Ten Traits of Highly Effective Schools; Raising the Achievement Bar for All Students

by Elaine K. McEwan

• ISBN13: 9781412905275
• ISBN10: 1412905273
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-07-16
• Publisher: Corwin Pr

Summary

"This book is filled with strategies to assist school leaders in assessing and monitoring many of the important elements that must be in place for kids to be successful. There are excellent tools that savvy leaders have been searching for-tools that will help them achieve their strategic vision of continuous improvement." -Gina Marx, Assistant Superintendent USD 262 Valley Center Schools, KSIncrease your school's effectiveness and ensure academic excellence for all students!Written by best-selling author Elaine K. McEwan, this invaluable resource identifies the distinguishing qualities and unique characteristics of schools that help all students make outstanding gains in performance. Each chapter offers a comprehensive description of a research-based trait and examines its impact on student achievement. Featuring a "10 Traits Audit" for use by schools or districts, this book provides principals and administrators with: Tools and processes to facilitate the development of each trait Snapshots of each trait in actual schools and districts Reflections from teachers and administrators who have helped create effective schools Observations on the school improvement process from noted thinkers, theorists, and scholars Examples of documents, forms, and resources used in effective schoolsBy nurturing these traits in their schools, educational leaders can build coherent instructional programs and create schools of equity and excellence.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Forms	p. xi
Preface	p. xiii
My Goals in Writing This Book	p. xiv
Who This Book Is For	p. xiv
What Is a Trait?	p. xiv
Overview of the Contents	p. xv
A Matter of Definition	p. xv
Acknowledgments	p. xvii
About the Author	p. xix
Introduction: Do Schools Matter?	p. 1
The Genesis of the Effective Schools Movement	p. 3
The International School Effectiveness Research Project	p. 5
Findings of the International School Effectiveness Research Project	p. 7
Raising Achievement in Low-Socioeconomic Schools Is a Challenge	p. 8
Effective Schools Can Make a Difference for Low-SES Students	p. 8
Effective Schools Are More Challenging to Create in the United States	p. 8
Less Effective Lower-SES Schools May Require a Different Approach to School Improvement	p. 8
There Are Some Universal Traits of Effective Schools	p. 9
Ten Traits of Highly Effective Schools	p. 9
Strong Instructional Leadership	p. 11
Instructional Leadership Research	p. 13
A Working Definition of Strong Instructional Leadership	p. 14
Leadership	p. 14
Knowledge and Skills Related to Teaching and Learning	p. 15
Assertiveness	p. 16
Instructional Leadership That Gets Results	p. 18
Seven Steps to Effective Instructional Leadership	p. 19
Instructional Leaders Establish, Implement, and Achieve Academic Goals	p. 21
Instructional Leaders Make Themselves Available to Staff Members	p. 25
Strong Instructional Leaders Create a Climate and Culture Conductive to Learning	p. 26
Strong Instructional Leaders Communicate the Vision and Mission of Their Schools	p. 27
Strong Instructional Leaders Set High Expectations for Staff and Personally	p. 29
Strong Instructional Leaders Develop Teacher Leaders	p. 29
Instructional Leaders Develop and Maintain Positive Attitudes Toward Students, Staff, and Parents	p. 29
Assessing the Principal's Leadership Capacity	p. 31
Summing Up	p. 32
What's Ahead?	p. 32
Research-Based Instruction	p. 35
Ten Traits of Highly Effective Teachers	p. 36
An Instructional Virtuoso: The Research	p. 37
Essential Teaching Skills	p. 40
Lesson Planning	p. 40
Lesson Presentation	p. 40
Lesson Management	p. 40
Climate Management	p. 41
Classroom Management	p. 41
Student Management	p. 41
Formative Assessment and Diagnostic Teaching	p. 41
Differentiated Instruction	p. 42
Teach for Mastery	p. 42
Teach Recursively	p. 43
Assessing and Building Instructional Capacity	p. 45
Assessing Instructional Capacity	p. 45
Know What a Good Teacher Looks Like	p. 46
Determine the Effectiveness of Every Teacher	p. 46
Determine Instructional Alignment	p. 46
Building Instructional Capacity	p. 48
Provide Time for Collaboration	p. 49
Provide Meaningful Differentiated Embedded Professional Development	p. 49
Deal With Teachers Who Won't or Can't Change	p. 50
Summing Up	p. 50
What's Ahead?	p. 50
Focus	p. 51
The Secret to Raising the Achievement Bar	p. 53
Begin With a Compelling Academic Vision in Mind	p. 55
Articulate a Meaningful Shared Mission Statement	p. 58
Set Goals That Are Measurable and Attainable	p. 63
Ensure a Focus on Student Learning	p. 64
Knowing the Right Things to Do	p. 71
Summing Up	p. 75
What's Ahead?	p. 76
Relational Trust	p. 77
The Role of Relational Trust in Improving Schools	p. 79
The Components of Relational Trust	p. 79
Respect	p. 79
Competence	p. 80
Personal Regard	p. 80
Integrity	p. 81
Building Relational Trust	p. 85
Summing Up	p. 91
What's Ahead?	p. 94
Collaboration	p. 95
Collaboration and Cooperation	p. 96
Professional Learning Communities	p. 97
The Benefits of Collaboration	p. 98
The Benefits of Cooperative Learning	p. 108
The Characteristics of an Effective Professional Learning Community	p. 110
Collaboration Builds Capacity	p. 114
Summing Up	p. 116
What's Ahead?	p. 116
High Expectations	p. 117
High Expectations and Efficacy	p. 118
Programs and Practices That Convey High Expectations	p. 119
Include All Students	p. 120
Teach Kids How to Get Smart	p. 121
Eliminate Low Expectations	p. 125
Intervene Before They Fail	p. 125
Build In Rigor and Relevance	p. 127
Summing Up	p. 128
What's Ahead?	p. 129
Opportunities to Learn	p. 131
A Menu of Opportunities to Learn	p. 132
Provide Highly Effective Classroom Teachers	p. 132
Maximize Time for Learning	p. 133
Protect Teaching Time	p. 133
Maximize Academic and Interactive Learning Time	p. 134
Teach the 3Rs	p. 134
Model and Monitor Effective Instructional Practices	p. 135
Learning Opportunities During and Outside of the School Day	p. 135
Unique Opportunities to Learn	p. 144
Summing Up	p. 144
What's Ahead?	p. 144
Alignment	p. 145
The Alignment of a Highly Effective School	p. 146
Benchmarking Alignment	p. 147
Benchmarking Mathematics Attainment	p. 148
Benchmarking Overall School Achievement	p. 148
Benchmarking Instructional Leadership	p. 149
Steps to Aligning an Academic Program	p. 150
Understand and Unpack the Content Standards	p. 151
Select Aligned Curricular Materials and Develop a Framework	p. 154
Design Instruction Aligned to the Standards and the Learners	p. 155
Align Assessment	p. 158
Unpack the Summative Assessment	p. 158
Design and Use Formative Assessments Daily	p. 159
Create Performance Assessments	p. 159
Alignment in a Highly Effective School	p. 161
Summing Up	p. 168
What's Ahead?	p. 168
Results	p. 169
Stages of School Improvement	p. 170
Getting Results	p. 171
What to Do When You Don't Get Classroom Results	p. 173
Lack of Students' Background Knowledge	p. 173
Lack of Standards Knowledge by Teachers	p. 174
Lack of Appropriate Instructional Methods	p. 174
Lack of Students' Motivation	p. 175
What to Do When You Don't Get School Results	p. 176
The Key to Results: Data	p. 177
Determining Why Good Schools Aren't Getting Results	p. 179
Data-Driven Schools Get Results	p. 181
Characteristics of Data-Driven Schools	p. 181
Using Data to Improve Teachers' Instruction	p. 182
Summing Up	p. 184
What's Ahead?	p. 184
Accountability	p. 185
Internal Accountability	p. 186
External Accountability	p. 191
The Key to Accountability: Continuous Improvement	p. 192
Continuous Improvement Cycles	p. 195
Continuous Improvement for Principals	p. 195
Continuous Improvement for Teachers	p. 196
Continuous Improvement for Students	p. 198
The Dark Times	p. 199
Summing Up	p. 201
What's Ahead?	p. 201
Conclusion: Using the Ten Traits to Improve Your School	p. 203
Anything Can Happen	p. 204
What Is Your Vision?	p. 210
References	p. 211
Index	p. 221
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