The author examines why educators must move beyond the quest for higher test scores and embrace their own life experiences within a standard curriculum.

Although traditional curriculum and instructional leadership frameworks have dominated educational administration training for almost thirty years, it has become increasingly clear that even the most recent frameworks have failed today’s leaders who struggle with the politics of curriculum decisions on a daily basis. Critical Curriculum Leadership is an examination of curriculum leadership in the wake of U.S. testing mandates and school reforms, all of which seem to support a particular set of conservative ideologies. Drawing from her own longitudinal ethnographic study and from existing literature and research in the field, Ylimaki explores the formation of curriculum leadership in relation to broader cultural and political shifts. She shows how traditional leadership frameworks have come up short, and makes the case for an alternative leadership theory at the intersection of educational leadership and curriculum studies. She provides analytical tools that inspire progressive education and offers critical theories, strategies, research examples, problem-posing cases, and research ideas essential for curriculum leadership in the present conservative era. Critical Curriculum Leadership will appeal to the many educational leadership scholars and practitioners who are interested in developing effective and socially just curricula in their schools and districts as well as curriculum scholars who are interested in leadership issues.

Creative leadership in schools involves a deep personal commitment to the curriculum, both to what is taught and to how it is taught. School administrators need to know how to handle external pressures, particularly the demand for higher test scores, while maintaining their commitment. With the use of case studies, the author explores how to achieve the aim of becoming a creative curriculum leader.

Practical guidance for spearheading curriculum development and change This comprehensive guide walks principals through the curriculum development and renewal process with encouragement, hitting the hard issues of doing more with less, integrating technology, creating a culture of improvement, and improving student outcomes. The authors incorporate the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) and the Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) standards for principals as they relate to curriculum leadership. Highlights include step-by-step guidance for: Working collaboratively with personnel Integrating state and national standards into school curriculum Maximizing professional development opportunities Connecting curriculum to instruction

Critical Curriculum Leadership explores the formation of curriculum leadership in relation to broader cultural and political shifts and makes the case for an alternative leadership theory at the intersection of educational leadership and curriculum studies.

"This handbook synthesizes the best of educational research in an easily accessible format. Educators will find it an effective roadmap for leading their schools to organizational excellence, effective instruction, and optimum student achievement." —Brenda P. Dean, Assistant Superintendent Hamblen County Schools, Morristown, TN "The author clearly makes the case for the principal to be THE instructional and curricular leader of his or her school site. Principals who embrace this CAN and WILL make the difference for students!" —Marianne L. Lescher, Principal Kyrene Elementary School District, Tempe, AZ Practical guidance for spearheading curriculum development and change This comprehensive guide walks principals through the curriculum development and renewal process with encouragement, hitting the hard issues of doing more with less, integrating technology, overcoming resistance to change, and improving student outcomes. The authors incorporate the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) and the Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) standards for principals as they relate to curriculum leadership. Highlights include step-by-step guidance for: Developing a culture that is conducive to curriculum advancement Working collaboratively with personnel Integrating state and national standards into school curriculum Maximizing professional development opportunities Connecting curriculum to instruction The Principal′s Guide to Curriculum Leadership is ideal for practicing and aspiring public and private school administrators. Special features include discussion questions, case studies, activities, specialized curriculum models, resources, and references.

Curriculum Leadership: Strategies for Development and Implementation, Third Edition is a one-of-a-kind resource written for educational leaders, teachers, and administrators. Responding to the need for globally connected classrooms and innovative leadership, this unique text provides a rich and inclusive foundation of curriculum. The authors draw upon a wide range of research and experience to provide readers with creative, up-to-date curriculum strategies and ideas. In sharing innovative programs, learning experiences, and new approaches, they build a solid connection for curriculum development from theory to practice, helping future leaders in education meet the global challenges of our time.

'What if teachers were owners, not employees?' Teacher-ownership is a revolutionary way to put excitement and meaning back into the teaching profession and to revitalize public education. This book demonstrates how being an owner rather than an employee can give teachers control of their professional activity, including full responsibility and accountability for creating and sustaining high performing learning communities. It presents examples of teacher-ownership in practice and provides practical models for those who would like to experience the professional satisfaction found in ownership. Like doctors, lawyers, and other professionals, teachers have the same opportunity to work for themselves through ownership of professional partnerships. In a professional partnership, the teachers are the leaders and decision-makers. They control their own work and their own relationships to students, including determining curriculum, setting the budget, choosing the level of technology available to students, determining their own salaries, selecting their colleagues, monitoring performance and hiring administrators to work for them, not vice versa.

Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies raises fundamental questions about the purpose of schooling in changing societies. Bringing together an intergenerational group of prominent educators and researchers, this volume engages and extends the concept of culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP)—teaching that perpetuates and fosters linguistic, literate, and cultural pluralism as part of schooling for positive social transformation. The authors propose that schooling should be a site for sustaining the cultural practices of communities of color, rather than eradicating them. Chapters present theoretically grounded examples of how educators and scholars can support Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian/Pacific Islander, South African, and immigrant students as part of a collective movement towards educational justice in a changing world. Book Features: A definitive resource on culturally sustaining pedagogies, including what they look like in the classroom and how they differ from deficit-model approaches.Examples of teaching that sustain the languages, literacies, and cultural practices of students and communities of color.Contributions from the founders of such lasting educational frameworks as culturally relevant pedagogy, funds of knowledge, cultural modeling, and third space. Contributors: H. Samy Alim, Mary Bucholtz, Dolores Inés Casillas, Michael Domínguez, Nelson Flores, Norma Gonzalez, Kris D. Gutiérrez, Adam Haupt, Amanda Holmes, Jason G. Irizarry, Patrick Johnson, Valerie Kinloch, Gloria Ladson-Billings, Carol D. Lee, Stacey J. Lee, Tiffany S. Lee, Jin Sook Lee, Teresa L. McCarty, Django Paris, Courtney Peña, Jonathan Rosa, Timothy J. San Pedro, Daniel Walsh, Casey Wong “All teachers committed to justice and equity in our schools and society will cherish this book.” —Sonia Nieto, professor emerita, University of Massachusetts, Amherst “This book is for educators who are unafraid of using education to make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable.” —Pedro Noguera, University of California, Los Angeles “This book calls for deep, effective practices and understanding that centers on our youths’ assets.” —Prudence L. Carter, dean, Graduate School of Education, UC Berkeley

In the face of complex local and global problems, there is a critical need to prepare PK-12 students to be innovative, resilient problem-solvers and well-equipped STEM-literate citizens. With focus upon integrated content, college and career readiness, authentic problems, and action-oriented pedagogies, integrative STEM education provides a promising approach to address this challenge. Integrative STEM programming with its fusion of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology content and practices may manifest in a variety of ways: Teachers co-plan an engineering design experience within a social studies class. A community business partner offers a job-shadowing experience. Students engage in an after-school program at a makerspace. Educators collaboratively re-envision and interweave STEM across the curriculum. And more... Current and future educational leaders striving to improve STEM programming will find this book to be a useful resource. Its introduction offers an orientation to the fundamental goals, principles, and practices of integrative STEM education. While later chapters delve into the facets of STEM programming and the competencies of STEM leadership which form the foundation of a coherent program. These evidence-based strategies, examples, and resources may provide inspiration to leaders as they initiate and enhance an equitable integrative STEM culture within their school.