Teachers Leading Educational Reform explores the ways in which teachers across the world are currently working together in professional learning communities (PLCs) to generate meaningful change and innovation in order to transform pedagogy and practice. By discussing how teachers can work collectively and collaboratively on the issues of learning and teaching that matter to them, it argues that through collective action and collaborative agency, teachers are leading educational reform. By offering contemporary examples and perspectives on the practice, impact and sustainability of PLCs, this book takes a global, comparative view showing categorically that those educational systems that are performing well, and seek to perform well, are using PLCs as the infrastructure to support teacher-led improvement. Split into three sections that look at the macro, meso and micro aspects of how far professional collaboration is building the capacity and capability for school and system improvement, this text asks the questions: Is the PLC work authentic? Is the PLC work being implemented at a superficial or deep level? Is there evidence of a positive impact on students/teachers at the school/district/system level? Is provision in place for sustaining the PLC work? Teachers Leading Educational Reform illustrates how focused and purposeful professional collaboration is contributing to change and reform across the globe. It reinforces why teachers must be at the heart of the school reform processes as the drivers and architects of school transformation and change.

Western politicians consider that leadership is essential for the delivery of educational reform. This important and timely book examines how leaders, leading and leadership became the dominant theme in education. It presents an analysis of the relationship between the state, public policy and the types of knowledge that New Labour used to make policy and break professional cultures. It is essential reading for all those interested in public policy, education policy, and debates about governance and will be of interest to policymakers, researchers and educational professionals.

Educational Change for a World of Urgency and Accountability: Why Our Best Leaders Succeed Now! * Successful Leaders Challenge the Status Quo: Conforming is Less Risky, but Does It Work? * Who are you as a Leader? Appearances Aren't Always the Real Story. * The Reality of Practicing Being a High Performing Leader: When Theory Meets Real Life, It is Not Always Pretty. * Beginning the Hard Work of Improving your Leadership; When Do I Start to Take Control of a Runaway Train? * Hiring the Right Leaders that will Get Results. Stop the Insanity Now: It is Time for a New Hiring Process. * Building your Leadership Development Plan (LDP): Customized Action Plans that Allow You to Take Charge Now!

The process of understanding a text from the narrator s point of view is crucial for the tasks of interpreting and translating the Bible. If the translator s understanding of a narrative from the narrator s point of view is erroneous, then the whole process of translating the message into another language may also fall into error. This poses Bible translators a difficult challenge: How can we understand the narrator s point of view of the biblical stories which are culturally, geographically, and historically remote from our own? Understanding a text from the narrator s point of view must precede the translation process. In this work Hankore presents an argument for the intended utterance of Genesis 28:10 35:15 before proposing in brief how to translate it. By following this process, Hankore shows that a correct understanding of the concept of the ancient Israelite vow in the framework of a social institution is fundamental to reading and translating Genesis 28:10 35:15, and goes on to show how this same votive framework assist an explanation of the relevance of Genesis 34 to the Jacob story.

Lead between the lines— evaluate Ed policies to emphasize the positives and minimize the negatives Although educational reform is intended for positive change, sometimes it misses the mark. However, when school leaders capitalize on the positive aspects of reforms they can strategize to ensure the best outcomes for students. Christopher Tienken, professor and international speaker, shares his insights on how to identify both positive and negative aspects of education reform to maximize the benefits for students. This book introduces a practical framework for interpreting educational reform within an evidence-based practice, and provides thoughtful ways to finesse results out of challenging policies. Designed for use on the ground level, this book features: • Seven specific creative compliance strategies to maximize student and educator success • Case studies that illustrate how to critique reforms and take action • Reflective questions to guide evaluation and application • Ethical decision-making checklist Analyzing both successful and unsuccessful reform ideas from the past, this book champions creative compliance and how to lead innovatively/judiciously.

A democratic, ethical leader integrates democracy, social justice, and school reform through dialogue and is guided by a sense of responsibility to students, families, and the community. Democratic Ethical Educational Leadership presents a cohesive framework for aspiring and practicing leaders to explore the complex nature of leadership that can support democratic citizenry and social responsibility. Organized around the 5 "New DEEL" visions for leadership, chapters illustrate real people who embody these principles. This compelling vision for educational leadership, combined with diverse and vibrant examples of leadership in action, will serve as a critical guide for the rising generation of democratic ethical educational leaders in the US and abroad. Presenting contextualized, practical instances of this approach to leadership, this book will inspire educational leaders to reflect upon their practice and reach their potential as democratic leaders. Special Features Include: A unique framework to guide responsible, ethical leadership in today’s schools. A series of case studies help readers identify key leadership qualities in context from which to illuminate their own emerging practice. End-of-chapter questions encourage exploration of leaders’ motivations, processes, strategies, and lessons learned.

Preparing Principals for a Changing World provides a hands-on resource for creating and implementing effective policies and programs for developing expert school leaders. Written by acclaimed author and educator Linda Darling-Hammond and experts Debra Meyerson, Michelle LaPointe, and Margaret Terry Orr, this important book examines the characteristics of successful educational leadership programs and offers concrete recommendations to improve programs nationwide. In a study funded by the Wallace Foundation, Darling-Hammond and the team examined eight exemplary principal development programs, as well as state policies and principals' experiences across the country. Using the data from the study, they reveal how successful programs are structured, the skills and knowledge participants gain, and what they are able to do in practice as school leaders as a result. What do these exemplary programs have in common? Aggressive recruitment; close ties with schools in the community; on-the-ground training under the wing of expert principals, and a strong emphasis on the cutting-edge theories of instructional and transformational leadership. In addition to highlighting the programs' similarities, the study also explains the differences among the programs and sheds light on the effectiveness of approaches and models from different states and contexts?East, West, North, and South; urban and rural; pre-service and in-service. The authors analyze program outcomes for principals and their schools, including illustrative case studies and educators' voices on the influence of programs' strategies for recruitment, internships, mentoring, and coursework. The ideas and suggestions outlined in Preparing Principals for a Changing World are presented with the goal of increasing the number of highly qualified, thoughtful, and innovative educational leaders.

In this work, Seymour Sarason takes a penetrating look at the ways in which our political leaders, no matter how well intentioned, so often frustrate school improvement - and what must change if they are to instead advance it. Sarason calls on political leaders to ask the important questions: Why has the expenditure of billions of dollars had such disappointing consequences? Why do apparently successful educational innovations not spread to other schools in the same district, and often not even to other classrooms in the same school? Why is it that as students go from elementary to middle to high school they become increasingly bored and indifferent? What do we know about the adequacy of the programs that prepare educators? Asking these and other vital questions, Sarason contends, is the first step politicians must take toward solving the problems in our educational system.

Standards-based education (SBE) has been the dominant educational reform movement since the early 1980s, reinforced by federal and state accountability systems. This book examines the efforts of educational leaders in implementing SBE to improve student achievement in a variety of demographic contexts but with common challenges. Four stages of SBE implementation are identified that focus on strong district leadership of the articulation of how SBE can benefit students, an investment in collaborative structures and teacher training, and the facilitation of dialogue among all educational stakeholders. The descriptions of leadership actions and educator development at each stage can serve as a guide for educators and policy makers to assess which stage schools and districts are in and what steps can be taken to effectively move SBE reform efforts forward. The reflective questions for district, school, and teacher leaders at each stage can facilitate the dialogues that can ensure that SBE reform supports changes in classroom instruction that improve the learning opportunities and educational outcomes of all students.