems cannot be solved easily, but that we can make measurable headway through a variety of specific, actionable strategies.”—Sameer Hinduja, professor, Florida Atlantic University and codirector, Cyberbullying Research Center“Englander lays out the many complex angles to bullying and cyberbullying and makes them easily understood. It is an essential book for parents, educators, and mental health clinicians as well. Englander has deeply influenced my approach to how I assess and treat my patients (and their families) throughout their childhood and teenage years.”—Clifford Sussman, MD, child and adolescent psychiatrist and internet and video game addiction specialist

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Book SynopsisA handbook that helps educational leaders hone the social and emotional skills essential to promoting positive school culture and navigating their complex jobs. In this profoundly useful work, Janet Patti and Robin Stern make the case for social-emotional learning (SEL) as part of a critical skill set for K–12 school leaders, and they offer coaching on how to integrate emotional intelligence into leadership practices. Patti and Stern draw on recent research from psychology and education, as well as their combined 40 years of experience in the fields of SEL and leadership training, to highlight the many benefits of SEL-focused professional development for superintendents, principals, and aspiring school leaders. They also give readers the tools to develop their own SEL skills.Emotional Intelligence for School Leaders outlines key SEL skills, from mindfulness and self-management to relationship building and conflict resolution, and details how each can be applied in a leadership context. Case studies of a variety of successful educational leaders who employ positive psychology in their work illustrate the strategies they used to cultivate and apply their own SEL skills. This encouraging book underscores how teams that lead with self-awareness and empathy can promote well-being, foster resilience, and prevent burnout among educators and ultimately increase equity in the education system.Trade Review“Having been in the leadership research and development field for over fifty years, I am seldom awed. This book is a ‘wow’ experience. I felt like Charlie finding the Golden Ticket to enter Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory! I wish the faculty and administration at my university would read this book!”—Richard Boyatzis, Distinguished University Professor, Case Western Reserve University and coauthor of the international bestseller Primal Leadership and Helping People Change “For over twenty years, Janet Patti and Robin Stern have studied the emotional intelligence of school leaders. They have also developed state-of-the-art programs for helping leaders increase their EI, and they have mounted rigorous evaluation studies to determine those programs’ effectiveness. I’m delighted that they have now compiled all of this valuable information into this book. It is truly a gift to all of us.”—Cary Cherniss, emeritus professor of applied psychology, Rutgers University and cofounder of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence“Emotional Intelligence for School Leaders is a comprehensive guide to an indispensable and often overlooked element in leadership development. Understanding the historical, current, and purposeful context of EI and how it influences and impacts every aspect of a school leader’s role and ultimate success is key to highly effective leadership.”—Dawn Brooks DeCosta, deputy superintendent, Harlem Community School District 5

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