Leading Schools In A Data Rich World

Turn skepticism about data into knowledge for true educational reform! More versatile than mere number crunching and statistics, data can be an effective tool—or even a powerful catalyst—for change within a school. Lorna M. Earl and Steven Katz show educators how to become comfortable with data, and provide valuable tools that school leaders and school improvement teams can use in their work, including: Vignettes to support group discussion Activities to give readers a chance to practice ideas and concepts Task sheets Short case studies that show how the full process works

Designed around the bestseller by Lorna M. Earl and Steven Katz, this Facilitator's Guide to Leading Schools in a Data-Rich World gives staff developers and workshop leaders the tools to facilitate book study groups, seminars, and professional development events to help school leaders integrate data as a vital force in the school reform process. This facilitator's guide features chapter summaries, discussion questions, journal prompts, staff development activities, resources, a seminar evaluation form, and more.

More versatile than mere number crunching and statistics, data can be an effective tool for change within a school. Learning to harness data's power, and becoming good users of data to positively impact student achievement, school leaders can develop three crucial capacities: an inquiry habit of mind, data literacy, and a culture of inquiry. The authors show educators how to become comfortable with data and provide valuable tools for school improvement teams to use in their work, including: vignettes to support group discussion; activities for practicing the ideas and concepts in the book; task sheets; and short case studies with actual school data that show how the full process works in a school. To improve schools, data can and should be a vital force in the change process. Using this essential resource, school leaders, school teams, study groups, and students of education can all make sense of data to plan and reform for maximum benefit.

This facilitator's guide helps trainers build educators' understanding of data analysis, promote an inquiry "habit of mind," and develop leaders' capacity to support an inquiry process.

The monitoring of data within educational institutions is essential to ensure the success of its students and faculty. By continually analyzing data, educational leaders can increase quality and productivity in their institutions. Data Leadership for K-12 Schools in a Time of Accountability explores techniques and processes of educational data analysis and its application in developing solutions and systems for instructional concerns and next-generation learning. Providing extensive research covering areas such as data-driven culture, student accountability, and data dissemination, this unique reference is essential for principals, administrators, practitioners, academicians, students, and educational consultants looking to maximize their institution’s performance.

Jump start your roles as "learning leader" and "lead learner!" Designed for leaders to learn and lead within the "middle space" between the seemingly opposing dynamics of district expectations and practitioner experience, this book advances the concept of the school as a learning organization. This innovative perspective guides leaders through an intentional, deliberate learning process to develop intelligent, responsive leadership practice. Using stories, strategies, and tools, the authors Explain the power of "purposeful practice" as a methodology for getting better Show how to build the requisite capacities to lead effectively via "influence" Describe how to turn adaptive challenges into leadership inquiries for growth "This important work demonstrates and reinforces the idea that continuous improvement can only come from deep, intentional, focused, and hard work on the part of everyone within an organization. While the examples are rooted within schools and school districts, this work is applicable to any organization that seeks meaningful and specific improvement in their results. This is a must-read for leaders!" —Lynn Macan University at Albany - SUNY, Albany, NY

Networked learning communities: A powerful school improvement strategy for school leaders! Drawing on their work with schools in North America and England, the authors demonstrate how linking professional learning communities across school or district boundaries creates networked learning communities (NLCs) that can share professional knowledge. Through a sample school narrative, the book illustrates how NLCs can significantly improve instruction, increase student performance, and promote deep and sustained change. This resource examines: Collaborative inquiry as a process that challenges teachers’ thinking, generates new learning, and fosters trusting relationships Formal and informal leadership roles in NLCs How NLCs support systematic data analysis and accountability