This third edition of the bestseller by Pam Robbins and Harvey B. Alvy serves as a personal mentor for principals and provides ideas, approaches, strategies, resources, tools, techniques, and reflective opportunities to help practicing and aspiring administrators facilitate educational improvement. Principals will find guidance in such critical areas as leadership skills, developing vision and mission, teacher evaluation and supervision, curriculum, technology use, conducting faculty meetings, and more. The revised edition reflects changes taking place within a wide range of educational issues, including: Data-driven decision making and high stakes accountability Shaping school cultures to promote professional learning communities Instructional implications of brain research Social justice Social and emotional learning Examining the high school dropout crisis Ethical leadership Cyberbullying and social responsibility Federal legislation and its effect on instructional practices

Despite the administrative leadership that most principals receive in university courses, their most useful learning occurs once they are on the job. The new knowledge--much of it the result of trial and error--is gained in relative isolation. This second edition provides ideas, approaches, strategies, resources, tools, techniques, and reflective opportunities for principals to facilitate educational improvement on a daily basis. It retains the essence of the first edition while adding new strategies for addressing state and national standards, incorporating social and emotional learning, supervising and evaluating teachers to enhance the quality of student work, developing a love for learning in students, using brain-compatible teaching practices to maximize learning, using technology in meaningful ways, making data-driven decisions, sustaining effective professional development, practicing ethical leadership, and managing crises. Chapters are divided into seven parts: (1) "The Principal's Role"; (2) "Critical Skills for Effective Leadership"; (3) "Honoring the School's Mission"; (4) "Working Together to Build a Learning Organization"; (5) "Keeping the Pipes from Leaking: Adding Meaning to Traditional Practice"; (6) "Understanding Your Constituencies"; and (7) Professional and Personal Issues." Each chapter concludes with a set of reflective questions. (Contains 138 references and 14 additional readings.) (RT).

The classic personal guide for principals, updated to address today’s challenges Of all the elements needed for a successful school, a competent, responsive and visionary principal may be the most important. And for over a decade, principals of all experience levels have turned to The Principal’s Companion for ideas, techniques and reflective opportunities that help them do their jobs better. The thoroughly updated fourth edition covers big-picture strategies and day-to-day tactics such as: The principal’s many roles Critical skills for effective leadership Honoring the school’s mission Working together to build a learning community Starting effectively and staying the course

The classic personal guide for principals, updated to address today’s challenges As the leader and decision maker in your school, you know that the buck stops with you. But when you’re faced with issues that are unfamiliar or simply overwhelming, where can you turn for advice and experience? For over a decade, the answer has been The Principal’s Companion. Pam Robbins and Harvey B. Alvy’s comprehensive classic remains a standard reference for principals of all experience levels, providing a wealth of ideas, techniques, and reflective opportunities. In the fourth edition, new and updated content is delivered in an ultra-efficient format tailored to principals’ busy days. Topics range from big-picture considerations to specific tactics and strategies, including: The principal’s many roles Critical skills for effective leadership Honoring the school’s mission Working together to build a learning community Starting effectively and staying the course With an eye towards the future, The Principal’s Companion can be referred to over and over again to ensure the school’s most important executive is a strong anchor for educational success. "This has always been one of the books I recommend to principals, and the latest edition makes it even more important and helpful to principals who face one of the toughest jobs in education today." —Stephanie Hirsh, Executive Director Learning Forward "Robbins and Alvy′s ability to explain the sophisticated and complex landscape of today′s connected schools in a manner that is easily understandable to both a new leader and a veteran school leader is masterful. They truly understand the role of today′s school leader in the classroom, the school, and the community." —Joshua Garcia, Deputy Superintendent Tacoma Public Schools, WA

Rebuilding your day--How ten minutes can make the difference between ordinary and fantastic leadership A principal’s enthusiastic vision is often thwarted by daily demands. There never seems time for carefully laid plans. But what if you made the most of ten-minute blocks scattered through your day? Could you make progress? This book says Yes! and will help you improve, but not overwhelm yourself or staff. It will show you how to intentionally use ten-minute opportunities to consider, kickstart, and execute your vision. Based on six pillars of school leadership, vision, relationships, trust, efficacy, student-centeredness, and instructional knowledge each chapter will: Introduce a leadership topic Offer a ten minute opportunity to consider where you are and what you might change Give a ten minute tip on how to get started, as well as overcome challenges Provide ten minute collaborative opportunities to gain buy-in and participation Discover how to build the foundations of effective leadership and be a school [helping teachers and students grow and improve] despite daily demands. Make the most of chunks of time to refine your craft and become a reflective and intentional leader.

Bridge the gap between good intentions and real results Instructional Leadership is one of the most researched and discussed leadership practices, but most school leaders don’t know where to begin or how to balance this role with all of their other responsibilities. Peter DeWitt’s Instructional Leadership provides practical tools for delivering lasting improvement through small, manageable changes over time. This step-by-step, how-to guide presents the six driving forces of instructional leadership—implementation, focus on learning, student engagement, instructional strategies, efficacy, and evaluation of impact—within an easy-to-follow, multi-stage implementation model. It also includes: · Practical strategies grounded in research · "Entry point" sections highlighting the best places to start · Help working with PLCs, faculty meetings, teacher observations, and walkthroughs · Study questions As a leader, you are the guide for your teachers, staff, and students. Let this book guide you to a vision of instructional leadership that really works.

An analysis of how educational research is applied in the process of setting standards for school mathematics. The text focuses on research derived from a wide array of areas, including professional development of teachers, mathematics assessment, and literature on curriculum topics.

Advice for new teacher excellence, including guidance on classroom management.

The indispensable leadership companion—updated and more relevant than ever! Part leadership manual, part short novel, this unique best-seller uses dialogues between a novice and a master teacher and between a new and a seasoned principal to illuminate how the simple act of viewing a problem through different lenses—political, human resources, structural, or symbolic—can reveal better options and solutions. Featuring reflective questions and solid strategies for meeting real-life challenges, the third edition also includes New views on building morale in challenging times A revamped discussion of mandates, standards, and rubrics A celebration of educators as skilled professionals Expanded conversations about hope, faith, and parental involvement Sometimes all it takes to solve a problem is to reframe it by listening to wise advice from a trusted mentor.

The classic personal guide for principals, updated to address today's challenges Of all the elements needed for a successful school, a competent, responsive and visionary principal may be the most important. And for over a decade, principals of all experience levels have turned to The Principal's Companion for ideas, techniques and reflective opportunities that help them do their jobs better. The thoroughly updated fourth edition covers big-picture strategies and day-to-day tactics such as: The principal's many roles Critical skills for effective leadership Honoring the school's mi.