Improving Charter School Leadership. NGA Center for Best Practices Issue Brief

Improving Charter School Leadership. NGA Center for Best Practices Issue Brief PDF Author: National Governors' Association, Washington, DC. Center for Best Pactices
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 13

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Book Description
After the quality of a school's teachers, the quality of a school's leaders is the most influential school-based factor affecting student learning, and research indicates that leadership impacts student achievement the most in academic settings serving students who traditionally have not done well in school. In an effort to provide high-quality K-12 education options, particularly for the many students across the country who attend low-performing schools, governors and other state policymakers are looking to alternative approaches, such as charter schools, to maximize investments in public education. Forty states and the District of Columbia have laws that allow for fiscally independent, tuition-free charter schools that operate under a performance contract. As the number of students attending these schools continues to rise, state leaders have a growing interest in ensuring that this education sector is well-equipped to meet the goals of improving student achievement, especially for low-income and minority families who have been underserved by the traditional education system. Without strong leaders, charter schools will not be well-positioned to meet their promise of raising student achievement. Strong charter school leaders are necessary to establish and achieve a clear school mission; to recruit, develop, and retain effective educators; and to provide teachers the leadership support they need to deliver high-quality instruction. Governors and policymakers interested in expanding and strengthening their respective charter school options will need to consider what policy levers to use to increase the supply and quality of charter school leaders. Six strategies are discussed: (1) Support new and existing university-based charter school leadership training programs and partnerships and nontraditional providers; (2) Help secure funding for charter leadership programs by soliciting private support or using federal funding; (3) Enhance charter school directors' ability to hire qualified teachers by allowing charter schools or programs to run their own teacher training programs; (4) Increase directors' ability to attract and retain effective staff by offering state benefits for charter school teachers; (5) Provide ongoing and relevant professional development for school directors across the district and charter school sectors; and (6) Encourage and support charter board member training. (Contains 41 endnotes.).

Improving Charter School Leadership

Improving Charter School Leadership PDF Author: Laura Bloomberg
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Charter schools
Languages : en
Pages : 13

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Book Description


Using Data in Schools to Inform Leadership and Decision Making

Using Data in Schools to Inform Leadership and Decision Making PDF Author: Alex J. Bowers
Publisher: IAP
ISBN: 1623967880
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
Our fifth book in the International Research on School Leadership series focuses on the use of data in schools and districts as useful information for leadership and decision making. Schools are awash in data and information, from test scores, to grades, to discipline reports, and attendance as just a short list of student information sources, while additional streams of data feed into schools and districts from teachers and parents as well as local, regional and national policy levels. To deal with the data, schools have implemented a variety of data practices, from data rooms, to data days, data walks, and data protocols. However, despite the flood of data, successful school leaders are leveraging an analysis of their school’s data as a means to bring about continuous improvement in an effort to improve instruction for all students. Nevertheless, some drown, some swim, while others find success. Our goal in this book volume is to bring together a set of chapters by authors who examine successful data use as it relates to leadership and school improvement. In particular, the chapters in this volume consider important issues in this domain, including: • How educational leaders use data to inform their practice. • What types of data and data analysis are most useful to successful school leaders. • To what extent are data driven and data informed practices helping school leaders positively change instructional practice? • In what ways does good data collection and analysis feed into successful continuous improvement and holistic systems thinking? • How have school leadership practices changed as more data and data analysis techniques have become available? • What are the major obstacles facing school leaders when using data for decision making and how do they overcome them?

School Leadership

School Leadership PDF Author: Stuart C. Smith
Publisher: Corwin Press
ISBN: 1483362027
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 521

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Book Description
"Finely crafted and beautifully written . . . the most comprehensive and extensive treatment of the school leadership literature available to date." -From the Foreword by Joseph Murphy A set of key leadership behaviors can help create the right kind of conditions in schools for learning to occur. How can school leaders excel in those behaviors? An important and trusted resource for 25 years, this fourth edition of School Leadership: Handbook for Excellence in Student Learning emphasizes the school leader′s role as champion of student learning. Integrating theory and practice, the editors introduce school leadership from five perspectives: the person, the values, the structure, the mission, and the skills. This expanded edition draws from a variety of viewpoints on educational leadership to give school leaders—and those preparing for the role—insight and wisdom to meet the challenges of helping all their students learn. Updates include: Expanded coverage of instructional leadership and the principal′s role in student learning New chapters covering the principalship, accountability, effects of leadership, distributed leadership, political leadership, and engaging the public New chapters on data-based decision making and allocation of human, financial, and physical resources Eight completely reworked chapters that tie back to student learning End-of-chapter reflection questions for group discussion This is the ultimate guide for all principals and administrators—both a life-preserver and indispensable coach for the important work of school leadership.

Improving School Leadership

Improving School Leadership PDF Author: Catherine H. Augustine
Publisher: Rand Corporation
ISBN: 0833048910
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description
Improving the nation's public schools is one of the highest priorities of federal, state, and local government in America. Recent research has shown that the quality of the principal is, among school-based factors, second only to the quality of the teacher in contributing to what students learn in the classroom. New programs to develop school leaders who can exercise vigilance over instruction and support effective teaching practices are not likely to succeed, however, if they are inconsistent with other state and district policies affecting school leadership. The Wallace Foundation, which focuses its grantmaking in education primarily on school leadership, has posited that well-coordinated policies and initiatives to develop leadership standards, provide high-quality training, and improve the conditions that affect principals' work will increase their ability to improve instruction in their schools. This study documents the actions taken by the Foundation's grantees to create a more cohesive set of policies and initiatives to improve instructional leadership in schools; describes how states and districts have worked together to forge such policies and initiatives around school leadership; and examines the hypothesis that more-cohesive systems do in fact improve school leadership. The study found that it is possible to build more-cohesive leadership systems and that such efforts appear to be a promising approach to developing school leaders engaged in improving instruction. Although the study did not find evidence that the full underlying theory behind this initiative is sound, it did find a correlation between improved conditions for principals and their engagement in instructional practices.

Stepping Up

Stepping Up PDF Author: Kim Wechtenhiser
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 8

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Book Description
Engaging in the charter school sector is not for the faint of heart--doing so requires grappling with many complex questions. How will the work impact the reputation of the university? What political, financial or legal liabilities will the institution assume? Who will do the day-to-day heavy lifting? Across the country, dynamic higher education leaders are assessing these challenges and deciding to take action. The opportunities to advance the missions of their colleges and universities are considerable, as are the potential public benefits of improved teaching and learning at the elementary and secondary levels. As Timothy Knowles, director of the Urban Education Institute at the University of Chicago asserts, "What are universities for, if they aren't helping America solve its biggest problems?" This Issue Brief provides an overview of various ways higher education institutions are engaging in the charter school sector, explores their reasons for getting involved and shares challenges they have faced in starting and sustaining charter school initiatives. More importantly, it outlines ways their involvement has strengthened their institutions and the communities they serve. (Contains 3 endnotes.).

Techniques

Techniques PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Vocational education
Languages : en
Pages : 526

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Book Description
Making education and career connections.

Charter High Schools

Charter High Schools PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Charter schools
Languages : en
Pages : 84

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Book Description


Building America's Skilled Technical Workforce

Building America's Skilled Technical Workforce PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309440068
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 259

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Book Description
Skilled technical occupationsâ€"defined as occupations that require a high level of knowledge in a technical domain but do not require a bachelor's degree for entryâ€"are a key component of the U.S. economy. In response to globalization and advances in science and technology, American firms are demanding workers with greater proficiency in literacy and numeracy, as well as strong interpersonal, technical, and problem-solving skills. However, employer surveys and industry and government reports have raised concerns that the nation may not have an adequate supply of skilled technical workers to achieve its competitiveness and economic growth objectives. In response to the broader need for policy information and advice, Building America's Skilled Technical Workforce examines the coverage, effectiveness, flexibility, and coordination of the policies and various programs that prepare Americans for skilled technical jobs. This report provides action-oriented recommendations for improving the American system of technical education, training, and certification.

The New Accountability

The New Accountability PDF Author: Martin Carnoy
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 113593858X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 219

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Book Description
When it comes to the issue of US education reform, hopeful politicians, liberal and conservative alike, have long touted the promises of 'standards-based accountability'. But do accountability-based reforms actually work? What happens when they encounter the formidable challenge of the comprehensive high school?The New Accountability explores the current wave of assessment-based accountability reforms at the high school level in the United States.