Quick, easy, specific steps that make a difference in teaching and learning Busy school leaders need an easy-to-apply resource to increase teacher effectiveness quickly and efficiently. This book shows principals and staff developers how to improve teaching school-wide through high-impact inservices lasting only ten minutes—incorporated easily into weekly staff meetings. Written by popular education consultants Todd Whitaker and Annette Breaux, this important book offers 40 teacher-tested, mini-workshops that can improve teaching in every classroom. The book covers a range of topics, from behavior challenges and parent engagement to motivating students and making lessons meaningful. Offers school leaders a proven plan to help every teacher improve on a weekly basis by conducting simple 10-minute inservice workshops Offers staff developers, new teacher induction coordinators, mentors, and Professional Learning Communities ideas for effective training sessions Each of the 40 mini-training sessions offered include tips on how to introduce the topic, sample scripts to follow, and implementation activities to ensure lasting learning Whitaker and Breaux are bestselling education authors with a proven track record improving teacher effectiveness This handy resource contains a simple and effective method for improving teacher effectiveness school wide.

Your school is a lot more than a center of student learning--it also represents a self-contained culture, with traditions and expectations that reflect its unique mission and demographics. In this groundbreaking book, education experts Steve Gruenert and Todd Whitaker offer tools, strategies, and advice for defining, assessing, and ultimately transforming your school's culture into one that is positive, forward-looking, and actively working to enrich students’ lives. Drawing from decades of research on organizational cultures and school leadership, the authors provide everything you need to optimize both the culture and climate of your school, including * "Culture-busting" strategies to help teachers adopt positive attitudes, outlooks, and behaviors; * A framework for pinpointing the type of culture you have, the type that you want, and the actions you need to take to bridge the two; * Tips for hiring, training, and retaining teachers who will actively work to improve your school's culture; and * Instructions on how to create and implement a successful School Culture Rewiring Team. Though often invisible to the naked eye, a school's culture influences everything that takes place under its roof. Whether your school is urban or rural, prosperous or struggling, School Culture Rewired is the ultimate guide to making sure that the culture in your school is guided first and foremost by what's best for your students.

"I believe in the power of collaborative classroom communities where everyone's ideas are valued and respected. But had you been in my classroom that day, you'd have never known it. You'd have thought I believed that I was the one with all the answers." Effective, intentional teaching begins with a strong set of beliefs, but even the best teachers -- including Debbie Miller -- struggle to make sure that their classroom practice consistently reflects their core convictions. In Teaching with Intention, Debbie shares her process of defining beliefs, aligning practice, and taking action to ensure that children are the true beneficiaries of her teaching. As Peter Johnston writes, "Through this book we have Debbie's teaching mind on loan. She engages us in the details of a teaching life from inside her mind, showing the thinking behind her teaching and the consequences of her actions." While Debbie's previous book, Reading with Meaning, chronicled a year in her own classroom, Teaching with Intention brings us into classrooms of teachers and children she has met over the last five years in her work as a literacy consultant. From setting up the classroom environment to the intentional use of language, from comprehension instruction to lesson design, Debbie is explicit about what she does and why. At the same time, she encourages teachers to develop their own belief statements concerning teaching and learning, and includes key questions to guide them in this important process. In an environment where the handing down of scripted programs and "foolproof" curricula is increasingly the norm, Teaching with Intention offers a compelling reminder that truly transformative teaching is built from the ground up, and is rebuilt every year, by every teacher, in every classroom, with every new group of students.

Classroom management can make or break your teaching. But as educators know, there is no one-fits-all solution for every classroom. That is why bestselling authors Todd Whitaker, Madeline Whitaker Good, and Katherine Whitaker came together to write this book. They created a guide combining sound research with practical wisdom so educators could have a classroom management resource written by teachers for teachers. From this book, you’ll gain effective strategies for designing and improving your classroom management from the ground up. You’ll learn how the three core aspects of classroom management (relationships, high and clear expectations, and consistency) can be used to build and maintain an effectively-run classroom. You’ll also find out how to tweak minor issues and reset major challenges when things don’t go as planned. Each chapter covers a core aspect of classroom management and includes a foundational understanding of the concept, powerful stories and examples, how-to applications, and tips on tweaking as problems arise. In addition, each chapter features a "What You Can Do Tomorrow" section--strategies you can implement immediately. Whether you are a new or experienced teacher, this book will empower you to identify what is going well, adjust what needs to be changed, and feel more prepared for the unexpected.

Deftly handle the sixty most common problems classroom teachers face Quick Answers for Busy Teachers presents some of the most common challenges teachers encounter in the classroom, and provides expert help toward solving those problems. This easy-to-read guide is organized into short, discreet chapters, making it an ideal quick reference for on-the-spot answers, with practical advice and concise, actionable solutions. Readers will develop systems for dealing with issues that repeatedly crop up, from handling the out-of-control class to falling out of love with the job. The book offers innovative methods and techniques that improve student achievement and behavior while minimizing stress on the teacher. Recover from challenging situations with parents, students, coworkers, or administrators, implement a system that keeps those challenges from happening again, and learn to relax and enjoy this richly rewarding profession. Teaching is difficult. Educators must grapple with a roomful of diverse students, an evolving curriculum, massive organization of books, papers, and supplies, and ever-changing technology. They must deal with challenges from uninvolved parents, overinvolved parents, administrators, and fellow educators. This book helps teachers avoid some of the frustration by providing solutions for the sixty most common challenges teachers face. Deal with the student pushing your buttons, and get that student actively engaged in meaningful learning Keep students on task, and deal effectively with poor test performance Speak your mind at faculty meetings Deal with negative coworkers effectively Handle problem parents without embarrassing students or sacrificing professionalism As a teacher, igniting young minds is only a small part of the battle – it's usually everything else that makes teachers occasionally reconsider their career choice. With solutions and systems in place ahead of time, readers can handle challenges swiftly and skillfully with Quick Answers for Busy Teachers.

This book provides tips and strategies to help school leaders improve, neutralize, or eliminate resistant and negative teachers. Learn how to handle staff members who gossip in the teacher's lounge, consistently say "it won't work" when any new idea is suggested, send an excessive number of student to your office for disciplinary reasons, undermine your efforts toward school improvement, or negatively influence other staff members. Don’t miss the revised and expanded third edition of this best-seller!

Busy administrators will appreciate this quick read packed with immediate, accessible strategies. This book provides the framework for understanding dynamic relationships within a school culture and ensuring a positive environment that supports the changes necessary to improve learning for all students. The author explores many aspects of human behavior, social conditions, and history to reveal best practices for building healthy school cultures.