Leadership For Low Performing Schools

Author : Coby V. Meyers,Marlene J. Darwin
Publisher : IAP
Page : 341 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2018-08-01
Category : Education
ISBN : 9781641133456

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International Perspectives on Leading Low-Performing Schools by Coby V. Meyers,Marlene J. Darwin Pdf

Research is clear: School leadership quality matters. However, our knowledge of effective school leadership remains limited in at least three substantial ways. First, our understanding of school leadership effectiveness generally and school principal effectiveness specifically is limited to Western contexts, primarily North America and western European ones. Second, even in the confines of Western research and context, there has been relatively little specific focus on effectively leading low-performing schools. Third, even the conceptualization of leadership—do we mean the school principal, an administrative team, or a broader school leadership team—is a key factor in how we define and respond to the challenge of leading in low-performing schools. This book advances discussion and disseminates knowledge and global perspectives on what school leadership looks like, how it is enacted and under what circumstances, and when or where lessons might be portable. We anticipate this book having wide appeal for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners considering school leadership and how to support it effectively. The chapters suggest a noticeable level of convergence globally on how to lead low-performing schools effectively. Yet, there are clear political and culture differences that add significant gradation to how school leaders might enact best practice locally or inform policymakers and systems leaders about how to set up school leaders for success and subsequently support them. This book is one of the first that prioritizes the universality and nuance of leading low-performing schools globally.

Author : Rosemary Papa,Fenwick W. English
Publisher : R&L Education
Page : 161 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2011-08-16
Category : Education
ISBN : 9781607099727

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Turnaround Principals for Underperforming Schools by Rosemary Papa,Fenwick W. English Pdf

There's no mystery in turning around low-performing or failing schools, but there are also no recipes. In Turnaround Principals for Underperforming Schools Rosemary Papa and Fenwick English identify the essential ingredients for success. The causesof failure are complex and interactive. Schools are not inert structures but living organisms. Putting schools back together is a collaborative venture. It takes a team to turn around a school, but it all begins with the leadership. The key to success rests in a school leader who has a fundamental understanding of the dynamics of schooling, human motivation, and possesses the resiliency and energy to engage in altering the internal landscape of an unsuccessful school. Two veteran educators have put together a work based on their research and experience for the past half-century. They pull no punches. The challenge is not only to turn low-performing or failing schools around, but to enable them to become more socially just places for all students.

Author : Daniel L. Duke
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 227 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2015-01-15
Category : Education
ISBN : 9781475810264

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Leadership for Low-Performing Schools by Daniel L. Duke Pdf

No greater challenge faces our society than improving the educational opportunities for millions of young people trapped in chronically low-performing schools. Overcoming this challenge requires talented and dedicated school leaders whose knowledge and skills extend far beyond what is covered in conventional principal preparation programs. This book draws on extensive research by the author and others on the actions needed to turn around low-performing schools. First, however, the book examines the personal qualities needed to undertake the turnaround process. Following chapters provide guidelines on diagnosing the school-based causes of low achievement and developing a school turnaround plan. The author focuses on the importance of continuous planning – a departure from standard practice. A major portion of the book is devoted to examples of first-order and second-order strategies for raising achievement. Specific recommendations for launching the turnaround process and sustaining gains beyond the first years of turnaround are provided. The concluding chapter addresses the role of school districts in supporting school-based turnaround efforts.

Author : Michele A. Acker-Hocevar,Marta I. Cruz-Janzen,Cynthia L. Wilson
Publisher : IAP
Page : 297 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2012-01-01
Category : Education
ISBN : 9781617356520

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Leadership from the Ground Up by Michele A. Acker-Hocevar,Marta I. Cruz-Janzen,Cynthia L. Wilson Pdf

This book chronicles the journey of seven schools serving students of poverty, English Language Learners (ELLs), and students of color, which were able to sustain school improvement for a decade on either state and/or national criteria that measure student performance outcomes. The book shares stories of these seven schools and demonstrates that it takes an entire school working together with their communities, adding to the social and cultural capital of their students and families, to create and nurture what we call a Learning Partnership for sustainable school improvement. The answers for how these schools sustained school improvement and are effective schools is evident from their school student metrics that validate the school’s ability to meet and sustain external mandates of high performance over time. The seven individual case stories illustrate that what matters most is what happens in the school itself. It is the internal culture of caring and respecting each other and working from an additive perspective of valuing students for their unique gifts and abilities, rather than exclusively focusing on increasing test scores that makes these school stories unique. This is not about heroic leadership but leadership spread out and shared among professionals working together to achieve common goals around shared values and beliefs. This book is about using resources in ways that value human capital as the greatest asset in the school to ensure that educators feel a sense of commitment, connection, and passion for their work together with students, their families, and their communities that enable them to excel together. We offer readers seven cases that demonstrate there is no cookie cutter approach to having an effective school. Rather, there is a theory-in-practice that grounds the Learning Partnership depicted as a tree within a sustainable school improvement culture. This sustainable culture connects shared leadership and accountability, resourcefulness, a humanistic philosophy, additive schooling and results in an organization synergy that sustains organizational and collective efficacy for achieving results in these schools that other educators in schools with similar demographics are often unable to sustain or attain.

Author : Kenneth Leithwood,Alma Harris,Tiiu Strauss
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 310 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2010-09-14
Category : Education
ISBN : 9780470407660

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Leading School Turnaround by Kenneth Leithwood,Alma Harris,Tiiu Strauss Pdf

LEADING SCHOOL TURNAROUND Leading School Turnaround offers new perspectives and concrete, evidence-based guidelines for the educational leaders and administrators faced with the challenge of turning our low-performing schools around. Using the tools outlined in this groundbreaking book, school leaders can guide their schools to higher levels of achievement and sustained academic success. Based on research conducted in the United States, Canada, and England, Leading School Turnaround addresses in three parts the dynamic context of the turnaround environment, what turnaround leaders do, and the incredible challenges of moving from turnaround to "stay around." Filled with illustrative examples, the book outlines the best practices and behaviors successful turnaround leaders exercise. The authors include detailed information for applying the four main categories of turnaround leadership: direction setting, developing people, redesigning the school, and managing the instructional program. This important resource can help any school leader get their school back on the track to academic success.

Author : Kishia C. James
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 129 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2021-12-15
Category : Education
ISBN : 9781475860443

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Turnaround Principals by Kishia C. James Pdf

The book offers a progressive perspective of turnaround principals and adds to the current turnaround school literature. It includes stories of the lived experiences of three critically conscious principals’ journey to school transformation. The turnaround principals in this book disrupted cultures of oppression in predominantly African American schools. Through the power of transformative leadership these school leaders improved the academic outcomes for students as well as the working conditions of teachers and staff.

Author : Christopher Corallo,Deborah H. McDonald
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield Education
Page : 23 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2002-01-01
Category : Educational change
ISBN : 1891677136

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What Works with Low-performing Schools by Christopher Corallo,Deborah H. McDonald Pdf

Author : Bruce G. Barnett,Alan R. Shoho,Alex J. Bowers
Publisher : IAP
Page : 293 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2013-09-01
Category : Education
ISBN : 9781623963842

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School and District Leadership in an Era of Accountability by Bruce G. Barnett,Alan R. Shoho,Alex J. Bowers Pdf

Our fourth book in the International Research on School Leadership series focuses on school leadership in an era of high stakes accountability. Fueled by sweeping federal education accountability reforms, such as the United States’ No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Race to the Top (R2T) and Australia’s Performance Measurement and Reporting Taskforce, school systems around the world are being forced to increase academic standards, participate in high-stakes testing, and raise evaluation standards for teachers and principals. These results-driven reforms are intended to hold educators “accountable for student learning and accountable to the public” (Anderson, 2005, p. 2, emphasis in original). While policymakers and the public debate the merits of student achievement accountability measures, P-12 educational leaders do not have the luxury to wait for clear guidance and resources to improve their schools and operating systems. Instead, successful leaders must balance the need to create learning communities, manage the organizational climate, and encourage community involvement with the consequences testing has on teacher morale and public scrutiny. The chapters in this volume clearly indicate that as school leaders attend to these potentially competing forces, this affects their problem-solving strategies, ability to facilitate change, and encourage community involvement. We were delighted with the responses from colleagues around the world who were eager to share their research dealing with how leaders are functioning effectively within a high-accountability environment. The nine chapters in this volume provide empirical evidence of the strategies school leaders use to cope with problems and negotiate external demands while improving student performance. In particular, the voices and actions of principals, superintendents, and school board members are captured in a blend of quantitative and qualitative studies. The breadth of studies is impressive, ranging from case studies of individual principals to cross-district comparisons to national data from the National Center for Education Statistics. To highlight important findings, we have organized the book into five sections. The first section (Chapters 2, 3, and 4) highlights the problem-solving strategies used by principals and superintendents when pressured to turn around low-performing schools. In the second section (Chapters 5 and 6), attention is devoted to ways in which school leaders act as “buffers” by reducing the impact of external demands within their local school contexts. Next, Chapters 7 and 8 explore creative ways in which financial analyses can be used to assess the cost effectiveness of programs and services. Chapters 9 and 10 examine how principals enact their instructional leadership roles in managing curriculum reforms and evaluating teachers. Finally, in the last section (Chapter 11), Kenneth Leithwood synthesizes the major themes and ideas emerging across these chapters, paying particular attention to practical issues influencing school leaders in this era of school reform and accountability as well as promising areas for future research.

Author : Bryan Goodwin,Greg Cameron,Heather Hein
Publisher : ASCD
Page : 125 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2015-08-24
Category : Education
ISBN : 9781416621317

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Balanced Leadership for Powerful Learning by Bryan Goodwin,Greg Cameron,Heather Hein Pdf

What makes a great school leader? Contrary to what many believe, the answer is not tied to a certain kind of personality but to specific behaviors and actions that have positive effects on student achievement—behaviors and actions that any school leader can learn and put into practice. Over the last decade, thousands of school principals have done that, by implementing "balanced leadership," an approach that recognizes the need to both maintain and challenge the status quo in order to move schools forward. Building on the analysis that was first reported in School Leadership That Works, the authors of Balanced Leadership identify the 21 responsibilities associated with effective leadership and show how they relate to three overarching responsibilities: * Establishing a clear focus—keeping the work and the conversations targeted on the issues that matter most; * Managing change—understanding how to skillfully steer through the challenges associated with making improvements, both large and small; and * Developing a purposeful community—creating a sense among all teachers and staff that they are invested in student outcomes and that they can make a difference. For each of these areas, key points and specific practices are described in detail and illustrated with stories from school principals who have successfully learned how to become great leaders. Step-by-step tools provide clear guidance for readers who are ready to make the same kind of journey—one with the potential to transform them and the schools they serve.

Author : Ruth C. Ash,Pat H. Hodge
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 166 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2016-01-08
Category : Education
ISBN : 9781317496700

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Five Critical Leadership Practices by Ruth C. Ash,Pat H. Hodge Pdf

What are the critical practices of leaders in high-performing schools? Based on extensive observations, interviews, and in-depth case studies of principals and superintendents who significantly increase student learning and achievement, this exciting new book provides novice and veteran school leaders with the five critical steps for effective school leadership: Focus on Direction Build a Powerful Organization Ensure Student-Focused Vision and Action Give Life to Data Lead Learning Rich with voices from highly effective leaders, this book provides an accessible, research-based framework for school improvement that is correlated with the field’s standards. The engaging case studies in this vital resource show the power of these five key critical practices to make a difference in the lives of students and transform schools to support learning for all.

Author : Randolph E. Ward,Mary Ann Burke, Editor
Publisher : Corwin Press
Page : 145 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2004-02-03
Category : Education
ISBN : 9781483362557

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Improving Achievement in Low-Performing Schools by Randolph E. Ward,Mary Ann Burke, Editor Pdf

Focus on improving achievement, aligning teaching and learning with student performance, creating secure facilities, and forging links with the community with this excellent resource.

Author : Christopher Day,David Gurr
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 233 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2013-07-24
Category : Education
ISBN : 9781135009137

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Leading Schools Successfully by Christopher Day,David Gurr Pdf

Leading Schools Successfully: Stories from the field considers international research focussing on leadership in schools. Based on the ISSPP (International Successful School Principalship Project) which has conducted over one hundred multiple perspective case studies of successful school principals from more than a dozen countries, the book captures the exhilaration of being a principal who grows and sustains success from those practitioners who are acknowledged as exhibiting outstanding leadership. Whilst much is known about successful school leaders, the book reinforces the argument that it is neither possible, nor appropriate, to generalise specific strategies that should be adopted to ensure success for all schools at all times in all settings. Instead, success calls for a high level of judgement, wisdom, artistry and sheer hard work on the part of principals, adapting for their particular context the knowledge about leading schools successfully. Reflection sections in each chapter ask the reader to consider further issues which each chapter raises. Topics considered include: - the importance of school principals to school success - turning around under-performing schools - values-led leadership -sustaining successful leadership - leading in multi-cultural settings - issues and implications for the future. With international contributions from experts in the field, the book offers a new perspective on leadership in schools and will be of interest to school principals and researchers.

Author : Marisa De La Torre,Elaine Allensworth,Sanja Jagesic,James Sebastian,Michael Salmonowicz,R. Dean Gerdeman,Coby Meyers
Publisher : Consortium on Chicago School Research
Page : 96 pages
File Size : 49,8 Mb
Release : 2012-11-15
Category : School improvement programs
ISBN : 0985681934

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Turning Around Low-Performing Schools in Chicago by Marisa De La Torre,Elaine Allensworth,Sanja Jagesic,James Sebastian,Michael Salmonowicz,R. Dean Gerdeman,Coby Meyers Pdf

Specific strategies for "turning around" chronically low-performing schools have become prominent, with the U.S. Department of Education enacting policies to promote four school improvement models that include "fundamental, comprehensive changes in leadership, staffing, and governance." Despite the attention and activity surrounding these types of school improvement models, there is a lack of research on whether or how they work. To date, most evidence has been anecdotal, as policymakers have highlighted specific schools that have made significant test score gains as exemplars of school turnaround, and researchers have focused on case studies of particular schools that have undergone one of these models. This has led to a tremendous amount of speculation over whether these isolated examples are, in fact, representative of turnaround efforts overall--in terms of the way they were implemented, the improvements they showed in student outcomes, and whether these schools actually served the same students before and after reform. To begin addressing this knowledge gap, the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research and American Institutes for Research (air) partnered to examine five different models initiated by the Chicago Public Schools (cps) in 36 schools. The goals of the study were to make clear how school reform occurred in Chicago--showing the actual changes in the student population and teacher workforce at the schools--and to learn whether these efforts had a positive effect on student learning overall. Appended are: (1) Description of Low-Performing Schools that Underwent Intervention; (2) Data and Data Sources; and (3) Research Methods and Results. (Contains 19 figures, 24 tables, 62 endnotes.).

Author : Bruce G. Barnett,Alan R. Shoho,Autumn Tooms Cyprès
Publisher : Information Age Publishing
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : Educational leadership
ISBN : 1617359394

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The Changing Nature of Instructional Leadership in the 21st Century by Bruce G. Barnett,Alan R. Shoho,Autumn Tooms Cyprès Pdf

This third book in the Information Age book series, International Research on School Leadership, focuses on the changing nature of instructional leadership in the 21st century. Our goal is to examine instructional leadership from multiple educational and international perspectives. Unlike many leadership books that focus on conceptualizations and personal narratives, the seven chapters provide empirical evidence of how instructional leadership is evolving in the 21st century. From the effective schools research of the 1980s to today's relentless calls for improved student performance, attention has focused on the instructional leadership roles and responsibilities of school principals, headteachers, and educational system leaders. The emphasis on student performance has gone global as evidenced by highly-publicized international studies, such as the Trends in International Math and Science Studies (TIMSS) and the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), comparing student achievement in different countries. These developments have had substantial effects on school leaders, especially building-level principals and headteachers. Rather than being the only ones overseeing school improvement aimed at increasing student learning, many school administrators are distributing leadership responsibilities to other administrators and teachers on their campuses. To fully understand instructional leadership in the 21st century, the book examines three important dimensions of instructional leadership: (1) the current context for turning around low-performing schools, increasing teacher effectiveness, and providing equitable outcomes for all students, (2) international perspectives of instructional leadership development, particularly the value of teacher coaching and leadership development for aspiring and practicing school leaders in a developing country, and (3) the obstacles instructional leaders confront as they deal with fiscal constraints, political pressure, diverse student populations, and high-stakes standards-based reforms.

Author : Joseph F. Johnson, Jr.,Cynthia L. Uline,Lynne G. Perez
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 156 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2017-02-03
Category : Education
ISBN : 9781317412397

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Leadership in America's Best Urban Schools by Joseph F. Johnson, Jr.,Cynthia L. Uline,Lynne G. Perez Pdf

Leadership in America’s Best Urban Schools describes and demystifies the qualities that successful leaders rely on to make a difference at all levels of urban school leadership. Grounded in research, this volume reveals the multiple challenges that real urban elementary, middle, and high schools face as well as the catalysts for improvement. This insightful resource explores the critical leadership characteristics found in high-performing urban schools and gives leaders the tools to move their schools to higher levels of achievement for all students—but especially for those who are low-income, English-language learners, and from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. In shining a light on the essential qualities for exceptional leadership at all levels of urban schools, this book is a valuable guide for all educators and administrators to nurture, influence, support, and sustain excellence and equity at their schools.