From At-risk to Academic Excellence

by Schargel, Franklin P.

• ISBN13: 9781596670464
• ISBN10: 1596670460
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-03-21
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Summary

This book brings together the wisdom and experience from over 50 schools that have been categorized as "high performing, high minority, high poverty." It shows us how the leaders of those schools succeeded -- in their own words. From At-Risk to Academic Excellence: What Successful Leaders Do shows that you too can be a turnaround specialist. Included are actual examples and real life stories which illustrate how the leaders at these schools -- - raised academic achievement. - motivated students. - boosted parent and community involvement. - applied the 3 r's - rigor, relevance, & relationships.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. v
Meet the Authors	p. ix
Foreword	p. 11
Setting a New Focus	p. 1
A New Reality	p. 3
Who Will Teach Our Kids?	p. 6
A New Population of Students	p. 6
New Responsibilities Require New Qualifications	p. 7
School Leaders Are Made, Not Born	p. 10
Chapter Summary	p. 11
Who Is At Risk and Why	p. 13
Individual Risk Factors	p. 15
Family Background and Cohesion	p. 16
School Experience	p. 17
Peer and Psychological Characteristics	p. 18
Individual Risk Factors Only Take Us So Far	p. 19
A Better Focus for Schools	p. 20
Climate and Culture	p. 20
School Connectedness	p. 21
School Safety	p. 22
Attendance	p. 22
Academic Achievement	p. 23
Conclusion	p. 24
Chapter Summary	p. 24
Defining the Focus: Practitioners Speak	p. 25
Learning From Success	p. 27
How We Identified Schools	p. 27
How We Measured Success	p. 27
Student Learning	p. 28
School Improvement	p. 28
Staff Empowerment	p. 29
Family Involvement	p. 30
School-Community Collaboration	p. 30
Chapter Summary	p. 31
Focus on What Really Matters	p. 33
Student Learning and Achievement	p. 35
Start With the Physical Setting	p. 37
Encourage the Bold Reach	p. 38
Establish Innovative Programs	p. 40
Embrace the Data	p. 41
Provide Informed Support	p. 41
Use Assessment as a Guide	p. 43
Maximize Mentoring and Tutoring	p. 44
Reduce Class Size	p. 45
Choose Technology for the Steak, Not the Sizzle	p. 45
Model the Expected	p. 46
Teach Time Management	p. 46
Promote Clubs, Teams, and Groups	p. 46
Enrich Learning	p. 47
Provide Structure	p. 47
Chapter Summary	p. 49
School Improvement	p. 51
A Culture of Change	p. 54
Resistance to Change	p. 55
Improve the Adults	p. 59
Professional Development	p. 61
National Staff Development Council Standards for Staff Development	p. 62
Context Standards	p. 62
Process Standards	p. 64
Content Standards	p. 67
Strategic Planning	p. 69
Vision and Mission	p. 69
Chapter Summary	p. 73
Staff Empowerment	p. 75
Listen to Each Other	p. 78
Include the Staff in Making Decisions	p. 79
Build Collaboration	p. 80
Support Teaching and Learning	p. 81
Make Classroom Management Matter	p. 82
Protect the Principal's Golden Hour	p. 83
Maximize the Teacher's Day	p. 84
Practice What You Preach	p. 86
Power Up the School	p. 87
Encourage Deadwood to Float Away	p. 89
Chapter Summary	p. 90
Parent and Family Involvement	p. 91
Parents as Partners	p. 93
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate	p. 95
Homework: More Harm Than Good?	p. 97
Buttresses and Bridges	p. 97
Chapter Summary	p. 98
School-Community Collaboration	p. 99
Authentic Collaboration: A Testament to Effectiveness	p. 104
Keep the Conversations Positive	p. 105
Open the School to Community Events	p. 106
Contribute to the Community	p. 107
Chapter Summary	p. 107
Prioritization	p. 109
It All Starts with Self-Assessment	p. 111
Shared Leadership, Stronger Results	p. 112
Road Maps for Change	p. 113
Chapter Summary	p. 114
Conclusion: If We Had Our Way	p. 115
The Road Ahead	p. 117
Great Expectations	p. 119
Preparing Future School Leaders	p. 120
A New Direction	p. 120
The Road Map to Improvement	p. 123
Building Improvement into the School	p. 125
Highlight the Supportive Role of Leadership	p. 125
Practice Classroom Intervisitation	p. 125
Maximize Faculty Meetings	p. 126
Boost Grade-Level and Department Meetings	p. 126
Focus on Internal Staff Development	p. 126
Value Highly Qualified and Highly Effective Teachers	p. 126
Guarantee Sufficient Time for Training	p. 126
Make Schools Student Friendly	p. 127
Building Improvement Into the System	p. 127
Align Our System	p. 127
Share the Responsibility	p. 128
Eliminate the At-Risk Curriculum	p. 128
Enhance Accountability and Assessment	p. 128
Put Standardized Tests in Perspective	p. 128
Choose Leaders From Within the Field	p. 129
Consider Spending More Money	p. 129
A Dream, a Plan	p. 131
Our Plan for Leadership Development	p. 134
Nationwide Survey Questions	p. 137
Survey Participants	p. 139
Alabama's Torchbearer Schools: A Beacon of Hope	p. 143
Torchbearer Schools Principal Survey	p. 145
Torchbearer Schools: Shared Core Values	p. 147
Autonomy	p. 148
Goals	p. 148
Faculty	p. 149
Leadership	p. 149
Assessment and Achievement	p. 150
Culture and Climate	p. 151
Conclusion	p. 152
Resources	p. 155
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