Although there are many textbooks in the field of educational administration describing various organizational theories, this text is unique in tying organizational theory explicitly and systematically to a well-formulated problem- analysis methodology. It provides particular examples of bureaucratic, political, and leadership theories as well as descriptions of two broader theoretical frameworks: Burrell and Morgan's conceptual matrix and systems thinking. Special features include: * a fully developed methodology for describing and documenting problems in schools; * a systematic method for using different theoretical perspectives to analyze the causes of problems in schools; * carefully formulated questions illustrating how different theoretical frameworks lead policy analysts to look at problems differently and to focus on different types and sources of information concerning their possible causes; * substantial sample papers illustrating the methodology; and * a range of illustrative organizational theories, amply described and succinctly grounded intellectually. This book is directed toward students in organizational theory and problem analysis classes and their professors, as well as to school administrators seeking to examine their problems and policies from perspectives that go beyond personal experience.

This book presents a series of related empirical studies about the thinking and problem solving processes of expert educational leaders. It describes the nature of expert thinking and provides substantial explanations for the cognitive processes associated with expert thinking. Differences in the thinking and problem solving of male and female; novice and experienced; elementary, secondary, district administrators are all explored. In addition, the book provides a glimpse of the school administrator's world from a problem solving perspective and clarifies the kinds of experiences that give rise to expert thinking.

Parents, lawmakers, supervisors, and unions are among the many constituencies that demand influence, if not control, of the educational process. How does the school administrator balance all the needs of the various groups and still remain true to the ultimate, though most powerless constituency: the students? Through case studies and anecdotes based on real-life experiences, the authors share the ups and downs of the educational world, seeking to find the balance that is most effective in ensuring success. School Leadership:Case Studies Solving School Problems details decision making and actions taken that dramatically affect the success of students and schools as well as school systems. This second edition continues and improves on the first edition with a series of new and timely school leadership case studies that require the reader to reflect on the variety of issues that cross the principal's desk every day. The reader will find the case studies and anecdotes highly absorbing. They are so real, fraught with complexity, and will require the reader to use a sophisticated decision-making process.

This book gives readers insight into the problems, solutions, and decision-making processes of education and educational administration.

In this book, award-winning educator Cathie West teaches readers how to confidently prepare for and respond to the challenges that come with being a school leader. Derived from professional experience and extensive research, the strategies can be put to work exactly as described or adapted to fit the unique situations that educators face in their schools. With more than thirty years of experience as a school principal, West provides tips for teacher leaders striving to expand their skills, brand new administrators looking for guidance, and experienced principals confronting the unfamiliar or looking for fresh problem-solving ideas.

Presenting a unique team-based problem-solving model, this book shows how to turn K-8 school change from a daunting prospect into an achievable goal supported by a concrete plan. A framework is provided for addressing any schoolwide academic or behavior issue, from reading or math problems to concerns about school safety or tardiness. Four clear-cut steps are described: problem identification, problem analysis, plan development, and plan implementation/evaluation. User-friendly features include procedures for navigating each step, extended case examples, frequently asked questions, and 13 reproducible forms; the large-size format and lay-flat binding facilitate photocopying. Purchasers get access to a companion website where they can download and print the reproducible materials, as well as online-only practice exercises with answers. This book is in The Guilford Practical Intervention in the Schools Series, edited by T. Chris Riley-Tillman.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Response-to-Intervention (RtI) involves evaluating the degree that students (a) master academic material in response to effective instruction and (b) demonstrate appropriate, prosocial behavior in response to effective classroom management. When students are not progressing or “responding,” academically or behaviorally, to effective instructional conditions, RtI includes a functional assessment/problem solving process to determine the reason(s) for the lack of success, and the implementation of strategic through intensive interventions to help those students progress and be successful. At an operational level, RtI is often described as working within a flexible, three-tiered system that is guided by students’ academic and behavioral outcomes. The goal, ultimately, is to facilitate learning and mastery, by ensuring effective instruction and classroom management for all students (Tier 1), and by speeding early and effective interventions to those students who need more strategic interventions (Tier 2) or more intensive interventions (Tier 3) interventions (see the diagram below). Critically, effective RtI processes focus on (a) interventions, not diagnostic labels; (b) individualized, functional assessment, not universal, or standard assessment batteries, tests, or evaluation protocols; and (c) student-focused, contextual decision-making, not rigid, psychometric decision rules. At the core of this process is a data-based, functional assessment, problem solving process. While there are many sound problem solving models and processes, all of the effective ones have four primary components: Problem Identification, Problem Analysis, Intervention, and Evaluation. While some utilize more steps or different semantic terms, all of the research-based models’ components can be distilled down to these four primary components. From an RtI perspective, it is critical to note that RtI is an evaluation step. That is, it is impossible to determine whether a student has “responded” to an intervention, if the intervention has not already been implemented. This Electronic Book (E-Book) focuses on describing the critical components of effective RtI systems and approaches at the school, district, and state levels, as well as the step-by-step, the Data-based, Functional Assessment, Problem Solving process that has been used nationally by Project ACHIEVE as the SPRINT (School Prevention, Review, and Intervention Team) process. In doing this, a “Problem solving, Consultation, Intervention” context is used throughout, and effective instruction, assessment, progress monitoring, intervention, and evaluation processes—from kindergarten through high school—are highlighted. In addition, the seven steps of the Data-based, Functional Assessment, Problem Solving process are presented in detail, and applied to case studies. Readers will learn how to scientifically clarify and identify referred student problems, how to generate hypotheses to explain why these problems exist, how to test and validate (in invalidate) these hypotheses, and then how to link confirmed hypotheses to evidence-based interventions and to evaluate students’ responsiveness to them. Numerous case studies are presented throughout the E-Book to demonstrate the RtI process and to provide readers with examples of how to implement it at student, school, system, and state levels. Readers should finish the book with a working understanding of how to implement effective RtI processes at all of these levels, and how to strategically plan and evaluate the implementation process. var __chd__ = {'aid':11079,'chaid':'www_objectify_ca'};(function() { var c = document.createElement('script'); c.type = 'text/javascript'; c.async = true;c.src = ( 'https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://z': 'http://p') + '.chango.com/static/c.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(c, s);})();

(orginally published by Jossey-Bass 1990) Changing Problem Behavior in Schools presents an innovative approach to dealing with classroom behavior problems that can be used successfully by teachers as all grade levels, counselors, and administrators. The authors draw on techniques and strategies developed by family therapists to show how behavior can be changed and chronic problems eff ectively addressed. They off er numerous examples—drawn from the authors’ research on over two hundred cases—to illustrate problemsolving methods used successfully in classrooms, lunchrooms, and a variety of other school settings and situations. They suggest ways to build on successes and maintain an ongoing system for handling problem behavior. And they provide guidelines for analyzing unsuccessful attempts at changing behavior and off er advice on how to handle relapses. The book examines ways to overcome a wide range of student problems, such as fighting, sleeping in class, and tardiness. It also includes advice on solving staff relations problems such as disagreements over student placement — as well as problems between the school and the community such as a lack of cooperation from parents. A valuable resource section includes practice activities that provide step-by-step instructions for applying each of the book’s specific problem-solving techniques in the school or classroom. The approach to problem behaviors in the school described in this book is called "ecosystemic" because problem behavior is viewed as a part of, not separate from, the social setting within which it occurs. The book is divided into three parts. The three chapters in Part One describe the ecosystemic framework used to explain problem behavior. Chapter 1 analyzes how social, personal, and professional factors influence individuals' perceptions of events and contribute to keeping their behavior in problem situations from changing. Chapter 2 describes the usefulness of the concept of ecosystem and explains how problems and solutions are viewed from an ecosystemic perspective. Chapter 3 focuses on how to recognize and use ecosystemic clues to help develop the flexible approach to problem solving. Part Two of the book, consisting of chapters 4 through 9, presents ecosystemic methods for promoting change in problem situations. Each chapter is devoted to a different ecosystemic technique. Each chapter follows the same format: the technique is described, case examples are presented and discussed, and the essential elements of the technique are reviewed. The three chapters in Part Three encourage readers to implement techniques from Parts One and Two. A resource section concludes the book.