Visioning Onward

The step-by-step guide to defining your vision—and making it reality As a leader, it’s your job to look beyond the present and envision a brighter future for your school. Choosing the right path, however, can be a challenge. This inspirational resource is your guide. By following its one-of-a-kind iterative visioning process, you’ll sharpen your vision into a road map for transformative change—tailored to the needs of your learning community. Features include: Key strategies and tools for building a shared vision Practical implementation ideas Case studies from exemplary schools Common trends at the heart of impactful, positive change Thought-provoking vignettes Turn vision into reality, possibilities into plans, and create an environment that strengthens engagement, provides safe and nurturing learning opportunities, and produces students with the skills, knowledge, and disposition to be successful in life.

Envision and enact transformative change with an iterative visioning process, thought-provoking vignettes, case studies from exemplary schools, key strategies and tools, and practical implementation ideas.

Envision and enact transformative change with an iterative visioning process, thought-provoking vignettes, case studies from exemplary schools, key strategies and tools, and practical implementation ideas.

Already Ready For What Will Come - SEL For A Culture Of Care Is your school prepared to care for all of the students, staff, and families in your community? Sadly, your school might be the only point of care for many. Be already ready--Establish a compassionate cultural foundation for strong relationships and holistic skills to weather stress, trauma, and promote well-being for your entire school population. Help your school or district use available resources to create a compassionate culture of justice and care for all by leaning into this book’s approach to leadership and social emotional learning. Discover a collaborative visioning process to elevate compassion through dialogue, policies, and protocol. Readers will find: Practical strategies for working with parents and communities Activities for the whole school An implementation framework for elementary, middle, and high school Deeper understanding of trauma, ACEs, and mental health concerns Support for teachers’ mental health What not to do – practices that don’t work, and why In-depth case studies and vignettes Read this and usher in transformational and compassionate change that may be the difference in whatever today, tomorrow, or the next day may bring.

Leading with Vitality and Hope provides a practical resource for educators who want to move beyond the challenges schools are facing today. It both provides inspirational ideas from an impressive group of educational leaders and also practical ideas that you can take back to your local schools and communities for implementation. What is needed to move beyond the chaotic scenes we are continuing to face as schools reopen for in-person learning? The voices we hear from in Leading with Vitality and Hope suggest that we must first re-introduce a sense of vitality and hope. This can be done with mindfulness, visioning, and strategic leadership that attends to self-care, advocacy, and collective efficacy. Each of these themes is woven throughout case study scenarios presented by 20 leaders as they describe their vision, how they garnered support, and how their visions have set the stage for transformational change to enhance equity, reduce discrimination, alleviate trauma, and lead to greater well-being for students and staff in schools.

In chaotic times, a deep breath can bring calm to your classroom. As the pandemic recedes and the world gradually returns to “normal,” it’s more important than ever to make your classroom a place that supports mental health and improves overall wellness. In this book, you’ll discover the why and the how of using techniques to reduce stress, improve executive function, and set the stage for increased memory and attention, better self-regulation, and improved cognition and academic learning. With this practical, research-based guide, you’ll incorporate age- and grade-appropriate meditation, breathing, mindfulness, and secular yoga activities into your teaching, in ways that work for in-person as well as virtual and hybrid settings. Features include Adaptations for special populations, including those who have experienced trauma Recommendations for family involvement in social emotional learning Guidance on self-care for teachers and school staff Data from successfully implemented programs Dozens of illustrations, QR codes, and reflective questions Mindfulness isn’t just a buzzword-it’s a time-tested, teacher-tested technique for reducing anxiety and improving you students’ outcomes. Incorporate it into your classroom and see for yourself how much good a deep breath can do.

Be the leader of a fresh, bold, enduring vision of education for your district or school. The future of learning has arrived, and it requires bold educational leadership and a dramatic redefinition of what it means to be a successful student today. Redefining Student Success invites you to lead this transformation with audacity. It engages leaders with the concepts and actions needed to reimagine schools, address inequities, and help today’s students develop the skills they need for personal, economic, and civic success. This vital guide supports transformative leadership with Concrete guidance on how to create a Portrait of a Graduate and Portrait of an Educator which will help ensure teachers have a unified vision for professional growth and student success. Reflection prompts that help you recognize your strengths, spark discussion among stakeholders, and identify next steps for inspired action. Compelling examples of students already engaged in creative, self-directed problem-solving around issues that matter to them and their communities, together with stories that illustrate how districts and schools have arrived at their own vision of what education must become. Companion guides to 21st century learning for parents and students available online. The time is now to reset educational outcomes, sync schools with the demands of 21st century society, and meet the needs of every learner, in every community.

Building change for the long game It’s natural to resist change – but when we fundamentally commit to putting our students first, we must also commit to make lasting changes in current practice. Can we lead individuals and school teams to embrace strategic effort and lasting growth despite challenging circumstances and inevitable resistance? For school leaders willing to change their behavior on behalf of their teams, the answer is Yes! This practical, thoughtful book builds on what we already know about change, invites reflection, and provides guidance to develop changes that will last. Readers will learn to: Organize and create conditions in which staff and students flourish Focus on phases of change and address the critical leadership practices that will simultaneously move change forward and address the kinds of resistance that may appear Apply two long-term stories of district change to their own particular contexts, so they can avoid mistakes and focus on strategies that work Create their own relationship-rich, personalized path for leading and managing change We can build more reliable and effective changes in schools by ensuring steady progress over time. Dig into this informative book to discover the what, how, and why of a holistic change architecture to move your teams toward impactful changes that will stand the test of time.