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Changing The School Climate Is The First Step To Reform In Many Schools With Federal Improvement Grants
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Book Synopsis Changing the School Climate Is the First Step to Reform in Many Schools with Federal Improvement Grants by : Jennifer McMurrer
Download or read book Changing the School Climate Is the First Step to Reform in Many Schools with Federal Improvement Grants written by Jennifer McMurrer and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: School Improvement Grants (SIGs) financed through the economic stimulus package are intended to spur dramatic change in persistently low-performing schools. Many state and local officials charged with implementing SIGs view the creation of a safe, orderly, collegial, and productive school climate as an essential step in raising student achievement, according to case studies by the Center on Education Policy (CEP) at George Washington University. The importance of establishing a school climate conducive to learning has also been recognized by other studies of school reform and endorsed in federal SIG guidance. This special CEP report highlights findings about the critical element of school climate from case studies of the first year and half of SIG implementation in Maryland, Michigan, and Idaho. The information in the report is based on interviews with 35 state, district, and school officials in the three states and on in-depth reviews of six SIG-funded schools. Key findings about school climate from the case study schools include the following: (1) All six SIG-funded schools participating in CEP's case studies have taken steps to create a more positive school climate--often as an initial priority before implementing other reforms; (2) SIG-funded case study schools used a variety of specific strategies to improve school climate--from instituting school uniforms to increasing teacher collaboration; and (3) Administrators and teachers most often cited improvements in school climate as their greatest success after the first year of implementing SIGs. (Contains 1 box.) [For related reports, see "Increased Learning Time under Stimulus-Funded School Improvement Grants: High Hopes, Varied Implementation" (ED533562) and "Schools with Federal Improvement Grants Face Challenges in Replacing Principals and Teachers" (ED533563).].
Book Synopsis Increased Learning Time Under Stimulus-Funded School Improvement Grants by : Jennifer McMurrer
Download or read book Increased Learning Time Under Stimulus-Funded School Improvement Grants written by Jennifer McMurrer and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 13 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research has long suggested that significantly increasing quality time in school for teaching and learning can have a positive impact on student achievement. Recognizing this connection, federal guidance requires low-performing schools to increase student learning time if they are implementing two popular reform models using school improvement grant (SIG) funds appropriated by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). This special report by the Center on Education Policy (CEP) highlights findings about this increased learning time requirement from two recent CEP studies of SIG implementation in school year 2010-11 and the fall and winter of 2011-12. The first study was based on a CEP survey of state education officials in 46 responding states, including the District of Columbia. The second consisted of in-depth case studies of state and local SIG implementation in Maryland, Michigan, and Idaho. Key findings include the following: (1) All 46 states responding to CEP's survey reported that at least some of their SIG-funded schools are implementing one of two federal school improvement models that require increased learning time; (2) Officials in a majority of the states surveyed said the strategy of increasing learning time is, to a great extent or some extent, a key element in improving achievement in SIG-funded schools; (3) All three case study states have ensured that schools using the transformation or turnaround models are increasing learning time, but the degree of state focus on this strategy varies; and (4) All SIG-funded case study schools that are using the transformation or turnaround models have increased students' learning time, as have some non-funded schools, but implementation and emphasis varied. (Contains 1 table and 1 box.) [For related reports, see "Schools with Federal Improvement Grants Face Challenges in Replacing Principals and Teachers" (ED533563) and "Changing the School Climate Is the First Step to Reform in Many Schools with Federal Improvement Grants" (ED533561).].
Book Synopsis Schools with Federal Improvement Grants Face Challenges in Replacing Principals and Teachers by : Jennifer McMurrer
Download or read book Schools with Federal Improvement Grants Face Challenges in Replacing Principals and Teachers written by Jennifer McMurrer and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 21 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Several hundred of the nation's lowest-performing schools have recently undergone major changes in leadership and teaching staff to comply with federal requirements for using school improvement grants (SIGs) financed by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). In particular, schools that receive stimulus-funded SIG awards must choose one of four improvement models aimed at turning around or closing chronically low-achieving schools. The two most popular models--"transformation" and "turnaround"--require schools to replace their principal, among other specific reforms. The turnaround model also requires schools to replace half or more of their teaching staff. Although a SIG award brings substantial extra funding for school reform, it does not guarantee that districts and schools can find principals and teachers with the necessary expertise who are willing to work in the lowest-performing schools. Although many states and school districts are optimistic overall about the reforms being carried out with SIG money, replacing principals and staff is often their greatest challenge to implementation, according to recent research by the Center on Education Policy (CEP) at George Washington University. This special report by CEP describes findings about principal and teacher replacement drawn from two CEP studies of SIG implementation in school year 2010-11 and the fall and winter of 2011-12. The first study was a survey of state education officials in 46 responding states, including the District of Columbia, and the second consisted of in-depth case studies of state and local implementation in Idaho, Maryland, and Michigan. The following key findings highlight the main challenges and experiences of states, districts, and schools, including both SIG schools and comparable non-recipient schools, that have implemented principal and staff replacement as part of their efforts to improve achievement: (1) The majority of state officials surveyed viewed principal and teacher replacement as at least somewhat critical to improving student achievement in SIG-funded schools, although several said its importance varied from school to school; (2) Finding and keeping highly effective principals and teachers has been a major challenge for SIG schools in Idaho, Maryland, and Michigan; (3) Legal and union requirements and short funding timelines have posed obstacles to restaffing in some SIG schools; (4) A minority of states surveyed are assisting SIG-funded districts and schools with principal and staff replacement; and (5) Some officials interviewed would like to see more flexibility in the SIG principal and staff replacement requirements. (Contains 1 table and 2 boxes.) [For related reports, see "Increased Learning Time under Stimulus-Funded School Improvement Grants: High Hopes, Varied Implementation" (ED533562) and "Changing the School Climate Is the First Step to Reform in Many Schools with Federal Improvement Grants" (ED533561).].
Book Synopsis Leadership for School Improvement by : Cherie B. Gaines
Download or read book Leadership for School Improvement written by Cherie B. Gaines and published by IAP. This book was released on 2019-03-01 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the inaugural issue in the Leadership for School Improvement (LSI) Special Interest Group (SIG) Book Series, this volume serves as a reflection on the foundations of the field of school improvement. Contents include connections between school improvement and the agency of principals, districts, universities, and policy. This volume will be placed in the school improvement literature with examinations of evolution, trends, policies, and future foci in the field of school improvement. This book is rich in research and literature about school improvement, school effectiveness, and school reform policy and implementation and thus holds significance for educational practitioners, scholars, and policy makers at all levels.
Book Synopsis School Turnaround Policies and Practices in the US by : Joseph F. Murphy
Download or read book School Turnaround Policies and Practices in the US written by Joseph F. Murphy and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-12-12 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume provides an analysis of what we know about turning around "failing" schools in the United States. It starts with an in-depth examination of the barriers that hinder action on turnaround work. The book analyses the reasons why some schools that find themselves in serious academic trouble fail in their efforts to turn themselves around. Beginning with a discussion of what may best be described as "lethal" reasons or the most powerful explanation for failed reform initiatives, which include an absence of attention to student care and support; a near absence of attention to curriculum and instruction; the firing of the wrong people. Covered in this volume are "critical" explanations for failed turnaround efforts such as failure to attend to issues of sustainability, and "significant" explanations for failed turnaround efforts such as the misuse of test data. The volume concludes by examining what can be done to overcome problems that cause failure for turnaround schools and reviewing ideas in the core technology of schooling: curriculum, instruction, and assessment. As well as exploring problems associated with the leadership and management of schools to see where improvement is possible and an analysis of opportunities found in relationships between schools and their external partners such as parents and community members.
Book Synopsis Great Expectations by : Loyce Caruthers
Download or read book Great Expectations written by Loyce Caruthers and published by IAP. This book was released on 2016-03-01 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores meaningful and effective use of student voice in urban school renewal efforts through strategies that include: surveys, interviews, focus groups, visual and video projects, social media, and student participation in governance. Chapters provide a definition of student voice, context for public schooling in the United States, and introduce a framework for including student voice in school renewal processes. Examples guide readers to implementation of the framework to include student voices in diverse educational settings. Authentic voices of approximately 175 students interviewed by the authors express what it is that they really want from public schools and how pre K-12 educators can provide a structure for ongoing student participation in governance and the work of the school. The existing literature explores student characteristics such as poverty, cultural diversity, and what the experts believe students need public schools to provide. Within the research, urban public schools and technical reform are often explored and examined separately from conversations about what students want from schools, excluding opportunities for their voices and diverse perspectives to be heard. Listening to students describe instances of bullying or teachers’ low academic expectations provides educators with opportunities to address issues that impede student learning. The uniqueness of this framework for including student voice is that it provides multiple opportunities for students in any grade level to tell us what it is they want from public schools, and to make meaningful and lasting contributions to school renewal efforts.
Book Synopsis The Psychology of School Climate by : Garry Wade McGiboney
Download or read book The Psychology of School Climate written by Garry Wade McGiboney and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2016-06-22 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many people have become impatient with school reform and school improvement efforts that fail to include school climate. The importance of a positive school climate is emerging in current research, not only as an essential component of school reform and school improvement, but also as a necessary framework for maintaining excellent schools and providing healthy and safe schools for all students. Research strongly suggests that educators and policy makers have a lot to learn about the importance of school climate for school safety and academic success. With the growing body of research regarding school climate, it is important to study the research and understand how the psychology of school climate and how the elements of school climate can be viewed from a population-based perspective, as well as understanding the impact of school climate on individual students. This review of school climate research includes hundreds of articles and research papers of different perspectives from around the world in numerous cultures. School climate is becoming a science of education and psychology that must be studied further in order to understand the dynamic nature of learning environments, to identify elements that support or threaten the learning environment, and to learn how to improve the conditions for learning in all schools.
Book Synopsis School Climate Change by : Peter DeWitt,Sean Slade
Download or read book School Climate Change written by Peter DeWitt,Sean Slade and published by ASCD. This book was released on 2014-09-08 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Students and educators today face obstacles to student achievement, well-being, and success that are above and beyond traditional instructional and assessment concerns. From low school morale to bullying to shootings, school climate has become a national and global concern. Research overwhelmingly indicates that a positive school climate promotes cooperative learning, group cohesion, respect, and mutual trust—all of which have in turn been shown to improve the learning environment. In short, a positive school climate is directly related to improved academic achievement at all levels of schooling. In this ASCD Arias book, Peter DeWitt and Sean Slade explain the most important aspects of school climate and how we can make positive changes in our schools. Readers will learn * How to engage students and school stakeholders. * How to empower staff and students and foster autonomy so people take ownership of their ideas and the learning process. * How to promote inclusivity and equity throughout the school. * How to create a welcoming, cooperative, and safe school environment that nurtures students’ social-emotional needs.
Book Synopsis School Climate by : H. Jerome Freiberg
Download or read book School Climate written by H. Jerome Freiberg and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2005-08-02 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Like a strong foundation in a house, the climate of a school is the foundation that supports the structures of teaching and learning. This book provides a framework for educators to look at school and classroom climates using both informal and formal measures. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of climate and details techniques which may be used by heads or classroom teachers to judge the health of their learning environment. The book sets out to enhance understanding of the components of a healthy learning environment and the tools needed to improve that environment. It also looks at ways to assess the impact of change activities in improving and sustaining educational excellence. The international team of contributors bring perspectives from the school systems in America, UK, Australia and Holland.
Book Synopsis Transforming School Climate and Learning by : Bill Preble
Download or read book Transforming School Climate and Learning written by Bill Preble and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2011-06-13 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Creating safe schools from the inside out This book details a comprehensive process for empowering students and teachers as school improvement leaders and "experts." Bill Preble and Rick Gordon explain how schools can use the SafeMeasures™ collaborative action research process to: Collect and analyze school climate data Develop improvement goals Create exciting and inspiring action plans to dramatically improve their school′s climate and student engagement Each chapter features success stories from real schools, strategies and implementation activities, and book study questions that help all stakeholders transform both their school climate and student learning.
Book Synopsis Changing for Good by : Melissa Evans-Andris
Download or read book Changing for Good written by Melissa Evans-Andris and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'This important work identifies the critical elements of sustainability--the necessary goal of systemic reform--which requires a long-term commitment to change for the benefit of students' - Lois Adams-Rogers, Deputy Executive Director, Council of Chief State School Officers The recent emphasis on educational reform has lead to many books on initiating school improvement, but relatively few on how to sustain reform efforts so that improvements have a lasting impact. Changing for Good offers a detailed examination of current schoolwide reform efforts and identifies strategies for introducing, managing, and sustaining successful school renewal programs. Based on a six-year study of 74 schools, the book provides a model for generating the necessary district support, schoolwide leadership, teacher commitment, and performance outcomes to cultivate improvement that lasts. Applicable at all levels, this model helps readers: - Align reform efforts with educational standards and accountability guidelines - Create a research-based improvement plan - Support change by developing a shared vision - Promote distributed leadership - Celebrate gains to encourage cooperation The most beneficial school improvements are the ones that endure. With this exceptional resource, educational administrators and leaders can create a school environment that embraces meaningful change, sustains positive reform, and ensures successful learning outcomes.
Book Synopsis Challenges of Conflicting School Reforms by : Mark Berends
Download or read book Challenges of Conflicting School Reforms written by Mark Berends and published by Rand Corporation. This book was released on 2002-03-29 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A decade ago, New American Schools (NAS) launched an ambitious effort forwhole-school reform to address the perceived lagging achievement of Americanstudents and the lackluster school reform attempts that have produced so fewmeaningful changes. As a private nonprofit organization, NAS set out tohelp schools and districts significantly raise the achievement of largenumbers of students by offering whole-school designs and design-basedassistance during the implementation process. NAS is currently in thescale-up phase of its effort, and its designs are being widely diffused toschools across the nation. During the 1997_1998 and 1998_1999 school years,RAND assessed the effects of NAS designs on classroom practice and studentachievement in a sample of schools in a high-poverty district. RAND foundthat high-poverty schools often have fragmented and conflicting environmentswith difficult and changing political currents and entrenched unions.Teachers in high-poverty schools tend to face new accountability systems andfluctuating reform agendas. These teachers generally lack sufficient timefor implementing reform efforts, often becoming demoralized and losing theirenthusiasm for the difficult task of improving student performance underdifficult conditions. RAND concluded that high-stakes tests may motivateschools to increase performance and to seek out new curricula andinstructional strategies associated with comprehensive school reforms.However, those same tests may provide disincentives to adopt richer, morein-depth curricula that can succeed in improving the learning opportunitiesof all students, particularly those in high-poverty settings.
Download or read book Resources in Education written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 748 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Inventing Better Schools by : Phillip C. Schlechty
Download or read book Inventing Better Schools written by Phillip C. Schlechty and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2003-04-30 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Schlechty shows both educators and parents how to envision reform and design quality educational systems. He explains how the visioning process must be rooted in real shared beliefs, how mission statements must unpack visions into concrete goals that are connected to action, and how the results of reform can be usefully assessed. Drawing on the author's vast experience in the day-to-day work of implementing school reform, Inventing Better Schools offers new approaches for setting standards and ensuring accountability--and includes samples of actual mission statements and strategic plans of successful school districts.
Book Synopsis Handbook for Conducting School Climate Improvement Projects by : Eugene R. Howard
Download or read book Handbook for Conducting School Climate Improvement Projects written by Eugene R. Howard and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book discusses practical ways to improve a school's climate by increasing both productivity and satisfaction concurrently. Chapter 1, "Defining School Climate," identifies the overarching goals of school climate improvement, the basic human needs that school climate must address, the factors that make up a school's climate and determine its quality, and the elements to a school's operation that contribute to positive climate. Chapter 2 outlines an eight-step process for implementing school improvement, while chapters 3 through 7 discuss each of these eight steps in detail: (1) appointing a school improvement management team or steering committee; (2) collecting baseline data; (3) raising the awareness level of faculty, students, and parents; (4) assessing the school climate; (5) identifying improvement priorities and developing action plans; (6) organizing task forces to accomplish the tasks identified in the action plans; (7) coordinating the work of the task forces; and (8) evaluating the overall effects of the climate improvement effort. The final chapter, "Why Do It?," provides anecdotal testimony as to the success of climate improvement projects in various schools. Appended are the following instruments: an instrument for rating school climate; the CFK, Ltd., School Climate Profile; two "mini-audits" designed to assist school officials in identifying climate improvement priorities and assessing the process and material determinants of a school; and a brainstorming and prioritizing activity instruction sheet. (TE)
Book Synopsis It's Time for a Change by : Matthew Lynch
Download or read book It's Time for a Change written by Matthew Lynch and published by R&L Education. This book was released on 2012 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: China, Japan, and South Korea understand that well-educated workers are crucial for survival in the competitive global economy. Thus, they are placing enormous emphasis on education, ensuring that their students receive instruction not only foundational reading and math, but are also taught to think creatively and solve problems. Their youth are poised to take on and conquer the world. The U.S., on the other hand, is losing the battle. School systems are using more money but have less to show for it. Test results, especially among the lower socioeconomic classes, are dismal. America has extraordinary natural resources, a solid, functioning democracy, and excellent infrastructure, but unless we can reform our educational system to produce students who are able to take advantage of new technologies and compete in the global economy, we will cede our position as world leader. Its Time for Change: School Reform provides a no nonsense blueprint for reforming The U. S.
Book Synopsis Improving School Climate & Culture by : Peggy Gonder
Download or read book Improving School Climate & Culture written by Peggy Gonder and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate and culture are inherent in the life of every organization, including schools. They are difficult to define and even more difficult to change, yet any reform effort must address them first if it is to succeed. This report helps school leaders understand these crucial factors and measure their influences on the school. It offers various strategies for implementing school-improvement efforts that work. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the terms "climate" and "culture," and chapter 2 offers definitions of the terms. Leadership roles played by the principal, superintendent, and school board are examined in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 describes and offers examples of holistic restructuring strategies, such as shared decision making, stages in the strategic planning process, the Outcomes Based Education (OBE) model, and the Coalition for Essential Schools model. Chapter 5 discusses ways to shape climate through instructional techniques. Various methods for measuring school climate are explored in chapter 6. Chapters 7 through 9 offer strategies for engaging parents and community members, dealing with the personal concerns of those involved with program implementation, and mobilizing channels of communication. A brief bibliography and list of contact resources are included. (LMI)
