Leverage
Using PLCs to Promote Lasting Improvement in Schools
1st Edition
Published on 23. October 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
168 pages
978-1-4522-5957-4 (ISBN)
Description
Discover high-impact leadership strategies for a thriving learning community!
Faced with the growing demands of leadership in today's schools, how can principals and teacher leaders ensure their actions will impact teaching and learning in positive ways? This compelling new book by Thomas Many and Susan Sparks-Many provides straightforward solutions for the complex challenges school leaders face. Discover how implementing a few specific high-leverage strategies, grounded in the core beliefs of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), can promote lasting improvement in schools. This book's concrete examples of high-leverage, evidence-based practices help you:
Understand the essential role principals and teacher leaders play in leading PLCs
Foster an understanding of how PLCs can support implementation of major instructional shifts such as the new Common Core State Standards
Apply high-leverage strategies across your own school and district to improve instruction and better serve the needs of all students
You'll find invaluable self-assessment forms, templates, case studies, planning examples, and more. Use Leverage as your essential leadership tool to transform your school into a thriving learning community!
"In Leverage, the authors craft a coherent and compelling argument for doing less but going deeper in support of school reform. A thoughtful sense of the literature informs approaches that we all need help with-how to integrate and align our efforts in supporting student success and how to do that in sustainable ways."
-Peter Dillon, Superintendent
Berkshire Hills Regional School District, Stockbridge, MA
"If you are wondering which items should be at the top of your priority list, read this book, after which you will truly know what is important and how to implement sustainable change in your school that will result in better student achievement."
-Jim Anderson, Principal
Andersen Jr. High School, Chandler, AZ
"This book addresses PRECISELY the tension that so many of us feel. The whole concept of leverage crystallizes what we've been wrestling with in our building."
-Ryan Giegling, Second-Grade Teacher
Ganiard Elementary, Mt. Pleasant, MI
Faced with the growing demands of leadership in today's schools, how can principals and teacher leaders ensure their actions will impact teaching and learning in positive ways? This compelling new book by Thomas Many and Susan Sparks-Many provides straightforward solutions for the complex challenges school leaders face. Discover how implementing a few specific high-leverage strategies, grounded in the core beliefs of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), can promote lasting improvement in schools. This book's concrete examples of high-leverage, evidence-based practices help you:
Understand the essential role principals and teacher leaders play in leading PLCs
Foster an understanding of how PLCs can support implementation of major instructional shifts such as the new Common Core State Standards
Apply high-leverage strategies across your own school and district to improve instruction and better serve the needs of all students
You'll find invaluable self-assessment forms, templates, case studies, planning examples, and more. Use Leverage as your essential leadership tool to transform your school into a thriving learning community!
"In Leverage, the authors craft a coherent and compelling argument for doing less but going deeper in support of school reform. A thoughtful sense of the literature informs approaches that we all need help with-how to integrate and align our efforts in supporting student success and how to do that in sustainable ways."
-Peter Dillon, Superintendent
Berkshire Hills Regional School District, Stockbridge, MA
"If you are wondering which items should be at the top of your priority list, read this book, after which you will truly know what is important and how to implement sustainable change in your school that will result in better student achievement."
-Jim Anderson, Principal
Andersen Jr. High School, Chandler, AZ
"This book addresses PRECISELY the tension that so many of us feel. The whole concept of leverage crystallizes what we've been wrestling with in our building."
-Ryan Giegling, Second-Grade Teacher
Ganiard Elementary, Mt. Pleasant, MI
Reviews / Votes
"In Leverage, the author Thomas Many crafts a coherent and compelling argument for doing less and going deeper in support of school reform. A thoughtful sense of the literature informs approaches that we all need help with - how to integrate and align our efforts in supporting student success and how to do that in sustainable ways" -- Peter Dillon, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools "It seems like with each passing year the expectations and requirements of a principal become greater and greater. If you are wondering which items should be at the top of your priority list read this book, after which you will truly know what is important and how to implement sustainable change in your school that will result in better student achievement." -- Jim Anderson, PrincipalMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Thousand Oaks
United States
Publishing group
SAGE Publications Inc
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 254 mm
Width: 178 mm
Thickness: 9 mm
Weight
333 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4522-5957-4 (9781452259574)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Thomas W. Many, EdD, works with teachers, administrators, school boards, parents, and other education stakeholders on organizational leadership, implementation and change, and Professional Learning Communities strategies and concepts.
Dr. Many′s long and distinguished career includes 20 years of experience as a superintendent. He has also served as a classroom teacher, learning center director, curriculum supervisor, principal, and assistant superintendent.
As former superintendent of Kildeer Countryside Community Consolidated School District 96 in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, Dr. Many used the tenets of the PLC at Work(TM) process to ensure high levels of learning for all students. He played a key role in preparing elementary and middle grade students for entering Adlai E. Stevenson High School, a nationally recognized PLC. Under Dr. Many′s leadership, student achievement in District 96 improved every year for 12 consecutive years. More than 95 percent of all students now meet or exceed state standards. The district has been especially effective in helping students with special needs improve their academic performance. It has become recognized as one of the premier elementary school districts in the nation. A dedicated PLC practitioner, he is a compelling and sought-after speaker.
Dr. Many has written numerous articles and has coauthored books.
Susan Sparks Many provides professional development for building and sustaining professional learning communities and strengthening skills for effective teaming. Her extensive experience as an education leader includes service as a teacher, staff developer, and executive director. She worked in four different Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) in Colorado and received state recognition for her work in standards-based education. Susan retired as executive director of the Front Range BOCES for Teacher Leadership, where she served 19 metro area school districts and the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Colorado Denver.
Her workshops and presentations focus on impacting results through interpersonal effectiveness, facilitating difficult conversations, and creating collaborative teams. Known as a results-based facilitator, Susan assists teams with developing skills to collaborate and increase student achievement.
Susan′s passion for empowering educators is evident in every aspect of her work. Her areas of expertise include consensus building, decision making, contract negotiations, conflict resolution, strategic planning, and professional learning communities.
Susan earned a bachelor of arts and teaching certification from Western State College of Colorado and a master of arts and administrative license from the University of Northern Colorado.
Dr. Many′s long and distinguished career includes 20 years of experience as a superintendent. He has also served as a classroom teacher, learning center director, curriculum supervisor, principal, and assistant superintendent.
As former superintendent of Kildeer Countryside Community Consolidated School District 96 in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, Dr. Many used the tenets of the PLC at Work(TM) process to ensure high levels of learning for all students. He played a key role in preparing elementary and middle grade students for entering Adlai E. Stevenson High School, a nationally recognized PLC. Under Dr. Many′s leadership, student achievement in District 96 improved every year for 12 consecutive years. More than 95 percent of all students now meet or exceed state standards. The district has been especially effective in helping students with special needs improve their academic performance. It has become recognized as one of the premier elementary school districts in the nation. A dedicated PLC practitioner, he is a compelling and sought-after speaker.
Dr. Many has written numerous articles and has coauthored books.
Susan Sparks Many provides professional development for building and sustaining professional learning communities and strengthening skills for effective teaming. Her extensive experience as an education leader includes service as a teacher, staff developer, and executive director. She worked in four different Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) in Colorado and received state recognition for her work in standards-based education. Susan retired as executive director of the Front Range BOCES for Teacher Leadership, where she served 19 metro area school districts and the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Colorado Denver.
Her workshops and presentations focus on impacting results through interpersonal effectiveness, facilitating difficult conversations, and creating collaborative teams. Known as a results-based facilitator, Susan assists teams with developing skills to collaborate and increase student achievement.
Susan′s passion for empowering educators is evident in every aspect of her work. Her areas of expertise include consensus building, decision making, contract negotiations, conflict resolution, strategic planning, and professional learning communities.
Susan earned a bachelor of arts and teaching certification from Western State College of Colorado and a master of arts and administrative license from the University of Northern Colorado.
Content
Foreword by Richard DuFour
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Introduction
Section I: The Principal
1. Leadership Matters
Evidence of the Principal's Impact on Student Learning
How Do Principals Impact Student Learning?
Different Forms of Leadership Impact Learning Differently
Leadership Matters, But the Right Kind of Leadership Matters More
2. Examining the Complex Role of the Principal
The Sheer Pandemonium of the Principalship
Trends Shaping the Current Reality of the Principalship
Creating a New Normal for Principals
3. Move the World: The Essence of Leverage
Creating an Operational Definition of Leverage
Where Can We Look for the Leverage Point?
4. Professional Learning Communities: The High-Leverage Strategy
An Overview of the PLC Model
Reflection Promotes Progress Toward Becoming a PLC: A Case Study
Identifying Leverage Points in a PLC
Section II: Practical Applications
5. The Secrete to Success: Leverage a Focus on Learning
What Matters Most
Creating an Operational Definition of What Is Essential
The Balanced and Coherent System of Assessment: Providing a Steady Stream of Information
The Need for SPEED: Criteria for Designing Effective Pyramids of Intervention
The Secret to Success
6. Take Away the Traning Wheels: Leverage a Collaborative Culture
A Rose by Any Other Name: What Is Important About Collaborative Teams?
The Elephant in the Room: Making Time for Collaboration
The Turning Point: Building Collective Capacity
Package Couriers, Meter Readers, and Copier Repairmen: Leveraging Opportunities to Share Best Practices
Take Away the Training Wheels: The Difference Between Monitoring and Micromanaging Teams
7. Reports From the Precinct Captains: Leverage a Results Orientation
The Right Interpretation of a Results Orientation
Three Rules for Using Data
Protocols: A Powerful Prescription for Professional Learning
It's Not Pixie Dust; It's Protocol
SOAP Notes: A Tool to Promote Reflective Dialogue About Student Learning
Reports From the Precinct Captains
Applying a Results Orientation in Schools
Tangible Benefits of Data Meetings
A Results-Oriented Practice Transforms School Culture
Section III: PLC Strategies
8. What's on Your Refrigerator Door? Clear Away the Clutter to Clarify What's Important in Your School
A Thousand Conversations: The Power of Consistent, Clear Messages About What Matters
Flying Kites: Understanding the Concept of Loose/Tight Leadership
9. Reboot the Principalship: Strategies to Rekindle, Reignite, Reenergize Your School
Get Off Your "Buts": Responding to Resistors in Your School
Making Diamonds: Top-Down Pressure and Bottom-Up Support
Reboot the Principalship: Strategies to Rekindle, Reignite, Reenergize Your School
Bibliography
Additional Readings
Index
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Introduction
Section I: The Principal
1. Leadership Matters
Evidence of the Principal's Impact on Student Learning
How Do Principals Impact Student Learning?
Different Forms of Leadership Impact Learning Differently
Leadership Matters, But the Right Kind of Leadership Matters More
2. Examining the Complex Role of the Principal
The Sheer Pandemonium of the Principalship
Trends Shaping the Current Reality of the Principalship
Creating a New Normal for Principals
3. Move the World: The Essence of Leverage
Creating an Operational Definition of Leverage
Where Can We Look for the Leverage Point?
4. Professional Learning Communities: The High-Leverage Strategy
An Overview of the PLC Model
Reflection Promotes Progress Toward Becoming a PLC: A Case Study
Identifying Leverage Points in a PLC
Section II: Practical Applications
5. The Secrete to Success: Leverage a Focus on Learning
What Matters Most
Creating an Operational Definition of What Is Essential
The Balanced and Coherent System of Assessment: Providing a Steady Stream of Information
The Need for SPEED: Criteria for Designing Effective Pyramids of Intervention
The Secret to Success
6. Take Away the Traning Wheels: Leverage a Collaborative Culture
A Rose by Any Other Name: What Is Important About Collaborative Teams?
The Elephant in the Room: Making Time for Collaboration
The Turning Point: Building Collective Capacity
Package Couriers, Meter Readers, and Copier Repairmen: Leveraging Opportunities to Share Best Practices
Take Away the Training Wheels: The Difference Between Monitoring and Micromanaging Teams
7. Reports From the Precinct Captains: Leverage a Results Orientation
The Right Interpretation of a Results Orientation
Three Rules for Using Data
Protocols: A Powerful Prescription for Professional Learning
It's Not Pixie Dust; It's Protocol
SOAP Notes: A Tool to Promote Reflective Dialogue About Student Learning
Reports From the Precinct Captains
Applying a Results Orientation in Schools
Tangible Benefits of Data Meetings
A Results-Oriented Practice Transforms School Culture
Section III: PLC Strategies
8. What's on Your Refrigerator Door? Clear Away the Clutter to Clarify What's Important in Your School
A Thousand Conversations: The Power of Consistent, Clear Messages About What Matters
Flying Kites: Understanding the Concept of Loose/Tight Leadership
9. Reboot the Principalship: Strategies to Rekindle, Reignite, Reenergize Your School
Get Off Your "Buts": Responding to Resistors in Your School
Making Diamonds: Top-Down Pressure and Bottom-Up Support
Reboot the Principalship: Strategies to Rekindle, Reignite, Reenergize Your School
Bibliography
Additional Readings
Index