Strategic observation practices to drive coherence and results

Supervision is often dreaded by teachers and principals alike because it can be disconnected from the context of the actual classroom and school. But when a culture of supervision is created – by differentiating which practices have the greatest impact in the context of the work educators are doing at the building and individual level – then supervision is about examining practice, working together to solve problems, and constantly improving.

Differentiated Supervision shows you how to develop a laser-like focus on improving an entire system while simultaneously addressing the individual needs of a diverse teaching staff. It lifts supervision out of isolation and presents a comprehensive model that provides a coherent method for creating a culture of supervision for supporting individuals, small groups, and the whole school in implementing high leverage strategies that improve student learning. Readers will find:

• A clear framework for knowing what supervision practices to use when, and for what purpose
• Useful templates and protocols for different supervision practices on a companion website
• Helpful examples and vignettes from the field to show how to differentiate supervision for teachers
• A unique focus on student learning at the center

Supervision is more than a series of steps that leads to final evaluation - its changing the culture and achievement in your school from just thinking about it as appraisal, but a powerful mechanism for growth.

Learn, reflect, and grow from 40 true stories of caring school leadership during times of crisis

Each crisis brings its own issues and unique traumas, and when they happen, most leaders handle the moment by leaning into triage and logistics. This book suggests focusing on more—specifically, on the people they serve. Are you up to the task? 
These 40 real stories, from a wide range of schools and settings during many types of crises, show how caring school leadership adopted caring people-first strategies. This book will help you and your teams be inspired to prepare for, perhaps prevent, respond to, and recover from your own school crises. Within these pages, you will find:

• An introduction to what crisis and caring school leadership means
•  Helpful lists to guide caring leadership practices
• A review of current crisis management literature
• Questions, reflection, and prompts to engage with story learnings

Prepare now to be the concerned, caring, and constant leader your school will need when crises come as well as making your leadership and school more caring when those same crises subside. 

Expand your leadership capacity to help your school reach its potential

All schools have the capacity for schoolwide instructional excellence. Schools with leaders who adopt a coaching stance as part of their practice are more likely to realize this success. Leaders achieve success with their teachers, their students, and their families, not alone.

Leading like a C.O.A.C.H. reframes the approach to schoolwide change from a leader acting alone to a leader working with a community in which each member contributes their strengths and ideas to improving instruction. Renwick, a well-known blogger and writer on literacy and leadership, encourages school leaders to embody five practices: 1. Create confidence through trust; 2. Organize around a priority; 3. Affirm promising practices; 4. Communicate feedback; and 5. Help teachers become leaders and learners. Throughout this practical guide, readers will find

• Reflective questions
• Activities
• Indicators of success
• Examples of leaders coaching teachers to excellence
• Wisdom from the field     

This book provides new and veteran leaders with a practical approach and easily adoptable ideas for helping their schools realize their full potential.

Master the Age of Complexity through innovative growth.

From far-reaching impacts of COVID-19 to environmental and economic concerns, we’re living in the Age of Complexity that will likely be with us for generations to come. How then can schools and organizations change their learning environments to foster innovative thinking in students when the Age of Complexity is always at the forefront? Peter Gamwell and Jane Daly answer that question and more by demonstrating how to understand problems the world faces as living, changing systems.

Built on the philosophy that the prosperity of any organization is directly proportional to how it values its people, affords them autonomy, and gives them creative rein, this book provides resources including:

• A new way to define brilliance, and 10 specific ways you can shift your organization to prepare your school and community for the Age of Complexity
• Detailed case studies from schools excelling in the Age of Complexity
• Links to videos showcasing real-world students and educators in action
• Key takeaways highlighting each chapter’s critical content
• Reflective questions to facilitate the application of ideas into school and district settings
• Actionable strategies to use in classrooms and school communities

As the world continues to grow more complex, this resource provides timely direction on how to think big about innovative growth, even if the first step is small.

Lead an identity safe learning community where students of all backgrounds thrive

Students of all backgrounds reach their full potential when they feel a sense of belonging and inclusion. When their social identities are valued as assets rather than barriers to learning, they flourish. This guide provides evidence-based strategies that support you as a leader in creating an environment that promotes identity safe students, who experience a challenging curriculum that respects their diverse social identities. 
  
Features in the book include:

• Guiding principles for student voice, equalizing status and cultivating acceptance across race, ethnicity, gender and other differences
• Ideas and examples for anti-racist dialogue and activities for teachers and students that counter colorblind practices, stereotype threat and biases
• Vignettes, and examples of identity safe practices for students and adult learning for staff, families and the community
• Systems for student-centered assessment and data collection
• Resources for developing equitable school policies and a comprehensive identity safety plan for your school

Educators fulfill the promise of an equitable education when students of all backgrounds know that who they are and what they think matters. Start the journey to become an identity safe school and see the results for yourself!


“Belonging and Inclusion in Identity Safe Schools: A Guide for Educational Leaders is a timely and important book.  For several years, the nation's schools have been asked to focus their energies on raising student achievement.  However, too often educators have ignored the need to honor, support and affirm the identities of the students they serve.  For educators who serve children of color, particularly Black, Native American and Latinx children who are often subject to overt and covert forms of forced assimilation, this book will be an invaluable resource on how to create learning opportunities that make it possible for such children to thrive.”
~Pedro Noguera, Dean of Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California


“Bravo to authors Cohn-Vargas, Gogolewski, Creer Kahn, and Epstein for their ground-breaking book on Identify Safe Schools for Administrators and Teacher and Staff Leaders!  They provide much-needed evidence for educators to elevate and even inspire the equity, empowerment, and academic growth needed to wholly support all children to flourish in school and their lives.”  
~Debbie Zacarian, Director, Zacarian and Associates

Bridge the Digital Divide with Research-Informed Technology Models

Since the first edition of this bestselling resource many schools are still striving to close the digital divide and bridge the opportunity gap for historically marginalized students, including English learners. And the need for technology-infused lessons specifically aligned for English learners is even more critically needed.

Building from significant developments in education policy, research, and remote learning innovations, this newly revised edition offers unique ways to bridge the digital divide that disproportionally affects culturally and linguistically diverse learners. Designed to support equitable access to engaging and enriching digital-age education opportunities for English learners, this book includes

• Research-informed and evidence-based technology integration models and instructional strategies
• Sample lesson ideas, including learning targets for activating students’ prior knowledge while promoting engagement and collaboration
• Tips for fostering collaborative practices with colleagues
• Vignettes from educators incorporating technology in creative ways
• Targeted questions to facilitate discussions about English language development methodology

Complete with supplementary tools and resources, this guide provides all of the methodology resources needed to bridge the digital divide and promote learning success for all students.

Guiding educators to navigate a clear and coherent path of progress for sustainable improvement

Schools are the unit of change for district-wide, systemic improvement. Creating a coherent system of equitable, continuous improvement at each school site requires constructing shared depth of understanding and precision of practices among educators. But how? Schools on the Move provides a roadmap for reducing the variances in climate, culture, capacity, and coherence that impede a school—and all its students—from realizing growth in learning. It applies the transformational wisdom of Districts on the Move at the building level to guide school staff in creating an environment that makes continuous improvement not only possible, but inevitable. Grounded in Visible Learning research and brought to life through case studies of impactful practices in action, it asserts a simplified and focused process for driving school improvement in four key areas 

• Clarity of focus—creating a shared, strategic focus driven by equitable student growth.
• Shared leadership—cultivating a culture of co-leading and co-learning among school staff.
• Collective expertise—developing instructional coherence and precision of pedagogy.
• Continuous improvement—maintaining progress through evidence-based feedback loops.

Full of practical tools and resources, including templates for analyzing student learning and rubrics for each of the four key drivers of school improvement, leaders will find the support they need in the transformational process of becoming a School on the Move.

Cultivate a Culture of Learning by Doing In Teacher Development

Picture a world where teachers, equipped with the expertise to produce the best outcomes in every context, confidently and intentionally inquire, adapt, and change instruction based on student needs. Do you know how to get them there?

Developing Teaching Expertise offers a proactive framework for teachers to work through iterative design cycles and understand how to make ‘what works best’ work in their unique classroom. Aligned to the varied components of teacher professional learning, this book supports the development of teaching expertise by:
 

• Exploring how specific design and leadership approaches can be integrated to form a useful framework for leading teacher professional learning
• Highlighting ways to navigate through complex educational environments
• Incorporating illustrative tools and vignettes, and real-life examples of results from different educational settings

This book offers a deep exploration to lead and intentionally cultivate a culture of lifelong teacher learning.

Rebuilding your day--How ten minutes can make the difference between ordinary and fantastic leadership

A principal’s enthusiastic vision is often thwarted by daily demands. There never seems time for carefully laid plans. But what if you made the most of ten-minute blocks scattered through your day? Could you make progress? 

This book says Yes! and will help you improve, but not overwhelm yourself or staff. It will show you how to intentionally use ten-minute opportunities to consider, kickstart, and execute your vision. Based on six pillars of school leadership, vision, relationships, trust, efficacy, student-centeredness, and instructional knowledge each chapter will:

• Introduce a leadership topic
• Offer a ten minute opportunity to consider where you are and what you might change
• Give a ten minute tip on how to get started, as well as overcome challenges
• Provide ten minute collaborative opportunities to gain buy-in and participation

Discover how to build the foundations of effective leadership and be a school [helping teachers and students grow and improve] despite daily demands. Make the most of chunks of time to refine your craft and become a reflective and intentional leader.

Visit this page to access a Study Companion for the book. 

Master the secret to engaging any audience—from classrooms, to colleagues, to conference rooms

 

Everyone loves a good story. More than entertainment, well-told stories captivate listeners and motivate action. In this guidebook, Robert J. Garmston shows you how to leverage the power of storytelling to engage and persuade students, colleagues, and all other audiences.

 

Written in Garmston’s warm and conversational style and featuring current cognitive neuroscience research, the book includes:

• Detailed breakdowns of the essential elements all great stories share, and templates for creating yours
• Tips for supercharging your stories by drawing from personal experience as well as familiar movies, TV shows, and popular media
• A guide to effective story delivery, including optimized vocal inflection and body language

 

Becoming a better storyteller will make you a more effective communicator and educator. Get started today with The Astonishing Power of Storytelling.