This resource examines the Hierarchy of Instructional Excellence, which prioritizes the order of teacher development for ultimate success.

"In A Teacher's Guide to Excellence in Every Classroom: Creating Support Systems for Student Success, author John R. Wink acknowledges the unique and significant role that educators play in the lives of their students both as role models and guides. Teachers in the 21st century are far more than simple educators in the lives of their students. As such, this book acts as a guide for educators who wish to maximize their impact in their students' lives and unlock their students' full potential. Readers will not only learn how to increase their effectiveness as educators, but how to push all their students toward academic excellence"--

"The first priority for school leaders is to understand that problems cannot define a vision nor become its end point. Instead, they are opportunities to include stakeholders in formulating the vision." - Carmen Farina and Laura Kotch This updated edition of A School Leader's Guide to Excellence models exactly how current Chancellor of New York City Public Schools, Carmen Farina, and former Executive Director of Professional Development for the New York City Department of Education, Laura Kotch, transform struggling schools and make good schools great. Carmen and Laura "believe that conversations and collaboration work better than competition and isolation, and that excellence can be shared and replicated. The building blocks of what works well in one classroom or school can be exported to build consistency and community across classrooms and schools." Their plan shows precisely how to envision success and share your plan, collaborate inside your building and outside it to build the momentum for change then focus everyone's energy toward accomplishing even your highest goals.

In the much anticipated follow-up to Never Work Harder Than Your Students, Robyn R. Jackson turns her attention to how school leaders can help any teacher become a master teacher.

Formative assessment is one of the best ways to increase student learning and enhance teacher quality. But effective formative assessment is not part of most classrooms, largely because teachers misunderstand what it is and don't have the necessary skills to implement it. In the updated 2nd edition of this practical guide for school leaders, authors Connie M. Moss and Susan M. Brookhart define formative assessment as an active, continual process in which teachers and students work together—every day, every minute—to gather evidence of learning, always keeping in mind three guiding questions: Where am I going? Where am I now? What strategy or strategies can help me get to where I need to go? Chapters focus on the six interrelated elements of formative assessment: (1) shared learning targets and criteria for success, (2) feedback that feeds learning forward, (3) student self-assessment and peer assessment, (4) student goal setting, (5) strategic teacher questioning, and (6) student engagement in asking effective questions. Using specific examples based on their extensive work with teachers, the authors provide - Strategic talking points and conversation starters to address common misconceptions about formative assessment; - Practical classroom strategies to share with teachers that cultivate students as self-regulated, assessment-capable learners; - Ways to model the elements of formative assessment in conversations with teachers about their professional learning; - "What if" scenarios and advice for how to deal with them; and - Questions for reflection to gauge understanding and progress. As Moss and Brookhart emphasize, the goal is not to "do" formative assessment, but to embrace a major cultural change that moves away from teacher-led instruction to a partnership of intentional inquiry between student and teacher, with better teaching and learning as the outcome.

"In A Teacher's Guide to Excellence in Every Classroom: Creating Support Systems for Student Success, author John R. Wink acknowledges the unique and significant role that educators play in the lives of their students both as role models and guides. Teachers in the 21st century are far more than simple educators in the lives of their students. As such, this book acts as a guide for educators who wish to maximize their impact in their students' lives and unlock their students' full potential. Readers will not only learn how to increase their effectiveness as educators, but how to push all their students toward academic excellence"--

This book is an enormous gift. It has the power to change you and your school in ways that will bring vibrancy and excellence to your community. - Lucy Calkins Author of Units of Study for Primary Writing and Units of Study for Teaching Writing, 3 - 5 What a pleasure to read a book on leadership that focuses on ideas so humane, clear, and wise that the reader wonders how we ever made the art of leadership so complicated and didactic. - Ellin Oliver Keene Coauthor of Mosaic of Thought, Second Edition A veritable treasurehouse of practical help, inspiring support and constructive challenge from two high level leaders who have keep completely in touch with the classroom and never lose sight of the humanity of their own learning and leadership. - Andy Hargreaves Thomas More Brennan Chair in Education Boston College Carmen and Laura translate their soaring vision into a clear, . . . easy-to-use, friendly guide any educator can apply. - Bill Cirone Superintendent of Santa Barbara County Office of Education Is something - no matter how big or small - holding your school back? If so, turn to Carmen Farina and Laura Kotch. In New York City they've transformed struggling schools into excellent schools and made good ones great. And in A School Leader's Guide to Excellence they'll show you a direct, detailed road to improving schoolwide achievement. A School Leader's Guide to Excellence gets at what's really important when you're leading the way to change: gathering the energy of the school community for change focusing that energy on problem solving assuring ownership and sustainability so that new practices last. Farina and Kotch present their ideas with step-by-step instructions, implementation and evaluation advice, artifacts of their own reform efforts, and all the modifiable forms and documents you'll need. Their strategies will help you: form a doable vision of change collect information and create urgency spark professional conversation and reinforce beliefs motivate change through celebration involve every staff member secure parents' support develop a culture of professional learning make your job easier by nurturing teacher leaders lead in the moment by planning in advance. Energize your school for change, make reform happen, and make it last. Improve the performance - and the lives - of your students. And do it all with a realistic plan developed by people who've been there and know the way to success. Read A School Leader's Guide to Excellence and raise your school to new heights.