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Packed with strategies, tips, and activities you can quickly put into practice, this book shows how to build productive teams and intentionally create an environment of professional engagement in your school. Authors Margaret Searle and Marilyn Swartz organize the work into four key steps: (1) establishing guidelines and protocols, including drafting agendas and timelines; (2) managing and resolving conflicts, including giving honest feedback and building team morale; (3) refining decision-making skills, including creating win-win situations and improving flexibility and efficiency; and (4) building team capacity, including evaluating and sustaining teamwork. With the guidance in this book, you’ll soon see the benefits that come from highly effective teams of teachers who powerfully focus on student results.

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How can school leaders use technology to be more effective? In this book, award-winning blogger and educational technology expert Steven W. Anderson explains how and why leaders should use technology and outlines what should be in every leader's digital toolkit. This resource will help leaders maximize social media to stay connected with teachers, students, and the community, use online tools to manage documents and increase collaboration, identify online tools to stay organized, and develop online professional learning networks. Digital tools can play an important role not only in streamlining how school leaders do their jobs, but also in helping them get better results–no matter what the initiative.

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Teacher quality is the school-related factor that most affects student learning, so selecting the best candidate for open teaching positions has enormous implications. In Effective Teacher Interviews, Jennifer L. Hindman provides practical advice on how to conduct hiring interviews that reliably predict a teacher’s success, including guidance on applying research to the interview process; developing meaningful, legal interview questions; assembling and training an interview team; matching candidates’ skills to your schools’ needs; and using the best interview strategies. With these tips on refocusing the interview process, you’ll be better prepared to select and hire the teachers who will make a positive difference for your students and your school.

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Students and educators today face obstacles to student achievement, well-being, and success that are above and beyond traditional instructional and assessment concerns. From low school morale to bullying to shootings, school climate has become a national and global concern. Research overwhelmingly indicates that a positive school climate promotes cooperative learning, group cohesion, respect, and mutual trust—all of which have in turn been shown to improve the learning environment. In short, a positive school climate is directly related to improved academic achievement at all levels of schooling. In this ASCD Arias book, Peter DeWitt and Sean Slade explain the most important aspects of school climate and how we can make positive changes in our schools. Readers will learn * How to engage students and school stakeholders.* How to empower staff and students and foster autonomy so people take ownership of their ideas and the learning process.* How to promote inclusivity and equity throughout the school.* How to create a welcoming, cooperative, and safe school environment that nurtures students’ social-emotional needs.

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The Common Core State Standards require all students to think in complex and creative ways and apply classroom learning in new contexts. Yet many teachers already struggle with reaching all learners, who come to school with varied levels of readiness, interests, and learning profiles. What to do now that the expectations are even higher? Differentiated instruction experts Carol Ann Tomlinson and Marcia B. Imbeau offer practical, thoughtful advice on how to plan, deliver, and assess instruction that meets this new level of challenge. Combining the goals of the Common Core with the principles of differentiation, the authors present an eight-step process to help teachers make rich, intellectually rigorous curriculum accessible to a very broad range of students. With examples across grade levels and content areas and a checklist for reflection on the eight steps, this timely publication will show you how to meet high expectations with responsive instruction and help all your students grow as thinkers and problem solvers.

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Thanks to initiatives like the Common Core and Race to the Top, accountability requirements continue to be a reality for educators. Yet many are still unsure of how to use data to make well-informed instructional decisions. The Data-Driven Classroom comes to the rescue with a systematic, universal process that shows teachers how to * Examine student assessment results to identify a curricular or skill area to target for individual intervention or large-group instructional revision.* Develop, implement, and assess the effectiveness of the intervention or revision.* Develop an action plan for future instructional cycles. Author Craig A. Mertler sheds light on how teachers can make sense of overwhelming standardized test reports while avoiding pitfalls like over-interpreting data. In these pages you will also find practical classroom examples and templates designed to guide teachers of all grade levels and subject areas through the comprehensive decision-making framework.

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Do you want your students to take ownership of and become more independent during reading discussions? Are you looking to enhance your teaching of higher-order thinking and 21st century skills? Do you want to ensure that all students develop strong speaking and listening skills? In Student-Led Discussions , author Sandi Novak offers you the resources you need to develop meaningful student-led conversations about text and media across the content areas. In addition to providing a discussion framework that requires students to think deeply and communicate effectively, she includes advice for how to * Introduce and cultivate student-led discussions about literary and informational material at any grade.* Establish core instructional elements that students need to engage in rich discussions about content.* Recognize and evaluate effective student-led discussions.* Understand your role as the teacher when students are leading their own discussions. The skills that students acquire through discussions that they themselves facilitate—speaking and listening abilities, reading comprehension, and competency with text-based questions among them—align with established state and national standards and are necessary for all students to succeed in school and life.

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Every day, new research and technology influence what are considered to be best practices in the classroom. Despite limited time, resources, and support, teachers are expected to implement new standards and practices with expertise. A coach can be a much-needed partner in navigating changes and challenges, helping teachers handle a variety of instructional issues. In Learning From Coaching, educator and instructional coach Nina Morel addresses the benefits of coaching along with common questions and concerns teachers have about entering into coaching relationships. Readers will discover practical strategies for working with a coach, including how to
* Construct and strengthen a coaching relationship. * Make time in the school day for coaching. * Set goals, document and evaluate success. * Troubleshoot potential pitfalls.
Coaching relationships can enhance school culture, teacher satisfaction, professional growth, and student achievement. Through working with a coach, teachers can find support as they think more deeply about their work, set goals, and develop plans to meet those goals.

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With grade-specific examples throughout, Handling Student Frustrations offers strategies that educators at all levels can immediately apply to foster classrooms where students can overcome stress to focus on learning.

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Are you looking for ways to incorporate rigorous problem solving in your classroom? Are you struggling with how to include the “E” in your STEM instruction? Here is where to start.
In this practical introduction to engineering for elementary through high school teachers, you’ll learn how to create effective engineering-infused lessons that break down the barriers between science, math, and technology instruction. Veteran teacher Pamela Truesdell highlights engineering’s connection to 21st century skills and college and career readiness, addresses the Next Generation Science Standards, and walks you through each step of the simple but powerful engineering design process. This is the essential tool of professional engineers and the key to engaging students in hands-on, collaborative projects that ask them to apply content area knowledge to find solutions for real-world problems. A sample lesson, links to additional resources, and guidelines for assessment ensure you’ll have the essentials you need to kick off your students’ exploration of engineering.

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