Many teachers are trained to approach their work with a set of teaching strategies and lessons that changes little over time. Because they are focused on how they teach, rather than on how their students learn, they use the same techniques day after day, making no adjustments for students' different learning needs. In Learning-Driven Schools: A Practical Guide for Teachers and Principals, Barry Beers shows how teachers can plan, teach, and assess for student learning--and how principals can support teachers in their efforts. The book includes * An overview of the research on knowledge retention; * Real-life samples of lesson plans that address state and local standards; * Strategies on accurately assessing student learning; * Advice for teachers on addressing the needs of struggling, intermediate, and advanced students at the same time; and * Advice for administrators on conducting effective classroom observations. A rallying cry and how-to guide rolled into one, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone passionate about learning. Having served as a veteran teacher and principal himself, Barry Beers brings his own experience and understanding to bear on the essential task of ensuring that student learning remains the clear focus of our schools.

In the second edition of Leading Modern Learning, A Blueprint for Vision Driven Schools authors Jay McTighe and Greg Curtis offer the reader a fully rethought version of their blueprint for major education reform. More than a simple refresh, this new edition incorporates new insights, thinking, and experiences to refine approaches to, and tools for, implementing effective modern learning practices in a department, school, or district. With new Notes From the Field elements, McTighe and Curtis highlight key observations from their work with schools, including how to avoid potential missteps, misunderstandings, and time wasters that inhibit progress when implementing reform. .

Offers a practical guide for improving schools dramatically that will enable all students from all backgrounds to achieve at high levels. Includes assessment forms, an index, and a DVD.

"Gathering data and using it to inform instruction is a requirement for many schools, yet educators are not necessarily formally trained in how to do it. This book helps bridge the gap between classroom practice and the principles of educational psychology. Teachers will find cutting-edge advances in research and theory on human learning and teaching in an easily understood and transferable format. The text's integrated model shows teachers, school leaders, and district administrators how to establish a data culture and transform quantitative and qualitative data into actionable knowledge based on: assessment; statistics; instructional and differentiated psychology; classroom management."--Publisher's description.

Many teachers are trained to approach their work with a set of teaching strategies and lessons that changes little over time. Because they are focused on how they teach, rather than on how their students learn, they use the same techniques day after day, making no adjustments for students' different learning needs. In "Learning-Driven Schools: A Practical Guide for Teachers and Principals," Barry Beers shows how teachers can plan, teach, and assess for student learning--and how principals can support teachers in their efforts. The book includes * An overview of the research on knowledge retention; * Real-life samples of lesson plans that address state and local standards; * Strategies on accurately assessing student learning; * Advice for teachers on addressing the needs of struggling, intermediate, and advanced students at the same time; and * Advice for administrators on conducting effective classroom observations. A rallying cry and how-to guide rolled into one, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone passionate about learning. Having served as a veteran teacher and principal himself, Barry Beers brings his own experience and understanding to bear on the essential task of ensuring that student learning remains the clear focus of our schools.

This indispensable practitioner's guide helps to build the capacity of school psychologists, administrators, and teachers to use data in collaborative decision making. It presents an applied, step-by-step approach for creating and running effective data teams within a problem-solving framework. The authors describe innovative ways to improve academic and behavioral outcomes at the individual, class, grade, school, and district levels. Applications of readily available technology tools are highlighted. In a large-size format for easy photocopying, the book includes learning activities and helpful reproducible forms. The companion website provides downloadable copies of the reproducible forms as well as Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint slides, and an online-only chapter on characteristics of effective teams. This book is in The Guilford Practical Intervention in the Schools Series, edited by Sandra M. Chafouleas.

"The greatest influence on school district improvement is the extent to which school leaders and teachers collectively transform climate, develop culture and build capacity for the purpose of creating coherence. Districts on the Move (DOTM) paved the way for system change by establishing coherent cultures of learning. Now that DOTM has been written and district leaders can establish the context for positive system change, this new book, Schools on the Move (SOTM), will delve into bringing that vision to life and realizing school improvement at the building level. At the heart of this matter is a foundational principle that schools are the unit of change for systemic improvement. It is imperative to reduce the variances in climate, culture, capacity and coherence that exist among and within school sites if school districts are to create a coherent system of continuous improvement. This book will provide practical tools and guidance to help schools create coherent systems (and thereby improve the whole district) in these four domains: 1. Shared Leadership: partnering with teachers and staff to develop a culture of co-learning 2. Clarity of Focus: creating a strategic focus on equitable student growth 3. Collective Expertise: developing instructional coherence through cycles of collaborative inquiry 4. Continuous Improvement: maintaining a focus on evidence and impact Collaborative inquiry is the vehicle through which this change is realized. Collaborative inquiry "shapes a common mindset" (Donohoo) and allows educators to develop collective efficacy through mastery of shared learning experiences"--