Authentic Achievement

Authentic Achievement
Author: Fred M. Newmann
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
Total Pages: 392
Release: 1996-10-28
Genre: Education
ISBN:

This new book presents the findings of a five-year, federally funded study that examined the connection between school restructuring and student achievement. Investigating twenty-four elementary and secondary schools from twenty-two districts across the country, the researchers found that restructuring efforts fail when there is too much focus on structure and technique and not enough attention paid to the intellectual quality of student and teacher work and to the vitality of the school community. Using a wealth of examples, the authors provide a vivid picture of the conditions under which innovations in a school's organization contribute to student achievement - extending learning beyond rote memorization of isolated facts to thinking, disciplined understanding, and complex communication.

Handbook of Classroom Assessment

Handbook of Classroom Assessment
Author: Gary D. Phye
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 573
Release: 1996-11-19
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0080533027

The Handbook of Classroom Assessment takes a multi-dimensional approach to classroom assessment. A successful combination of theory and practice, the book emphasizes the assessment of classroom learning within content areas and the development of standards for evaluation. Most chapters are devoted to the assessment of learning and achievement and discuss current theories. The book also features assessment of academic self-concept and subjective well-being in children and adolescents. The Handbook provides successfully field-tested examples of assessment techniques and strategies within the content areas of mathematics, social studies, foreign languages, and the visual arts. Contributing chapter authors share the unique distinction of having backgrounds that include both the development of assessment theory and first hand experience translating theory into practice at the classroom, school site, state, or national level. The book is divided into four sections. Section I discusses the top five theories with respect to what learning is, how it's related to achievement, and how we assess both in the classroom setting. Section II on standardized assessment briefly covers all major standardized achievement tests used in preschool, K-6, and 7-12. Assessment of classroom learning, Section III, presents test instruments and techniques specific to the measurement of math skills, social science skills, and artistic talent across ages and grades. Section IV on classroom practices includes an assessment of general reasoning skills and performance and how to develop a grading philosophy.Key Features* Explains the why, what, and how of classroom assessment* Combines theory and practice for a multidimensional approach to assessment* Presents test instruments and techniques specific to measuring various skills* Uses field-tested examples of assessment techniques* Provides a resource for staff development at the school site

The Color of Mind

The Color of Mind
Author: Derrick Darby
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2018-01-24
Genre: Education
ISBN: 022652549X

“An indispensable text for understanding educational racial injustice and contributing to initiatives to mitigate it.” —Educational Theory American students vary in educational achievement, but white students in general typically have better test scores and grades than black students. Why is this the case, and what can school leaders do about it? In The Color of Mind, Derrick Darby and John L. Rury answer these pressing questions and show that we cannot make further progress in closing the achievement gap until we understand its racist origins. Telling the story of what they call the Color of Mind—the idea that there are racial differences in intelligence, character, and behavior—they show how philosophers, such as David Hume and Immanuel Kant, and American statesman Thomas Jefferson, contributed to the construction of this pernicious idea, how it influenced the nature of schooling and student achievement, and how voices of dissent such as Frederick Douglass, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, and W.E.B. Du Bois debunked the Color of Mind and worked to undo its adverse impacts. Rejecting the view that racial differences in educational achievement are a product of innate or cultural differences, Darby and Rury uncover the historical interplay between ideas about race and American schooling, to show clearly that the racial achievement gap has been socially and institutionally constructed. School leaders striving to bring justice and dignity to American schools today must work to root out the systemic manifestations of these ideas within schools, while still doing what they can to mitigate the negative effects of poverty, segregation, inequality, and other external factors that adversely affect student achievement. While we can’t expect schools alone to solve these vexing social problems, we must demand that they address the injustices associated with how we track, discipline, and deal with special education that reinforce long-standing racist ideas. That is the only way to expel the Color of Mind from schools, close the racial achievement gap, and afford all children the dignity they deserve.

Instruction and the Learning Environment

Instruction and the Learning Environment
Author: James Keefe
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2013-11-20
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1317921089

For leaders of elementary, middle, or high schools, this book shows how your school can excel in reaching students with diverse learning styles; providing "authentic" instruction and performance assessment; applying constructivist learning methodologies; and enhancing learning through alternative scheduling.

Authentic Intellectual Work

Authentic Intellectual Work
Author: Fred M. Newmann
Publisher: Corwin Press
Total Pages: 153
Release: 2015-11-14
Genre: Education
ISBN: 150632231X

Equip teachers to provide value beyond school In spite of numerous reforms to improve rigor and relevance in the classroom, our schools have been slow to change. Backed by over 20 years of research, the Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW) framework helps school-based teams improve the quality of instruction, assessment, and curriculum for higher and more equitable student learning. This work provides A research-validated, field-tested framework that can be applied across grades and disciplines A powerful professional learning component that emphasizes teacher collaboration Detailed examples of lessons, assignments, assessment tasks, and student work

Beyond Standardized Testing

Beyond Standardized Testing
Author: Douglas A. Archbald
Publisher: National Association of Secondary School Principals(NASSP)
Total Pages: 80
Release: 1988
Genre: Education
ISBN:

Real Happiness at Work

Real Happiness at Work
Author: Sharon Salzberg
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2013-12-31
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 0761181474

Bring the profound benefits of meditation into the workplace And discover how to improve all the positives of working life—such as accomplishment, creativity, teamwork—and mitigate the negatives, including stress, exhaustion, and the feeling of being overwhelmed and underappreciated. Created by Sharon Salzberg, one of the foremost meditation teachers in the world, here is expert, easy-to-use guidance for cultivating mindfulness, compassion, and awareness at work. Follow her suggestions and discover how to be committed without being consumed; competitive without being cruel; and how to manage time and emotions to counterbalance stress and frustration. Includes specific meditations designed for workplace issues, "steal meditations that take moments to do and are invisible to office mates, and dozens of exercises, plus helpful Q&As. Includes free downloadable guided meditations.

Organizing for School Change

Organizing for School Change
Author: Karen Seashore Louis
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 394
Release: 2013-01-11
Genre: Education
ISBN: 113423208X

Improving education is a key priority for governments around the world. While many suggestions on how best to achieve this are currently under debate, years of academic research have already revealed more about how to encourage change than is sometimes assumed. This volume brings together for the first time some of the most significant work of Karen Seashore Louis, one of the foremost thinkers and researchers in the field. Organizing for School Change presents a unique variety of research-based results from studies conducted over the past twenty-five years. What emerges is not an idealistic plan, but a realistic picture of what needs to be done if schools are to be made better. Drawing on a wide and comprehensive list of sources, the ideas brought together in this collection will prove invaluable and insightful reading, stimulating both newcomers and veterans of the field to consider educational research in new ways.

How Schools and Districts Meet Rigorous Standards Through Authentic Intellectual Work

How Schools and Districts Meet Rigorous Standards Through Authentic Intellectual Work
Author: M. Bruce King
Publisher: Corwin Press
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2016-04-18
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1506342299

Meet challenging standards by promoting students′ authentic intellectual work Educators have long called for more rigor and engagement in classroom work, alongside calls for enhancing equity. Yet classroom practices and student outcomes have been slow to change. A promising solution is the research-backed, real world-tested potential of the Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW) framework to meet intellectually challenging standards including Common Core. This book provides Richly detailed case studies of successful AIW implementation at the statewide, districtwide, and individual school levels Illustrations of collaborative teaming to advance higher-order thinking, disciplined inquiry, and value beyond school Exemplars of how AIW transforms professional development and evaluations and increases coherence and alignment of initiatives There is no such thing as a simple formula for school improvement, but the AIW approaches presented in this book will help school- and district-based teams improve the quality of instruction, assessment, and curriculum for more rigorous and more equitable student learning "It is inspiring to read these educators’ testaments to the profound personal and professional impact of their efforts to promote students’ authentic intellectual work." —Fred M. Newmann, Emeritus Professor University of Wisconsin-Madison "AIW is an instructional game changer. It has brought coherence across our district’s schools as we help our teachers help students become 21st-century learners." —Michael Duncan, Superintendent Pike County Schools, GA

Turning Points 2000

Turning Points 2000
Author: Anthony W. Jackson
Publisher: Teachers College Press
Total Pages: 484
Release: 2000
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0807775223

This seminal volume, written by the principal author of the original report (Anthony W. Jackson) along with one of the main leaders in implementing its principles (Gayle A. Davis): Synthesizes crucial lessons learned from educators attempting to improve middle grades education across the country over the past decade.Bridges the gap between education researchers and practitioners by translating a wealth of recent research into practical guidance for front-line educators.Signals a new generation of thinking about middle grades education by emphasizing that, in addition to structural changes in classrooms and schools, educators must also make substantial, far-reaching changes in curriculum, student assessment, and instruction in order to improve student learning.Directly confronts critical questions such as how heterogeneously grouped (i.e., untracked) students can be successfully educated, why middle grades teachers must be specially licensed to teach young adolescents, and why middle grades instruction must include instruction in reading Carnegie Corporation’s landmark 1989 report, Turning Points: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century, focused national attention on the long-neglected needs of adolescent youth. In the following decade, hundreds of middle grades schools implemented Turning Points principles and many others adopted similar and complementary measures. Based on these experiences, Turning Points 2000 refines the ideas contained in the original report by blending the wisdom of both the latest research and the best practice. “If [the authors’] deep understanding of what's needed and what works for adolescents were shared by every policy maker and educator, we would indeed see a major trans-formation in the education of our young. This book is a must-read for everyone who works with children and youth. For that matter, it's essential for everyone who cares about the health of our young people and our society....” —Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford University “Turning Points 2000 provides a perfect blend of practical guidance and grand vision, looking with hope toward a day when the developmental needs of all children are met. The authors skillfully bridge the gap between research and practice as they share strategies for families, communities, and institutions to collaboratively prepare adolescents for life success.” —Dr. James P. Comer, Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry,Yale Child Study Center