Under increasing pressure in the face of teacher evaluation systems and accountability measures, schools must focus on those teachers that exhibit marginal to incompetent teaching behaviors in their classrooms. This book is a vital resource for educational leaders who are responsible for instructional programs and teacher evaluation. Zepeda’s tried-and-true strategies will help you take the necessary steps to support and mentor struggling teachers by detecting underperformance, developing strategies to help teachers, engaging in difficult conversations to enact plans of improvement, and following legal requirements. The practical tools found in this book will help teachers improve their instruction, assessment, classroom management, and teamwork.

This essential resource provides strategies for the effective and equitable distribution of available FTEs throughout the district, while helping you work through the many critical questions and decisions involved in the scheduling process.

Strategies for Developing and Supporting School Leaders assists personnel in school districts to deliver appropriate development and support practices for aspiring and current school leaders. This book explores a variety of research-based and best-practice processes that can be implemented in school districts to prepare leaders to meet the technical and adaptive demands of school leadership and the needs of a diverse student population. Sanzo lays out a cohesive framework of key processes and activities that range from the very simple and immediately implementable, to the more complex and nuanced. Providing both the "how," and "why," this important resource shares ideas, strategies, tools, and systems to develop effective and meaningful professional learning opportunities to help promote highly effective schools and districts.

Crafting the Feedback Teachers Need and Deserve illuminates an often overlooked aspect of educational leadership: providing quality written feedback. This resource offers context, purpose, and techniques on how to capture and write beneficial feedback. Proven in school districts, Van Soelen’s strategies will accelerate improvement in classroom practice and result in teachers who crave feedback and use it to supervise themselves. Full of examples and complete with an assessment tool to gauge current practice, this book shares insights into providing effective observation and feedback within any teacher evaluation system.

This essential text for prospective school leaders enrolled in instructional supervision and evaluation courses provides the knowledge and practical tools to improve teacher effectiveness. Melding theory and practice, this book is a definitive guide to successful classroom observations, pre- and post-observation conferences, and approaches such as action research, peer coaching, and mentoring. The fourth edition of this text has been thoroughly updated to meet the needs of school leaders in today’s educational climate. Features new to this edition include: Additional and updated tools to support school leaders in conducting effective classroom observations and assessing teachers’ professional learning needs; New case studies, suggested fieldwork, and extended reflections to outline practical applications for the strategies discussed; Suggested readings to supplement the information included in this book; Expanded discussions of professional learning communities and the topic of motivation; New chapters on teacher evaluation and instructional strategies that support personalization and learning technologies. This book offers strategies to work with teachers at all stages in their careers, laying a strong foundation for effective instructional supervision in PreK-12 schools. Many of the templates and tools in this book are also available as free eResource downloads from our website (www.routledge.com/9781138649347).

Leadership in America’s Best Urban Schools describes and demystifies the qualities that successful leaders rely on to make a difference at all levels of urban school leadership. Grounded in research, this volume reveals the multiple challenges that real urban elementary, middle, and high schools face as well as the catalysts for improvement. This insightful resource explores the critical leadership characteristics found in high-performing urban schools and gives leaders the tools to move their schools to higher levels of achievement for all students—but especially for those who are low-income, English-language learners, and from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. In shining a light on the essential qualities for exceptional leadership at all levels of urban schools, this book is a valuable guide for all educators and administrators to nurture, influence, support, and sustain excellence and equity at their schools.

In a high-stakes and testing-focused school climate, principals strive to develop and refine the skills that will make them effective instructional leaders. This book discusses how a narrow focus on day-to-day operations and management can limit the potential for effective instructional leadership by drawing attention away from the behaviors and interpersonal skills that enable school administrators to succeed. Building on stories from experienced principals in school districts across the country, author Linda L. Carrier offers practical tips and strategies for restoring the human dynamic of instructional leadership. Keeping the Leadership in Instructional Leadership: Developing Your Practice is designed to facilitate personal reflection and conversation about leadership practice, and its advice will empower principals and administrators to transform their schools into highly engaged communities of learners.

Powerful conversations facilitate powerful thinking. In The Power of Conversation, seasoned educator Barbara Kohm provides principals and mentors with a roadmap for growing into great leaders and transforming ordinary schools into great ones. Designed to harness the power of focused professional conversation, this book uses dialogues between a principal and a mentor or colleague to explore everyday school dilemmas, such as scheduling, discipline, budgeting, and instructional challenges. Each chapter explores transformational themes, provides strategies and guidelines for leaders to apply in their own schools, and includes reflective exercises. This book engages an accessible and thoughtful way for principals to talk about complicated issues, deepen thinking, develop skills, and fuel transformational leadership.

Lead With Me, 2nd Edition provides courageous principals with the tools for partnering with teachers in the student learning and improvement process. This practical guide explains the skills teacher leaders need and offers advice for principals who wish to engage teachers in learning these skills. Packed with stories and examples from educators in the field, this second edition explores how to: Build mutual trust and accountability with teachers and faculty Encourage and facilitate professional development Carefully manage the distribution of power and authority by involving faculty members in decision-making. The revised second edition provides a variety of helpful tools—PowerPoint presentations, reflection questions, activities for professional learning sessions, and annotated lists of additional resources—that can be downloaded as eResources: www.routledge.com/books/details/9781138785588.

College For Every Student shares best practices for raising college and career aspirations and increasing educational opportunities for underserved and diverse students in rural and urban districts. Providing guidance for educating your students and organizing communities for expanding educational opportunities, this is a must-read for every school leader and counselor interested in promoting educational uplift. This comprehensive guidebook offers a wealth of resources and tools for educators and professionals to help students build essential college and career readiness skills. College For Every Student gives you the research-based, proven strategies needed for promoting the core student skills essential for college and career readiness: aspiration, grit, perseverance, adaptability, leadership, and teamwork.