This accessible resource assists teachers, instructional coaches, principals, and curricular leaders to adopt a simple, straightforward framework that allows educators to seamlessly align high quality learning targets with specific standards. Full of examples across grade levels and subjects, this useful book helps educators deepen their understanding of content and design more efficient lessons that will aid student learning and readiness. Unpacking Your Learning Targets is a guide into a deeper understanding of creating and designing learning targets that foster student learning and success for all.

A New Companion to Leaders of Their Own Learning Puts Students in Charge of Their Learning and Growth Five years after the publication of Leaders of Their Own Learning, EL Education is back with a new companion guide to help you tackle the common challenges of student-engaged assessment. This unique, student-centered approach to assessment equips and compels students to understand goals for their learning and growth, track their progress toward those goals, and take responsibility for reaching them. EL Education has more than 25 years of experience supporting school transformation through student-engaged assessment. With their new book, The Leaders of Their Own Learning Companion, they have harvested the best tools and wisdom from schools across the country to help you hone student-led assessment practices in your classroom and school. Identifies the common challenges of implementing each of the eight interrelated student-engaged assessment practices from Leaders of Their Own Learning, and provides strategies and tools for tackling them Offers practical tips for school leaders Deepens your learning with 46 videos and an online toolbox The Leaders of Their Own Learning Companion is designed for teachers and leaders of all grade levels and no prior knowledge of the original Leaders of Their Own Learning is necessary to make the most of this book.

This essential guide to the EL Education 6-8 Language Arts Curriculum is one part roadmap to the curriculum, one part orientation to its instructional practices, and one part coach--to answer your questions, relieve your stress, and put you and your students on the path to success. Your Curriculum Companion explores the foundations of the curriculum including the principles and research it was built on and the instructional practices that make it unique. The book is designed to help you "look under the hood" at practices embedded throughout the curriculum so that you can sharpen your instruction, support students to be leaders of their own learning, and make well-informed changes to best meet your students' needs. Key features of Your Curriculum Companion include: Twenty-two accompanying videos--see the curriculum in action Task cards for guidance on how to plan when the planning has been done for you A deep dive into the purpose and structure of close reading, including a sample annotated lesson An exploration of the relationship between reading and writing and how the curriculum is designed to help students become strong communicators, including an annotated "read-think-talk-write" lesson The why, what, and how of supporting students to meet grade-level expectations, supporting students who need additional challenges, and supporting English language learners Guidance for turning evidence of student progress into usable data that can inform your instruction Support for school leaders

Expert guidance for creating a successful partnership! Whether you’re new to co-teaching, new to your partner, or just see room for improvement in the way you connect, you probably face challenges with communication, planning, grading, and more. When co-teaching is done well, though, the benefits for students are immeasurable. So grab a cup of coffee and your co-teacher—this hands-on book is designed for you to work through together. Features include: • Stories from experienced co-teachers • Reflective activities to help each of you discover your collaboration style • Reproducible lists, checklists, templates, agreements, and more to complete together • A downloadable unit-planning tool

Problem-based instruction (PBI) is a research-based, student-centered instructional strategy that uses rich mathematical tasks to connect students' previously acquired math knowledge to new mathematical concepts. Unlike traditional teaching and learning strategies, PBI facilitates learning by making connections between mathematical concepts and real-world applications rather than through noncontextual, rote learning of skills, steps, and equations. This practical resource is an informative instructional tool for secondary mathematics teachers and teacher educators seeking to deepen their students' understanding of, and engagement with, mathematical learning. Highlighting both teacher and student perspectives, the text provides an overview of the PBI instructional strategy that includes best practices, guidance for implementation, and a companion website with more than 50 downloadable resources. In addition, readers will find 12 teacher-created sample lessons with prepared resources and detailed instructional guides. While written for novice PBI users, this book will enhance the instruction of teachers at all levels. Book Features: Provides 12 ready-to-use sample lesson plans aligned to the most common secondary mathematics topics written by experienced classroom teachers. Focuses on the practical implementation of problem-based instruction specifically for middle and high school mathematics instruction. Includes a template to guide readers step-by-step through creating their own problem-based lessons. Access to a companion website with more than 50 editable, online resources for easy classroom implementation.

When implemented effectively, competency-based education (CBE) promotes high levels of learning for every student. Further, the practices and structures of a professional learning community (PLC) support this work. Explore a variety of perspectives and examples from educators who have shifted to CBE with great results. The book details how to do the work by reevaluating and revamping traditional policies, structures, and procedures, including assessment and instruction practices. Individualized learning educators will: Discover how to make the transition to competency-based education to promote learning for all students. Learn the role PLC practices and structures play in establishing competency-based classrooms and schools. Study real-world experiences and insights from educators from various schools and districts that have transitioned to competency-based systems. Reflect with end-of-chapter questions to enhance their understanding of the material. Receive reproducible templates they can easily use and adapt to fit their needs. Contents: Introduction Chapter 1: Seven Principles for Competency-Based Learning in the Classroom Chapter 2: PLC, Collaborative Teaming, and Competency-Based Learning Chapter 3: Competencies, Essential Standards, and Learning Targets Chapter 4: Meaningful, Balanced Assessment Chapter 5: Structures and Systems to Support Classroom Instruction Chapter 6: Structures for Feedback Chapter 7: The Design Rubric Epilogue Appendix References and Resources Index

Some great teachers are born, but most are self-made. And the way to make yourself a great teacher is to learn to think and act like one. In this updated second edition of the best-selling Never Work Harder Than Your Students, Robyn R. Jackson reaffirms that every teacher can become a master teacher. The secret is not a specific strategy or technique, nor it is endless hours of prep time. It's developing a master teacher mindset—rigorously applying seven principles to your teaching until they become your automatic response: Start where you students are. Know where your students are going. Expect to get your students there. Support your students along the way. Use feedback to help you and your students get better. Focus on quality rather than quantity. Never work harder than your students. In her conversational and candid style, Jackson explains the mastery principles and how to start using them to guide planning, instruction, assessment, and classroom management. She answers questions, shares stories from her own practice and work with other teachers, and provides all-new, empowering advice on navigating external evaluation. There's even a self-assessment to help you identify your current levels of mastery and take control of your own practice. Teaching is hard work, and great teaching means doing the right kind of hard work: the kind that pays off. Join tens of thousands of teachers around the world who have embarked on their journeys toward mastery. Discover for yourself the difference that Jackson's principles will make in your classroom and for your students.

This exciting book explores how leaders have implemented, sustained, and pushed innovative, deeper learning opportunities in their school settings. Across the United States and around the world, the concept of a school is growing more action-oriented, performance-focused, digitally relevant, and democratically infused. In this book, you’ll hear from real schools and leaders about practices that are changing schools and leading to deeper learning experiences across seven categories of innovative practice—including vision, agency in learning, trust in teachers, openness to new ideas, over-communicating change, equity mindedness, and courage to live outside norms. Leadership for Deeper Learning looks at how school leaders change the status quo and create different learning environments for students and teachers. Rich in stories and strategies, this book will provide you with the ideas and tools to rethink and reignite learning for the future.

This exciting resource will help you build confidence in yourself as an educational leader. Written by an award-winning leader, this book encourages readers to use research-based strategies to lead in meaningful, authentic ways that make the greatest impact on students and staff members each day. Full of real-life stories and key takeaways, readers will walk away from this book with a better plan for reinvigorating their leadership skills and awaken the confidence within. Whether you are a future administrator, a new principal, or a veteran administrator, the seven key leadership themes in this book will guide you in influencing and implementing change to effectively lead your school.

This how-to resource provides leaders with a concrete framework for a strategic improvement plan, helping educators link the "principles" to "processes" of planning. Packed with key takeaways and additional resources, this book provides the concrete tools to design a strong strategy for improvement and enables educational leaders to think constructively about why we plan, what an effective strategic plan should contain, and how to create meaningful dialogue to support plan development, implementation, and monitoring for continuous improvement. The Strategy Playbook for Educational Leaders provides superintendents, central office staff, principals, and teacher leaders with the opportunity to reframe the process of their strategic planning and breathe new life into the activity.