Through specific examples, qualitative research, and portraiture, the author illustrates how and why some schools are able to achieve significant, sustainable change while others cannot.

Building on extensive evidence that school-based teacher learning communities improve student outcomes, this book lays out an agenda to develop and sustain collaborative professional cultures. McLaughlin and Talbert—foremost scholars of school change and teaching contexts—provide an inside look at the processes, resources, and system strategies that are necessary to build vibrant school-based teacher learning communities. Offering a compelling, straightforward blueprint for action, this book: Takes a comprehensive look at the problem of improving the quality of teaching across the United States, based on evidence and examples from the authors’ nearly two decades of research.Demonstrates how and why school-based teacher learning communities are bottom-line requirements for improved instruction. Outlines the resources and supports needed to build and sustain a long-term school-based teacher professional community. Discusses the nature of high-quality professional development to support learning and changes in teaching.Details the roles and responsibilities of policymakers at all levels of the school system. “This book offers vivid examples of how teacher learning communities are formed and sustained. A must-read for educators at all levels who are serious about enacting change.” —Amy M. Hightower, Assistant Director, American Federation of Teachers

Guide for becoming a leader in making changes in the educational field.

Biology is where many of science's most exciting and relevant advances are taking place. Yet, many students leave school without having learned basic biology principles, and few are excited enough to continue in the sciences. Why is biology education failing? How can reform be accomplished? This book presents information and expert views from curriculum developers, teachers, and others, offering suggestions about major issues in biology education: what should we teach in biology and how should it be taught? How can we measure results? How should teachers be educated and certified? What obstacles are blocking reform?

ANDY HARGREAVES Department of Teacher Education, Curriculum and Instruction Lynch School of Education, Boston College, MA, U.S.A. ANN LIEBERMAN Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Stanford, CA, U.S.A. MICHAEL FULLAN Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Canada DAVID HOPKINS Department for Education and Skills, London, U.K. This set of four volumes on Educational Change brings together evidence and insights on educational change issues from leading writers and researchers in the field from across the world. Many of these writers, whose chapters have been specially written for these books, have been investigating, helping initiate and implementing educational change, for most or all of their lengthy careers. Others are working on the cutting edge of theory and practice in educational change, taking the field in new or even more challenging directions. And some are more skeptical about the literature of educational change and the assumptions on which it rests. They help us to approach projects of understanding or initiating educational change more deeply, reflectively and realistically. Educational change and reform have rarely had so much prominence within public policy, in so many different places. Educational change is ubiquitous. It figures large in Presidential and Prime Ministerial speeches. It is at or near the top of many National policy agendas. Everywhere, educational change is not only a policy priority but also major public news. Yet action to bring about educational change usually exceeds people's understanding of how to do so effectively.

Interdisciplinary manual analyzes the roots of racism through lessons and readings by numerous educators. Issues such as tracking, parent/school relations, and language policies are addressed along with readings and lessons for pre- and in-service staff development. All levels.

This book arises from the regional conference of the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration held in Hong Kong in 1992. Efforts have been made to select papers which fulfil the following objectives: . Illuminate the emerging issues in educational administration . Generate discussion and comments on these issues . Reflect how different parts of the world are responding to these issues . Guide possible administrative actions based on well informed discussion The papers selected cover the shifting role of school leaders and their preparation; the latest trend in management of devolving administrative responsibilities to schools; and the cultural dimension of educational administration. Drawing on experiences from different parts of the world, this volume explores the above issues and reflects the differences in practice. Both editors are members of the University of Hong Kong. Wong Kam-Cheung is the Head of the Department of Education; Cheng Kai-Ming is the dean of the Faculty of Education.

The delivery of quality education to students relies heavily on the actions of an institution’s administrative staff. Effective leadership strategies allow for the continued progress of modern educational initiatives. It is crucial to investigate how effective administrators lead their organizations in challenging and difficult times and promote the accomplishments of their organization. Research Anthology on Preparing School Administrators to Lead Quality Education Programs is a vital reference source that offers theoretical and pedagogical research concerning the management of educational systems on both the national and international scale. It also explores academic administration as well as administrative effectiveness in achieving organizational goals. Highlighting a range of topics such as strategic planning, human resources, and school culture, this multi-volume book is ideally designed for educators, administrators, principals, superintendents, board members, researchers, academicians, policymakers, and students.

Promote positive change and elevate teacher practice with this actionable framework for school-based innovation Inquiry-Driven Innovation: A Practical Guide to Supporting School-Based Change addresses a pressing need for intentional and sustained innovation in education. It is both a practical guide for supporting school-based change and a handbook for effective professional development that empowers and re-energizes practitioners. Throughout this book, educators will find a wealth of examples from different school contexts and a rich array of research-based pedagogical tools and resources. In recent years, educational innovation and school redesign have been the focus for many school boards and departments of education. However, current school-based innovation methods typically lack flexibility and intentionality. Inquiry-Driven Innovation offers an approach to innovation that recognizes local contexts, promotes listening across stakeholder groups, and suggests structures for ongoing and purpose-driven work. Discover an actionable framework for school-based innovation Learn from real-world case studies of educators developing innovation strategies in a variety of school contexts Explore an Innovation Toolkit filled with research-based pedagogical tools and resources for educators In this book, you'll learn the five essential qualities of Inquiry-Driven Innovation: an ongoing process that empowers individuals and communities to pursue positive change that is both relevant and responsive to their contexts. Inquiry-Driven Innovation is purposeful and intentional; attentive to multiple perspectives; adapted to context; sustained and iterative; and structured and supported. Read this book to learn how you can implement evidence-based innovation strategies in your own community.

In this insightful look at the human side of school reform, Robert Evans examines the difficult hurdles to implementing innovation and explains how the best-intAnded efforts can be stalled by the resistance of educators who too often feel burdened and conflicted by the change process.The Human Side of School Change provides practical advice on problem solving, communication, and staff motivation. It argues for more realistic expectations about the pace of reform and the performance of leaders. And it presents a way of approaching all school improvement—a conceptual framework for understanding change as a process, educators as people, and leadership as a craft. By concentrating on the realities of life in schools and the common personal barriers to change, Evans illuminates the key sources of resistance to school reform. Grounding his work in a thorough understanding of human behavior and organizational functioning, he provides a new model of leadership along with practical management strategies for building a framework of cooperation, not conflict, between the leaders of change and the people they depAnd upon to implement it.