Here is a comprehensive, step-by-step approach for teaching school leader candidates and school leaders alike to develop a standards-based digital portfolio. The book and accompanying web sites provide three different templates and sample portfolios to choose from. In-depth instructions for the creation of a digital portfolio using TaskStream, LiveText, or PowerPoint are included. In addition, the book includes self-assessments aligned with the ISLLC 2008 standards and with the NETS-A 2009 standards and a technology self-assessment inventory-all of which can be used both for planning and for evaluation purposes. The authors provide a wide array of suggested activities, worksheets, and rubrics and address the use of technology by school administrators and the development and use of the digital portfolio in the curriculum.

On records, the evolution of human development pays a considerable tribute to the relentless efforts made by generations of teacher educators set out to train academic leaders and teachers committed to the implementation of educational policies parallel to the mental edification of young students. Teacher educators, faced the challenges, overcame the obstacles, and refined the pedagogies of our educational system with many innovative approaches. As the world faces increasing uncertainties and adamant shifts of knowledge economy, it is apparent that education plays an ultimate role in creating adept and geared up citizens, to lead the way to the future. Designing and managing learning school organizations that can sustain a competitive advantage in this fast-changing environment demands transformative leaders primed and ready to the building or our intellectual capital for the future. Many books on teacher education, educational management and leadership have been written in the past, but most of them do not keep up with the fast-changing educational scene and only a few include future scenarios. This book presents the anticipated trends and demands of the new knowledge economy, and it aims to achieve its goals with the use of various tools, generative and collaborative efforts, increasing leadership capability in dynamic and complex contexts, enculturation of cutting edge knowledge for educational advancement and creation of teams that focus learning organizations. This book brings together prominent and leading teacher educators and researchers from around the world to present their scholarship, theories and practice, case studies, state-of-the- art approaches and upshot predictions. This book embodies collective knowledge inquiry and represents professional conversations. The chapters provides information on recent trends and development in teacher education, the important role of educational management and leadership in educational transformations and promising practices for desired outcomes. The book is a critical and specialized resource that describes how transformative leadership can play an important role in achieving excellence in education. The topics covered are: Educational Leadership and Effective Teaching, Research in Transformational Leadership, and Professional Development and Social Capital Building in Schools.

Perspectives on Transitions in Schooling and Instructional Practice examines student transitions between major levels of schooling, teacher transitions in instructional practice, and the intersection of these two significant themes in education research. Twenty-six leading international experts offer meaningful insights on current pedagogical practices, obstacles to effective transitions, and proven strategies for stakeholders involved in supporting students in transition. The book is divided into four sections, representing the four main transitions in formal schooling: Early Years (Home, Pre-school, and Kindergarten) to Early Elementary (Grades 1–3); Early Elementary to Late Elementary (Grades 4–8); Late Elementary to Secondary (Grades 9–12); and Secondary to Post-Secondary (College and University). A coda draws together over-arching themes from throughout the text to provide recommendations and a visual model that captures their interactions. Combining theoretical approaches with practical examples of school-based initiatives, this book will appeal to those involved in supporting either the student experience (both academically and emotionally) or teacher professional learning and growth.

Over the years, researchers have developed statistical methods to help them investigate and interpret issues of interest in many discipline areas. These methods range from descriptive to inferential to multivariate statistics. As the psychometrics measures in education become more complex, vigorous and robust methods were needed in order to represent research data efficiently. One such method is Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). SEM is a statistical technique that allows the simultaneous analysis of a series of structural equations. It also allows a dependent variable in one equation to become an independent variable in another equation. It is a comprehensive statistical approach to testing hypotheses about relations among observed and latent variables. SEM is commonly known as causal modeling, or path analysis, which hypothesizes causal relationships among variables and tests the causal models with a linear equation system. As educational research questions become more complex, they need to be evaluated with more sophisticated tools. The pervasive use of SEM in the literature has shown that SEM has a potential to be of assistance to modern educational researchers. This book will bring together prominent educators and researchers from around the world to share their contemporary research on structural equation modeling in educational settings. The chapters provide information on recent trends and developments and effective applications of the different models to answer various educational research questions. This book is a critical and specialized source that describes recent advances in SEM in international academia.

The Journal of School Public Relations is a quarterly publication providing research, analysis, case studies and descriptions of best practices in six critical areas of school administration: public relations, school and community relations, community education, communication, conflict management/resolution, and human resources management. Practitioners, policymakers, consultants and professors rely on the Journal for cutting-edge ideas and current knowledge. Articles are a blend of research and practice addressing contemporary issues ranging from passing bond referenda to building support for school programs to integrating modern information.

Technology Leadership for School Improvement is a practical textbook that prepares primary and secondary educational leaders with the skills and knowledge to manage and administer technology in their school settings. The text focuses on helping educational leaders learn what they need to know about technology standards, data-driven decision making, and creative leadership in this digital environment. To effectively cover the many facets of technology each chapter is written by a specialist following a similar structure and pedagogy for ease of use by the learner.

In face of increased scrutiny on the preparation of educational leaders, this book provides a much-needed resource, exploring the role and use of authentic performance assessment for evaluating leader readiness and performance. Framed by theory and research on school leader performance assessment, Designing Performance Assessments for School Leader Readiness provides an in-depth description of one fully tested performance assessment called the Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PAL). The authors explore how to assess four components of leadership proficiency -- developing a plan for an area of school improvement, creating a professional learning culture among school staff, supporting individual teacher development, and engaging families and community in improving student learning. This book provides real examples and practical guidance on designing and managing performance assessment for aspiring educational leaders, and how the PAL can be used in regional, state and local contexts.

Provides collaborative, data-based strategies to help educational leaders construct portfolios and link leadership growth to school improvement goals. Includes a CD-ROM with resources, tools, and templates.

From EL Education comes a proven approach to student assessment Leaders of Their Own Learning offers a new way of thinking about assessment based on the celebrated work of EL Education schools across the country. Student-Engaged Assessment is not a single practice but an approach to teaching and learning that equips and compels students to understand goals for their learning and growth, track their progress toward those goals, and take responsibility for reaching them. This requires a set of interrelated strategies and structures and a whole-school culture in which students are given the respect and responsibility to be meaningfully engaged in their own learning. Includes everything teachers and school leaders need to implement a successful Student-Engaged Assessment system in their schools Outlines the practices that will engage students in making academic progress, improve achievement, and involve families and communities in the life of the school Describes each of the book's eight key practices, gives advice on how to begin, and explains what teachers and school leaders need to put into practice in their own classrooms Ron Berger is Chief Program Officer for EL Education and a former public school teacher Leaders of Their Own Learning shows educators how to ignite the capacity of students to take responsibility for their own learning, meet Common Core and state standards, and reach higher levels of achievement. Video and other supplementary materials are not included as part of the e-book file, but are available for download after purchase.