An accumulation of the advice Ventura County leaders would have liked to have given themselves at age 21, this book of quotes includes a variety of unique perspectives on life, happiness and success. Featuring thoughts from politicians, business owners, entertainers, athletes, nonprofit advocates and more, this collection of insights offers wisdom, humor and inspiration for people of all ages and walks of life.

What if you had a collaborative process of looking at student data that could pinpoint student gaps in learning and suggest effective strategies to close those gaps? What if you knew not only what you should start doing to enhance student learning, but also what you should stop doing because it hasn't given you the hoped-for results? Enter Achievement Teams. This is not another program that's here today and gone tomorrow; it's a timeless approach that any school or district can replicate that focuses on the most significant variable in student achievement: teaching. In Achievement Teams, Steve Ventura and Michelle Ventura offer a framework based on John Hattie's Visible Learning research that makes teacher collaboration more efficient, rigorous, satisfying, and effective. Think of it as a systematic treasure hunt for best practices using real data on your students. The authors walk you through the Achievement Teams four-step meeting protocol: * In Step 1, teams focus on the evidence from a pre-assessment to provide specific feedback to students and teachers about concepts and skills that students did and did not learn. * In Step 2, teams use that evidence to establish SMART goals for both teachers and students. * In Step 3, teams summarize the collected data and make inferences around students' mastery levels. * In Step 4, teachers select high-impact strategies directly targeted to student needs. A post-assessment reveals what did and didn't work. The authors provide a plethora of resources along the way, including reflection activities to extend your thinking and a variety of helpful downloadable templates designed to facilitate the work. If you're a teacher or leader who is interested in maximizing student achievement, this book is for you.

Online database of research related to the economy and quality life in Ventura County and the Tri-Counties region.

Next to their Experiencing God classic, Spiritual Leadership is one of Henry and Richard Blackaby's most highly regarded and best-selling books to date, encouraging business and church leaders alike to follow God's biblical design for success. In fact, the Barna Group reports that pastors list it among today's most influential writings on the topic of how God develops, guides, and empowers spiritual leaders. In this new trade paper edition of Spiritual Leadership, the Blackabys update their notes on the key points regarding a leader’s challenges, character qualities, influence, decision making techniques, and more, all the while focusing on how leaders discover and promote God's vision for their organization and move people on to His agenda. There are also new chapters on leading change and leading teams.

Everyone in your school community benefits when you invest in YOU. While accountability to standards and assessment are foundational to education and learning, the emotional needs of the educators at the center of the work have been overlooked. These brief, thought-provoking daily reflections emphasize a leader’s social and emotional awareness as the key to reinvigorating, renewing, and sustaining any learning community. Using the core CASEL skills presented in six modules, this book will help you: · Become more self-aware of what each CASEL skill means for leadership · Engage community stakeholders confidently and inclusively · Build stronger relationships throughout schools, classrooms, and communities · Increase credibility and approachability