Rigor In Your School

First published in 2011. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Turn your school into a student-centered learning environment, where rigor is at the heart of instruction in every classroom. From the bestselling author of Rigor is Not a Four-Letter Word, Barbara Blackburn, and award-winning educator Ronald Williamson, this comprehensive guide to establishing a schoolwide culture of rigor is for principals and other administrators who seek to create the conditions in which rigorous classrooms flourish. School leaders will learn to manage a movement toward increased schoolwide rigor; engage teachers in conversations about improving instruction; build support for rigor among families and community members; learn methods for gathering meaningful data on student learning; and much more! With practical, ready-to-apply strategies, this book outlines and simplifies the steps toward achieving rigor at the school level. It represents a successful program that principals and administrators can use to put student learning first!

Teachers are required to increase the rigor for students, but how? This book by bestselling author and rigor expert Barbara Blackburn has the answer! It is a treasure chest of more than 200 practical and highly-effective tools that can be used across grade levels and subject areas to increase student rigor, leading your students to higher engagement and deeper learning. Topics covered include... Asking higher-level questions Scaffolding to help all students achieve success Differentiating instruction and using modifications Fostering independence through gradual release of responsibility Increasing text difficulty and teaching close reading Setting high expectations Changing students’ views of success Encouraging effort and goal-setting Creating an environment that is conducive to learning Using effective grading policies and assessment tools Working with parents, colleagues, and administrators And much, much more! Rigor in Your Classroom will be your go-to resource throughout the school year, as you continually return to it to try new tools with your students. Bonus: The tools are accompanied by graphic organizers, charts, templates, and reproducibles for easy implementation.

This practical, easy-to-read guide explains how to raise the rigor for students with special needs so they can achieve higher levels of learning. Learn how to set clear goals and expectations establish a climate of success scaffold and model lessons use graphic organizers and "think-alouds" apply modifications and accommodations use rigorous questioning strategies differentiate instruction increase family involvement Get even more out of this book by discussing it with others! It’s ideal for study groups and the appendix features a detailed guide on how to make it work for your group! Bonus! You get a great variety of handy black line masters for use in your own classroom.

Learn how to increase instructional rigor so that all students can reach higher levels of learning! In this new edition of a best seller, author Barbara R. Blackburn offers practical ideas for raising expectations, increasing complexity, integrating scaffolding into instruction, creating open-ended choices and projects, and much more. This timely new edition provides connections to rigorous standards, plus it features new sections on topics such as questioning models, student ownership, Genius Hour, summative assessments, becoming a teacher-leader, and increasing rigor in instructional technology. Appropriate for teachers of all grade levels and subject areas, the book is filled with helpful strategies and tools that you can implement immediately. In addition, full-sized templates are available as eResources on our website (www.routledge.com/9781138569560) so you can download and print them for classroom use. With its practical advice and helpful tools, Rigor Is NOT a Four-Letter Word will set you and your students on the fast track to higher learning and sustained success.

Raise the level of rigor in your school and dramatically improve student learning with the tools in this book! In Rigor in Your School: A Toolkit for Leaders, Second Edition, each illuminating exercise is tailored to leaders looking to spread the word on rigor and beat the obstacles to achieving school-wide improvement. In this new edition, the authors answer more questions about common obstacles faced by principals, explore how technology can support rigor in your school, and provide additional information on collaborative tools for building a culture that supports rigor for all. The tools in this book help you: Assess where you are now Evaluate and adjust curriculum Design an advocacy plan Ensure accountability with parents Use your school's schedule to increase rigor And more! For both new and experienced leaders, you’ll find this easy-to-use toolkit full of practical templates and strategies to implement immediately. Many tools are available as free eResources from our website, www.routledge.com/ 9781138665293.

Learn how to keep the rigor and motivation alive in a remote learning or hybrid K–12 classroom. In this essential book, bestselling author Barbara R. Blackburn shares frameworks and tools to help you move online without compromising the rigor of your instruction. You’ll learn... how to create a remote culture of high expectations; how to scaffold so students reach higher levels of learning; how to have students collaborate in different settings; and how to provide virtual feedback and deliver effective assessments. You’ll also discover how common activities, such as virtual field trips, can lack rigor without critical thinking prompts. The book provides practical strategies you can implement immediately to help all students reach higher levels of success.

A bold, brain-based teaching approach to culturally responsive instruction To close the achievement gap, diverse classrooms need a proven framework for optimizing student engagement. Culturally responsive instruction has shown promise, but many teachers have struggled with its implementation—until now. In this book, Zaretta Hammond draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research to offer an innovative approach for designing and implementing brain-compatible culturally responsive instruction. The book includes: Information on how one’s culture programs the brain to process data and affects learning relationships Ten “key moves” to build students’ learner operating systems and prepare them to become independent learners Prompts for action and valuable self-reflection