The Job-Embedded Nature of Coaching: Lessons for School Leaders is a book for sitting principals, aspiring principals, and teacher leaders. This edited volume includes studies that describe and detail findings from dissertation research conducted by scholar-practitioners in preK-12 schools. This book makes unique contributions to the field of practice and understanding of coaching (instructional and peer coaching) as forms of job-embedded learning, most especially for teachers in the beginning years in the profession. Each chapter examines very specific aspects of coaching that school leaders need to have understanding about to be able to create systems that support teachers in the work they do to teach students, interact with colleagues, etc. Conclusions and recommendations are offered for school leaders to support an environment and culture that embraces coaching and job-embedded learning as an integral part of the school’s foundation for building capacity. The messages across the chapters point to the primacy of coaching to promote teacher engagement and its value as job-embedded learning.

This comprehensive and authoritative book serves as the road map to your school’s professional development journey. Written for principals, professional development directors, other district leaders, and teacher leaders, Professional Development: What Works shows you how to plan and implement programs that promote teacher growth. Full of helpful case studies, useful resources, and templates, this book guides you in creating an effective, job-embedded professional development program that moves ideas to action. Special Features in this Revised Edition: Revised discussion on supporting and providing learning opportunities for adults New "Cases from the Field" and "Notes from the Field" amplify best practices and serve to narrow the gap between research and practice Updated and expanded coverage of professional job-embedded learning help leaders keep pace with advancements Suggested readings support digging deeper into topical areas found within the chapters

In today’s schools, teachers are frequently called on to adapt new curricula and instructional practices in their classrooms. Making sense of the complexities of teaching occurs primarily during the work day, and instead of relying on before or after school one-size-fits-all professional development activities, schools must support teachers in learning on the job. The latest book from renowned author Sally J. Zepeda is written for teachers, teacher leaders, and school and district leaders who want to support job-embedded learning, a powerful form of professional development characterized by active learning and reflection grounded in the context of a teachers’ work environment. Job-Embedded Professional Development provides a framework for helping teachers stop, take a deep breath, and learn along the way as they engage in their daily work. Through the engaging job-embedded learning activities, processes, and cases from the field explored in this book, teachers will immediately be able to: Implement what they are learning in the context of their own classrooms; Work with supportive peers who can coach them along the way; Get feedback on what’s working and what needs to be tweaked; Learn as adult learners fully capable of making sound professional judgments; Engage in conversations that allow teachers to dig deeper into their practices; Focus intently on content knowledge and the linkages to instruction and assessment; Capitalize on learning in digital learning environments before, during, and after school; Gain confidence in themselves and others through learning together.

Today’s emphasis on student learning outcomes, coupled with federal legislation to that end, has placed more demands on the role of the principal than ever before in our nation’s history. To address the heightened demands for greater accountability for student learning, The Principalship uses a learning-centered approach, one that emphasizes the role of the principal as the steward of the school’s vision: learning for all. The critical aspects of the teaching–learning process are addressed here, including student motivation; individual differences; classroom management; assessing student learning; and developing, maintaining, and changing school culture. In addition, several topics not found in other principalship texts are addressed, including school safety, special education, gifted education, bilingual education, nontraditional organizational structures, gender-inclusive theories, diversity, ethics, political and policy context, human resource management, legal issues, and collective bargaining. The book is documented extensively throughout and grounded in the latest research and theory with suggestions for applying theory to practice, reflecting cutting-edge research and topical issues facing principals in schools today.

This book presents arguments for adopting a Systems way of Thinking about developing schools to become in sync with the times, both locally and globally. Systems Thinking and Quality Management both are natural approaches for educators to adapt schooling to the rapid changes of life today in a global context. The chapters include strong rationales for adopting a more natural way of thinking about schooling, one that prepares students for life as it is now evolving around the world. Stories of success are abundant, which offer evidence of the power of a systems approach to leading school development in the complex context of schooling today. Research studies report up-to-date evidence of the power of Systems Thinking to continuously adapt schooling to changing conditions.

Foster the development of highly qualified teachers and improve your school′s teaching and learning with solid teacher evaluations! The connection between teacher evaluation fostering school improvement and the development of highly qualified teachers is receiving more attention than ever before. Just as there is a rational connection between school improvement and teacher performance, there is a necessary and rational connection between supporting and cultivating highly qualified teachers through effective evaluations and improving relationships in the school. In this updated edition, top-selling author James H. Stronge and his colleagues synthesize current teacher evaluation research and blend it with practice, highlighting how to: Design a sound teacher evaluation system Assess teacher performance thoroughly and accurately Implement a successful teacher evaluation system Incorporate student performance data, teaching portfolios, and classroom observation into the evaluation process By aligning teaching performance and improvement goals with your school′s mission, this text demonstrates how you can effectively encourage teachers to achieve a high standard of instruction at all levels.

First published in 2012. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The Principal Coaching Model: How to Plan, Design, and Implement a Successful Program begins by taking its reader on a journey through evidence, acknowledging the position of principal is isolating which is negatively impacting student performance and their longevity on the job. However, there is an answer to this issue and it is principal coaching. This book is designed to give school districts and/or principals the justification and tools to implement a successful coaching model. Often, there are no support programs for principals. Too often, new hires are thrown into the job without training, ongoing support, or professional development opportunities. This is not only true for novice principals but experienced principals as well. Teachers today are encouraged and expected to be lifelong learners and embrace the ever changing landscape of public education. However, this is lacking for site leaders. Sadly, principals often learn this once on the job. As result, the principal works in isolation which is one of the contributing factors of burn out. This book uncovers the reality but better still offers hands on, practical, best practices to overcome this challenge to help principals succeed in the position and in turn get the most out of their students and teachers, and themselves.

Technology-enriched online settings provide new ways to support lifelong learning. Learners can interact with other learners, gain from their experiences, and then construct their own knowledge, be it through Google Docs, online collaborative communities, YouTube, wikis, or blogs. Cases on Online Learning Communities and Beyond: Investigations and Applications provides a variety of essential case studies which explore the benefits and pedagogical successes of distance learning, blended learning, collaborative learning environments, computer-supported group-based learning, and professional learning communities. This casebook is an essential resource for educators, instructional designers, trainers, administrators, and researchers working in the areas of online learning and distance learning.