Designed around the bestseller by Lorna M. Earl and Steven Katz, this Facilitator's Guide to Leading Schools in a Data-Rich World gives staff developers and workshop leaders the tools to facilitate book study groups, seminars, and professional development events to help school leaders integrate data as a vital force in the school reform process. This facilitator's guide features chapter summaries, discussion questions, journal prompts, staff development activities, resources, a seminar evaluation form, and more.

Illustrating how networked learning communities (NLCs) can impact school improvement, the authors examine formal/informal leadership roles, collaborative inquiry as an essential tool, and how NLCs support schoolwide accountability.

The International Handbook of Educational Effectiveness and Improvement draws together leading academics and researchers in the field to reflect on the history, traditions and the most recent developments in this dynamic and influential field. This handbook provides a comprehensive overview of: the foundations of the field the evolution of educational effectiveness theory and methodology the links with other research disciplines the links between policy and practice. In conclusion, the handbook sets out a new agenda for future educational effectiveness research. This handbook is an essential resource for those interested in the effectiveness of educational systems, organisations and classrooms. It offers academics, researchers, students and policy-makers new insights into the latest thinking and evidence about educational effectiveness.

Based on a five-step model, this guide helps school leaders establish the processes necessary to align curriculum to mandated standards, develop curriculum maps, and systematize instructional practices.

Your step-by-step guide to making collaborative inquiry work Collaborating for improved student outcomes makes sense. But beyond theory, do you know where to begin? How does a team gather, analyze, and then implement and evaluate learning objectives while engaging students and meeting school agendas? Without directed guidance, it’s easier said than done. Aligned to current Learning Forward standards and based on the latest professional development research, Collaborative Inquiry for Educators deconstructs the collaborative inquiry process. This step-by-step guide gives facilitators tools to move teams toward purposeful, productive, and impactful collaborative work, including A clear and concise four-stage model that provides a structure for facilitating successful collaborative inquiry Real-world examples from collaborative teams that model components of each stage Clear, direct, and practitioner-focused tone with an emphasis on action over theory Unlock your team’s ability to work together to improve instruction and increase student achievement today! "Jenni Donohoo′s immensely thoughtful and deeply practical discussion of collaborative inquiry helps teachers to live up to, and also be enlivened by, the high standards of evidence-informed judgment that define all true professions." —Andy Hargreaves, Thomas More Brennan Chair in Education Boston College "In clear and unpretentious language, Donohoo guides the reader through a challenging but practical four-step learning sequence so that teachers learn and, subsequently, students achieve—a goal to which we all subscribe and endorse." —Shirley M. Hord, Scholar Laureate Learning Forward

Leadership, collaborative learning, and student achievement – discover what works! This resource-rich book provides a straightforward, strategic path to achieving sustainable communities of collaborative learners. Research-proven inquiry techniques, vignettes, case studies and action-oriented protocols help you build strong learning relationships for high-impact student achievement. System leaders, principals and teachers learn to: Integrate diverse views and perspectives Build trust and hear every voice Leverage key resources and processes Build students’ cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skills Use “Assessments-in-Action” to improve, monitor and sustain progress Build a collaborative culture through learning together Use this go-to guide to transform your school from a place of ‘good intentions’ to a center of intentional practice today!

Guide your students to a successful future in the new economy Learn how outstanding schools on five continents address career readiness, and how your program can best prepare students for a successful future. Written for education leaders at all levels, this resource shows how to: Design a continuum of learning that empowers your students to become independent decision-makers Consistently support student voice and choice through all grade levels Integrate multiple Pathways to opportunity in your curriculum by developing local community partnerships Develop an approach to career readiness that recognizes the value of college, the workplace, university and the new “gold collar” jobs, including technology and the skilled trades

"This book offers a compelling message of hope and resolve. The authors′ three-year journey in a multiplicity of diverse, underperforming, high-poverty schools across the nation has resulted in a treasure chest of knowledge and experiences about how to professionally develop data coaches in ways that benefit some of our most underserved students. This book provides powerful resources to those who have the belief, passion, and desire for implementing collaborative data inquiries in schools and districts." —From the Foreword by Ruth S. Johnson Use data as an effective tool for school change and improvement! How can data coaches create a collaborative culture in which data is used continuously and effectively to improve teaching and learning? The Data Coach′s Guide to Improving Learning for All Students provides detailed guidance for helping schools move away from unproductive data practices and toward examining data as a catalyst for systematic and continuous improvement in instruction and student learning. To help both current and aspiring data coaches facilitate school-based data teams and lead teachers in collaborative inquiry, the authors demonstrate a data model that has been field-tested and proven to be effective in: Narrowing achievement gaps between students in all content areas and grade levels Achieving strong, steady gains in local and state assessments in mathematics, science, and reading Using data as a springboard for powerful conversations about race/ethnicity, class, educational status, gender, and language differences Developing shared values and a vision for creating a high-performing, data-informed school culture This culturally responsive resource benefits staff developers, teachers, and administrators interested in creating change through effective data practices, and includes a CD-ROM keyed to the book, with templates, handouts, PowerPoint slides, resources, and sample goals and agendas.

Helping education students become savvy qualitative researchers Qualitative Research in Education: A User′s Guide, Third Edition continues to bring together the essential elements of qualitative research, including traditions and influences in the field and practical, step-by-step coverage of each stage of the research process. Synthesizing the best thinking on conducting qualitative research in education, author Marilyn Lichtman uses a conversational writing style that draws readers into the excitement of the research process. Real-world examples provide both practical and theoretical information, helping readers understand abstract ideas and apply them to their own research.