The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) operates one of the largest nongovernmental school systems in the Middle East. Palestine refugees in UNRWA schools are achieving higher-than-average learning outcomes in spite of the adverse circumstances they live under. This study uses a mixed methods research approach to address the complexity of the research question and its exploratory nature, namely, How do UNRWA schools continually and consistently outperform public schools? This study used the following data collection techniques: econometric techniques to analyze learning achievement data from international and national assessments; the Systems Approach for Better Education Results tools were used to assess different system components, such as teacher effectiveness, school autonomy, and student assessments; Stallings classroom observations provided a structured method to compare teachers' and students' interactions; qualitative data collected through interviews captured the lived experiences of a sample of students. Contrary to what might be expected from a resource-constrained administration serving refugee students who continually face a multitude of adversities, UNRWA students outperform public schools in the three regions-- West Bank and Gaza and Jordan-- by a year's worth of learning. The achievement is a result of the way these schools recruit, prepare, and support teachers; because of instructional practices and pedagogy in the classroom; and because of school leadership, accountability, and mutual support. This has created a distinguished learning community centered on the student. Of note: • UNRWA selects, prepares, and supports its education staff to pursue high learning outcomes. • Time-on-task is high in UNRWA schools, and is used more effectively than in public schools.

"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it." —Maya Angelou Adversity is all around us. Although we can′t always avoid it, we can prepare ourselves and our students to respond in a healthy and hopeful way. Teaching and Learning in the Face of Adversity is a practical and heartfelt book that empowers educators with applicable strategies to respond to challenges, inspire students, and foster a positive school environment. The authors share the critical skills that educators and students can cultivate to elevate the ability to respond to barriers, challenges, and setbacks, plus: Practical strategies, insights, and reflection prompts Menus of practices to promote student agency, belonging, relationships, and repair harm The voices of real teachers, students, and educational leaders The range of challenges that can arise in our work and effective ways to respond Adversity may be ever-present, but with the resources in this book, we can empower ourselves, our colleagues, and our students to persevere in the face of it.

There's power in owning the obstacles you might face. This book shows you how to unlock it. In an ideal world, we'd succeed based on our actual skills and performance. But in the real world, subtle perceptions and stereotypes - about appearance, race, gender, experience and more - colour others' perceptions. The result might be that your hard work isn't noticed or appreciated, your effort doesn't lead to proportional rewards and your good ideas aren't taken seriously. But it doesn't have to be that way. As Harvard Business School Professor Laura Huang has discovered, there's a way to flip stereotypes and obstacles in your favour. Drawing on compelling case studies and her groundbreaking research on overcoming bias, Huang explains that by finding your edge, you can turn perceived disadvantages into real strengths - and into real success. Creating an edge is the key to succeeding within an imperfect system. Edge will help you make your hard work work harder for you. It will help you be seen - and empower you to take the spotlight with authenticity, charm and poise.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • From authors of Lean In and Originals: a powerful, inspiring, and practical book about building resilience and moving forward after life’s inevitable setbacks After the sudden death of her husband, Sheryl Sandberg felt certain that she and her children would never feel pure joy again. “I was in ‘the void,’” she writes, “a vast emptiness that fills your heart and lungs and restricts your ability to think or even breathe.” Her friend Adam Grant, a psychologist at Wharton, told her there are concrete steps people can take to recover and rebound from life-shattering experiences. We are not born with a fixed amount of resilience. It is a muscle that everyone can build. Option B combines Sheryl’s personal insights with Adam’s eye-opening research on finding strength in the face of adversity. Beginning with the gut-wrenching moment when she finds her husband, Dave Goldberg, collapsed on a gym floor, Sheryl opens up her heart—and her journal—to describe the acute grief and isolation she felt in the wake of his death. But Option B goes beyond Sheryl’s loss to explore how a broad range of people have overcome hardships including illness, job loss, sexual assault, natural disasters, and the violence of war. Their stories reveal the capacity of the human spirit to persevere . . . and to rediscover joy. Resilience comes from deep within us and from support outside us. Even after the most devastating events, it is possible to grow by finding deeper meaning and gaining greater appreciation in our lives. Option B illuminates how to help others in crisis, develop compassion for ourselves, raise strong children, and create resilient families, communities, and workplaces. Many of these lessons can be applied to everyday struggles, allowing us to brave whatever lies ahead. Two weeks after losing her husband, Sheryl was preparing for a father-child activity. “I want Dave,” she cried. Her friend replied, “Option A is not available,” and then promised to help her make the most of Option B. We all live some form of Option B. This book will help us all make the most of it.

The world is committed to sending us messages to feel smaller than we were created to be. We are constantly bombarded with messages of not being enough. We live in an age where others have unlimited access to our lives and our minds. I have learned that even when we think it is not affecting us, it is. If you can win the battle within, what they say won't matter. If you can take the time to create your "DEFINING WHYS" (your reasoning for whatever lasting change, you want to make) abandoning YOU will never be an option. Join me on this journey exploring the how's in LEARNING TO STAND TALL in the FACE of LIFE'S ADVERSITIES. We know that they are coming, SO LET'S GET INTO POSITION! . I want you to know that it won't always be easy, but anything that comes easy, will leave easy. I want you to make the commitment to yourself. I want you to feel the fear and do it anyway! ENJOY THE RIDE! See yourself driving to the place you want to go and stay on that road......NO MATTER WHAT! You may have a couple of storms, some car repairs, some unexpected construction zones.... BUT STAY ON THE ROAD! Only you can DO WHAT YOU DO, THE WAY YOU DO IT! THE WORLD NEEDS YOU, SO GET IN THE CAR AND START DRIVING TO THE PLACE WHERE YOU CAN STAND THE TALLEST. YOU'LL HAVE NO REGRETS BECAUSE THE VIEW IS AMAZING.

Written for principals, administrators, and educators, this book identifies seven habits of highly effective education leaders, and offers strategies and guidelines for establishing them. Major points are illustrated with case studies reflecting the experiences of elementary, middle, and high school educators. Checklists, feedback inventories, and other forms are supplied. The authors teach elementary education and educational leadership at the University of Alabama. There is no index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.

Selected as a "Favorite Book for Educators in 2018" by Greater Good. From the author of Mindfulness for Teachers, a guide to supporting trauma-exposed students. Fully half the students in U.S. schools have experienced trauma, violence, or chronic stress. In the face of this epidemic, it falls increasingly to teachers to provide the adult support these students need to function in school. But most educators have received little training to prepare them for this role. In her new book, Tish Jennings—an internationally recognized leader in the field of social and emotional learning—shares research and experiential knowledge about the practices that support students' healing, build their resilience, and foster compassion in the classroom. In Part I, Jennings describes the effects of trauma on body and mind, and how to recognize them in students' behavior. In Part II, she introduces the trauma-sensitive practices she has implemented in her work with schools. And in Part III, she connects the dots between mindfulness, compassion, and resilience. Each chapter contains easy-to-use, practical activities to hone the skills needed to create a compassionate learning environment.