This expansion of Whatever It Takes sharpens the focus on the pyramid of interventions strategy. The authors examine case studies of schools and districts across North America to illustrate how PLC at WorkTM is a sustainable and transferable process that ensures struggling students get the support they need to achieve. They address how to enrich and extend the learning of proficient students and explain how PLC intervention processes align with RTI legislation.

Cut the Crap and Close the Gap is written by a Hog Farmer, Fortune 500 Executive and Economic Developer. It’s a practical operating guide for achieving breakthrough levels of performance by closing performance gaps between actual and desired performance and adjusting to exceed expectations. The principles of Cut the Crap and Close the Gap can be used by small and large businesses, not for profit organizations, state and local governments, faith based organizations and even parents. According to Dunn & Bradstreet, 585,000 of the more than 22 million small to medium sized businesses in America close each year. Businesses with fewer than 20 employees have only a 37% chance of surviving for four years and only a 9% chance of surviving for 10 years. Nine out of 10 business failures are caused by a lack of general business management skills including management of staff, operations, sales, marketing and planning. The Cut the Crap and Close the Gap management model requires the courage to question and challenge conventional wisdom and to operate with a spirit of continuous improvement, that things can always be better and that being satisfied with the status quo is totally unacceptable. The foundation for the Cut the Crap and Close the Gap management approach is aligned with the philosophy of Civil rights Activist, Angela Davis, "I'm no longer accepting the things I can not change...I'm changing the things I can not accept". The following chapters are filled with examples of how Jim Coleman has either applied or personally witnessed the use of the Cut the Crap and Close the Gap management approach over the last 30 years.

Three experts on equity and technology offer concrete, evidence-based strategies for classroom teachers to move toward digital equity in K12 settings. Closing the Gap is an ISTE book series designed to reflect the contributions of multiple stakeholders seeking to ensure that digital equity is achieved on campuses, in classrooms, and throughout education. In this series, authors Nicol R. Howard, Sarah Thomas, and Regina Schaffer offer historical and philosophical insights while exploring challenges and solutions unique to teacher preparation programs, pre-service and in-service teachers, and instructional coaches. The second title in the Closing the Gap series, this book includes: • Examination of digital equity and the “problem of practice” for teachers and coaches • Strategies for connecting the ISTE Educator and Student Standards to practice • Discussion of key challenges facing teachers in today’s classrooms, such as access, connectivity, limited resources, digital divide, and the homework gap • Research-based vignettes from teachers who have encountered and conquered some of the challenges addressed in the book, and from edtech coaches who have implemented equity-centered innovative professional development This book helps teachers address the challenges of teaching in the digital age, providing positive examples and recommendations for achieving digital equity in their classroom communities.

This essential guide helps teachers refine their approach to fundamental challenges in the classroom. Based on research from cognitive science and formative assessment, it ensures teachers can offer all students the support and challenge they need – and can do so sustainably. Written by an experienced teacher and teacher educator, the book balances evidence-informed principles and practical suggestions. It contains: A detailed exploration of six core problems that all teachers face in planning lessons, assessing learning and responding to students Effective practical strategies to address each of these problems across a range of subjects Useful examples of each strategy in practice and accounts from teachers already using these approaches Checklists to apply each principle successfully and advice tailored to teachers with specific responsibilities. This innovative book is a valuable resource for new and experienced teachers alike who wish to become more responsive teachers. It offers the evidence, practical strategies and supportive advice needed to make sustainable, worthwhile changes.

Veteran educator and best-selling author Baruti Kafele offers strategies for motivating students from diverse backgrounds to become passionate about learning.

Educators remove over 3.45 million students from school annually for disciplinary reasons, despite strong evidence that school suspension policies are harmful to students. The research presented in this volume demonstrates that disciplinary policies and practices that schools control directly exacerbate today's profound inequities in educational opportunity and outcomes. Part I explores how suspensions flow along the lines of race, gender, and disability status. Part II examines potential remedies that show great promise, including a district-wide approach in Cleveland, Ohio, aimed at social and emotional learning strategies. Closing the School Discipline Gap is a call for action that focuses on an area in which public schools can and should make powerful improvements, in a relatively short period of time. Contributors include Robert Balfanz, Jamilia Blake, Dewey Cornell, Jeremy D. Finn, Thalia González, Anne Gregory, Daniel J. Losen, David M. Osher, Russell J. Skiba, Ivory A. Toldson “Closing the School Discipline Gap can make an enormous difference in reducing disciplinary exclusions across the country. This book not only exposes unsound practices and their disparate impact on the historically disadvantaged, but provides educators, policymakers, and community advocates with an array of remedies that are proven effective or hold great promise. Educators, communities, and students alike can benefit from the promising interventions and well-grounded recommendations.” —Linda Darling-Hammond, Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education, Stanford University “For over four decades school discipline policies and practices in too many places have pushed children out of school, especially children of color. Closing the School Discipline Gap shows that adults have the power—and responsibility—to change school climates to better meet the needs of children. This volume is a call to action for policymakers, educators, parents, and students.” —Marian Wright Edelman, president, Children’s Defense Fund