Leadership In America S Best Urban Schools

Leadership in America’s Best Urban Schools describes and demystifies the qualities that successful leaders rely on to make a difference at all levels of urban school leadership. Grounded in research, this volume reveals the multiple challenges that real urban elementary, middle, and high schools face as well as the catalysts for improvement. This insightful resource explores the critical leadership characteristics found in high-performing urban schools and gives leaders the tools to move their schools to higher levels of achievement for all students—but especially for those who are low-income, English-language learners, and from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. In shining a light on the essential qualities for exceptional leadership at all levels of urban schools, this book is a valuable guide for all educators and administrators to nurture, influence, support, and sustain excellence and equity at their schools.

Discover the teaching practices that make the biggest difference in student performance! This practical, research-based book gives principals, teachers, and school administrators a direct, inside look at instructional practices from top award-winning urban schools. The authors provide detailed examples and analyses of these practices, and successfully demystify the achievement of these schools. They offer practical guides to help educators apply these successful practices in their own schools. Teaching Practices from America's Best Urban Schools will be a valuable tool for any educator in both urban and non-urban schools-schools that serve diverse student populations, including English language learners and children from low-income families.

Discover the teaching practices that make the biggest difference in student performance! The new edition of this practical, research-based book gives leaders and teachers an even closer look at instructional practices from top award-winning urban schools. With refreshed examples from high-performing teachers and detailed analyses of these practices, the authors demystify the achievement of these schools while offering a practical guide to help educators apply these practices in their contexts. Teaching Practices from America's Best Urban Schools is a valuable tool for any educator in both urban and non urban schools that serve diverse student populations, including English language learners and children from low-income families. What’s New: Additional "What It Is/What It Isn’t" boxes help educators distinguish the subtle differences in the implementation of practices that lead to impressive learning results "Practice Guides" and "Practical Next Steps" for each of the 8 Success Factors encourage self-assessment and collaboration Expansion of topics address current developments in education and additional examples from award-winning elementary, middle, and high schools provide new insights.

This important book, written by educational expert and urban school leader, Tom Payzant, offers a realistic understanding of what urban school leadership looks like from the inside. Payzant shares his first-hand knowledge of the unique managerial, instructional, and political tasks of this role. Effectively combining practical lessons and research, Urban School Leadership includes in-depth analysis of various leadership concerns. The book covers topics such as improving student achievement, working with unions, building community, and maintaining and developing resources. Most importantly, it offers stories of real school leaders whose successes and missteps reveal the inherent "messiness" of this difficult job. Urban School Leadership is part of the Jossey-Bass Leadership Library in Education series. "This important book provides compelling examples of how effective leaders can have hope, see progress, and achieve success for all children in the schools and districts they lead."—Richard Riley, former United States Secretary of Education "Tom Payzant is one of the few people who could provide such a comprehensive, useful book for educational leaders at all levels. This very practical book is grounded in the important experiences and impressive judgment of one of our nation's most successful school superintendents"—Jon Schnur, co-founder and CEO, New Leaders for New Schools "Tom Payzant is one of the finest urban educators of our generation. Urban School Leadership is compelling, crisp, and wise—providing a clear path for those dedicated to improving the trajectory of children's lives."—Timothy F.C. Knowles, executive director, Center for Urban School Improvement, University of Chicago "Urban School Leadership is a must read for anyone interested in the landscape of urban public education in America."—Beverly Hall, superintendent, Atlanta Public Schools

Containing real stories from real school leaders, teachers, students, and parents in seven key areas, this book demonstrates how educators can use narrative to trigger wonder, reflection, and change in their classrooms and schools. By including examples of the narrative process in action, this book invites educators to think deeply about their daily practices, struggles, and victories in order to carry out immediate and incredible changes in their own schools. The authentic stories presented in this book offer ideas for fostering a positive learning environment and for finding solutions to the most challenging issues today in areas such as teacher‒student relationships, learning and instruction, assessment, motivation, educational policies and politics, and student engagement. By using the powerful self-reflective tool of narrative, this book will help educators to increase student achievement while constructing a positive school culture that is built on igniting authentic stories.

For more than two generations, the traditional urban school system—the district—has utterly failed to do its job: prepare its students for a lifetime of success. Millions and millions of boys and girls have suffered the grievous consequences. The district is irreparably broken. For the sake of today’s and tomorrow’s inner-city kids, it must be replaced. The Urban School System of the Future argues that vastly better results can be realized through the creation of a new type of organization that properly manages a city’s portfolio of schools using the revolutionary principles of chartering. It will ensure that new schools are regularly created, that great schools are expanded and replicated, that persistently failing schools are closed, and that families have access to an array of high-quality options. This new entity will focus exclusively on school performance, meaning, among other things, our cities can thoughtfully integrate their traditional public, charter public, and private schools into a single, high-functioning k-12 system. For decades, the district has produced the most heartbreaking results for already at-risk kids. The Urban School System of the Future explains how we can finally turn the tide and create dynamic, responsive, high-performing, self-improving urban school systems that fulfill the promise of public education.

This book advocates for informed leaders who are aware of the larger historical, political-economic, sociological, and philosophical issues that surround the schools and communities they serve. Extending beyond mainstream conceptions of instructional leadership and broad social justice paradigms, Community Engaged Leadership for Social Justice offers a multidisciplinary framework that helps leaders better serve the needs of their students, teachers, and communities. Exploring issues of urban school reform as it relates to the principal, as well as priorities that are relevant to the process of school improvement and the promotion of social justice, this book provides a critical, equity-oriented set of best practices grounded in research and empirical cases. This is a must-have resource for building consciousness, offering hope, and engaging in dialogical and collaborative leadership practices to radically transform schools and communities.