The New Philosophy For K 12 Education

Presents a framework for beginning and continuing the process of transformation in America's K-12 public schools, based on Edward Deming's philosophies of business and organizational transformation. Concentrates on the three key elements of adoption of a systems perspective, application of essential statistical methods, and leadership, showing how

Philosophy in Education: Questioning and Dialog in K-12 Classrooms is a textbook in the fields of pre-college philosophy and philosophy of education, intended for philosophers and philosophy students, K-12 classroom teachers, administrators and educators, policymakers, and pre-college practitioners of all kinds. The book offers a wealth of practical resources for use in elementary, middle school, and high school classrooms, as well as consideration of many of the broader educational, social, and political topics in the field, including the educational value of pre-college philosophy, the philosophies of education that inform this philosophical practice, and the relevance of pre-college philosophy for pressing issues in contemporary education (such as education reform, child development, and prejudice and privilege in classrooms). The book includes sections on: the expansion of philosophy beyond higher education to pre-college populations; the importance of wondering, questioning and reflection in K-12 education; the ways that philosophy is uniquely suited to help students cultivate critical reasoning and independent thinking capacities; how to develop classroom communities of philosophical inquiry and their potentially transformative impact on students; the cultivation of philosophical sensitivity and positive identity formation in childhood; strategies for recognizing and diminishing the impact of social inequalities in classrooms; and the relationship between introducing philosophy in schools and education reform.

Win-Win: W. Edwards Deming, the System of Profound Knowledge, and the Science of Improving Schools is for systems leaders who lead our country’s school districts, charter management organizations, and educational nonprofits and government agencies, as well as for those who train these system leaders in our graduate schools of education. The strategies for school improvement detailed in this book are based on the theories of W. Edwards Deming, who was known as the father of the quality movement and was hugely influential in post-WWII Japan. He is most well-known for his theories of management. Win-Win offers real-world strategies to education leaders of improvement, based on Demings’ System of Profound Knowledge. A leader of improvement does not need to be expert in the four components of profound knowledge, but they do need to understand the basic theory, their interconnectedness, and why they are necessary for these efforts. Win-Win provides this basic understanding. This book equips the reader with the knowledge and skills needed to harness the power of the System of Profound Knowledge to improve the performance of schools systems, students, and teachers. It can be used in a variety of classrooms in Colleges of Education, and it is the perfect teaching tool in professional development efforts. Perfect for courses such as: Organizational Change; Strategies of Educational Leadership; School/District Improvement Using Data Analysis; Supervision Theory and Practice; Theory, Research, & Leadership; Transformational Systems Leadership; Philosophical and Theoretical Foundations of Leadership; The Philosophy of Scientific Knowledge; Systemic Educational Reform; Applied Improvement Science Investigations

Are children natural philosophers? They are curious about questions such as the meaning and purpose of being alive and whether we can know anything at all. Pre-college philosophy takes as a starting point young people’s inherent interest in large questions about the human condition. Philosophy and Education: Introducing Philosophy to Young People seeks to illuminate the ways in which philosophy can strengthen and deepen pre-college education. The book examines various issues involved in teaching philosophy to young people at different grade levels, including assessing what teachers need in order to teach philosophy and describing several models for introducing philosophy into schools. Ways to explore specific branches of philosophy – ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, aesthetics, and logic – through literature, thought experiments, and games and activities, as well as traditional philosophy texts, are described. The book’s final section considers student assessment and program evaluation, and analyzes the contributions pre-college philosophy can make to education in general. Teachers and educators – and parents – all want young people to grow up with the skills they need to pursue their own goals and become productive and successful adults. Thinking independently and reasoning clearly are central to these objectives. Philosophy helps students develop some of the analytic skills they need to engage in thoughtful decision-making throughout their lives, and the richness of the questions involved can help young people maintain their awareness of the world as marvelous and mysterious.

Used by hundreds of schools and school districts across the country, the Whole-Faculty Study Group (WFSG) System is a student-driven, holistic process for facilitating major staff development and schoolwide change. While providing a step-by-step methodology for the development and implementation of successful WFSGs, this newest edition of Murphy and Lick's groundbreaking bestseller incorporates the most current theoretical concepts on change, the latest refinements to change management procedures, and a wealth of new experiences from more than two thousand individual study groups. Other significant revisions to this edition include: Three additional chapters: the research foundation for WFSGs, how to recognize and understand school culture, and fourteen key findings A reorganization of chapters to make the book even more reader-friendly New material on timely topics such as "learning communities" and "learning teams" An increased focus on assessment of student results Updated sets of resources and illustrations in the appendix WFSGs are a proven way to successfully reform, improve, and transition schools to meet tomorrow's needs. Filled with real-world examples and illustrative cases, this book provides both the practical knowledge and the theoretical foundation necessary to negotiate the societal, organizational, and cultural barriers affecting education. This new edition is essential for administrators, teachers, and staff in K-12 schools, as well as district level administrators, teachers of education, and anyone interested in increasing student learning.

“Follow the science.” How often have you picked up an education book to read how, according to the authors, the system is broken, failing, and flailing—but their ideas for fixing it will bring about a miraculous transformation? That’s not the approach of this volume. Sure, the editors believe that our system of education could achieve significantly better results. But they also recognize that schools have gotten better over time. One explanation is the progress schools have made in “following the science”. Especially in early reading and math instruction, scholars know more now about what works than we did in the past, and more schools are putting that knowledge into practice. Now, in the wake of a horrific pandemic, even the best elementary schools are struggling to help their students get their momentum back again. In this book, the editors share high-quality syntheses of evidence and insights from leading educators, academics, and other experts. And they communicate those findings in user-friendly language, with an understanding of the real-world complexities of schools and classrooms.

Don’t jump from problem to solution without first investigating root causes. This book helps you more accurately focus on school improvement issues, so you can avoid wasting precious time and resources. It is clearly written, contains lots of real examples, and is presented in a style and format designed for the non-expert. It will help you make decisions which will improve learning for all students.

With more than 140 countries currently offering or in transition to a kindergarten through grade 12 (K–12) school education system, this desk study explored the experiences of four countries---Mongolia, Philippines, Poland, and Turkey---and one Canadian province, Ontario, in preparing and implementing K–12 systems. Lessons learned from the five diverse jurisdictions are: (i) align the education system with macro policies, (ii) view transition to K–12 as part of a package of reforms, (iii) prioritize improving student learning, (iv) consider teacher development as critical, (v) avoid high-stakes examinations, and (vi) focus on higher order curriculum and assessments.