Administration Books - Page 2

Understanding by Design

Grant Wiggins, Jay McTighe

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

What is understanding and how does it differ from knowing? What do we want students to understand and be able to do? What enduring knowledge is worth understanding? How will we know that students truly understand and can apply knowledge in a meaningful way? How can we design our courses and units to emphasize understanding and "uncoverage" rather than "coverage"? Understanding by Design explores these questions and provides practical solutions for the teacher-designer.

The book opens by analyzing the logic of backward design as an alternative to coverage and activity-oriented plans. Though backward from habit, this approach brings more focus and coherence to instruction.

Authors Wiggins and McTighe propose a multifaceted approach, with the six "facets" of understanding. The facets combine with backward design to provide a powerful, practical framework for designing curriculum, assessment, and instruction.

Beyond its theories, Understanding by Design offers practical design tools, including criteria for selecting "big ideas" worthy of deep understanding, strategies for framing units of study around essential questions, a continuum of assessment methods for determining the degree to which students understand, and the WHERE framework, which enhances student engagement and "rethinking." The book concludes with a unit design template and standards to support quality control at the local level.

Understanding by Design will help educators enhance their understanding of understanding, so that the curriculum and assessments they design truly focus on enhancing the understanding of their students.

Real Education: Four Simple Truths for Bringing America's Schools Back to Reality

Charles Murray

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

With four simple truths as his framework, Charles Murray, the bestselling coauthor of The Bell Curve, sweeps away the hypocrisy, wishful thinking, and upside-down priorities that grip America’s educational establishment.

Ability varies. Children differ in their ability to learn academic material. Doing our best for every child requires, above all else, that we embrace that simplest of truths. America’s educational system does its best to ignore it.

Half of the children are below average. Many children cannot learn more than rudimentary reading and math. Real Education reviews what we know about the limits of what schools can do and the results of four decades of policies that require schools to divert huge resources to unattainable goals.

Too many people are going to college. Almost everyone should get training beyond high school, but the number of students who want, need, or can profit from four years of residential education at the college level is a fraction of the number of young people who are struggling to get a degree. We have set up a standard known as the BA, stripped it of its traditional content, and made it an artificial job qualification. Then we stigmatize everyone who doesn’t get one. For most of America’s young people, today’s college system is a punishing anachronism.

America’s future depends on how we educate the academically gifted. An elite already runs the country, whether we like it or not. Since everything we watch, hear, and read is produced by that elite, and since every business and government department is run by that elite, it is time to start thinking about the kind of education needed by the young people who will run the country. The task is not to give them more advanced technical training, but to give them an education that will make them into wiser adults; not to pamper them, but to hold their feet to the fire.

The good news is that change is not only possible but already happening. Real Education describes the technological and economic trends that are creating options for parents who want the right education for their children, teachers who want to be free to teach again, and young people who want to find something they love doing and learn how to do it well. These are the people for whom Real Education was written. It is they, not the politicians or the educational establishment, who will bring American schools back to reality.

Twenty-four years ago, Charles Murray’s Losing Ground changed the way the nation thought about welfare. Real Education is about to do the same thing for America’s schools.

Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls

Rachel Simmons

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 94 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

must read for youth workers and parents 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

i'm not sure how i missed this book. it was published in 2002, and is absolute must reading for EVERY youth worker (male or female) and every parent of a girl.

it's a tough read and an easy read. easy, because simmons is an excellent writer and fills the book with real stories of real girls. tough, because the real girls she profiles reveal a profile of aggression (almost universally experienced) that is so painful, so destructive, it's difficult to read (especially if you care about teenage girls).

i had a great chat with my 13 year-old daughter, liesl, after reading this book. she was very open about how girls treat each other. i may be fooling myself, but i do think that liesl's private school (a waldorf school, which is particularly nurturing and has no tolerance for mistreatment) protects her from the fullest extent of what this behavior would look like in the vast majority of schools. in fact, i could easily see liesl being the aggressor (the rumor-creator, the silent treatment-giver, the "we don't like you" club-originator), were she in a different context.

the book talks at length about why this alternative aggression is so commonplace amongst girls. it also talks about why schools are so poor at addressing it. it's a bit light on suggestions for what we all (who care about girls) can do about it - but there is some of this, especially near the end of the book.

given my passion for early adolescent ministry, i was intrigued to read that this behavior is at its peak during the young teen years. the author focuses all of her research on girls from 5th grade through 9th grade, with the "sweet spot" (bad choice of words, i suppose) between 11 and 14.

here's one particular paragraph i found fascinating:

at first glance, the stories of girls not being allowed to eat at the lunch table, attend a party, put their sleeping bag in the middle, or squeeze inside a circle of giggling girls may seem childish. yet as carol gilligan has shown, relationships play an unusually important role in girls' social development. in her work with girls and boys, she found that girls perceive danger in their lives as isolation, especially the fear that by standing out they will be abandoned. boys, however, describe danger as a fear of entrapment or smothering. this contrast, gilligan argues, shows that women's development "points toward a diffrerent history of human attachment, stressing continuity and change instead of replacement and seperation. the primacy of relationship and attachment in the female life also indicates a different experience of and response to loss. the centrallity of relationship to girls' lives all but guarantees a different landscape of aggression and bullying, with its own distinctive features worthy of seperate study.

Editorial Review:

Dirty looks and taunting notes are just a few examples of girl bullying that girls and women have long suffered through silently and painfully. With this book Rachel Simmons elevated the nation's consciousness and has shown millions of girls, parents, counselors, and teachers how to deal with this devastating problem. Poised to reach a wider audience in paperback, including the teenagers who are its subject, Odd Girl Out puts the spotlight on this issue, using real-life examples from both the perspective of the victim and of the bully.

The Mis-Education of the Negro

Carter G. Woodson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 46 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

I ordered book, paid for same, received same ... my kind of transaction, smooth and uneventful! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is book a must have for anyone studying African American History. If you are building a library, it cannot be complete without this writing - this is one of the foundational cornerstones.

Editorial Review:

This book is considered must reading for anyone involved in the education of blacks living in white dominated countries. The author does well to point out the shortcomings of a "Euro-centric" teaching structure that leaves out consideration for black culture and heritage. This has resulted in blacks being truly mis-educated and has caused many to live in complete contradiction to their own best interests. Woodson outlines how and why the mainstream educational system damages the personal growth of blacks and how the blame can be equally placed on black professionals -- those who become successful and enter into a corporate world that helps only themselves, without making any effort to align black education properly. This book strongly points out the importance of black history and culture, and its absence in mainstream education systems.

Drive: 9 Ways to Motivate Your Kids to Achieve

Janine Walker Caffrey

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A book for our times 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Finally, a resource that gets to the point! Parents will love it- kids will wonder what hit them. In a world of excess and overindulgence, Caffrey shows us how to become parents again. In a world lacking common sense, she demonstrates an abundance of it. It is refreshing to be reminded that we have a responsibility to raise independent young men and women who will feel the need to make contributions to the world because they have a sense of pride, not entitlement!

Editorial Review:

The quality of drive provides the momentum for a person to dream and achieve, creating a unique, independent life. Without it, a person is like a rudderless boat, drifting around a flat lake. In Drive, nationally renowned educator Dr. Janine Caffrey shows how to inspire your children and develop this vital characteristic. How do I get my child excited about learning? To enroll in a good college? To move out of the house? To create his own life? Designed to assist parents, educators, and counselors to get kids of all ages off the couch and into the world, Drive outlines nine specific steps proven to beat boredom and foster self-motivation and resourcefulness. Filled with quizzes, anecdotes, and practical strategies, Drive helps parents turn “Generation Me” into “Generation Move.”

How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms

Carol Ann Tomlinson

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Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Just as students come in different sizes and shapes and with differing cultural backgrounds, interests, and abilities, so do teachers face challenges in "fitting" instruction to the students in their classrooms. This book provides practical guidance in addressing the diverse needs of students in mixed- ability classrooms. Differentiated instruction provides multiple approaches to content, process, and product; and it is a blend of whole-class, group, and individual instruction.

The author states: "My goal here is to help teachers determine what differentiated instruction is, why it is appropriate for all learners, how to plan for it, how to manage it, how to help parents and students prepare for differentiated classrooms, and how to assess student progress." She describes actual classrooms that use strategies for managing differentiated classrooms and provides detailed how-to's for lesson planning. An appendix lists strategies, including pretesting for competence ("compacting"), independent projects, interest centers, and tiered assignments.

Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling

John Taylor Gatto

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 123 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

great for the most part 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is a great book for the most part. Although I agree with many of his points, I disagree in the part where he proposes a reform that requires mandatory community service. In the book he mostly says that people do well when they aren't made to do something, and yes community service is great but it shouldn't be forced on people, and people should have the option to decide if that is what they want to do. That's what freedom is all about.

He's right about school. My experience in school felt like a prison, where my teachers didn't take me seriously, they sometimes liked humiliating me and my classmates, and honestly to this day, I have zero respect for teachers. I can't look back on a teacher that I actually liked. Many of them just made me follow dumb rules that had nothing to do with learning but about respecting authority.

Even as a college student, I feel that college is just another scam, its not about learning but about getting that degree so you can get a good job. Getting As and Bs isn't a sign of intelligence, but a sign that you did the work the way that your teacher wanted you to. I think true learning occurs when you are accountable to yourself for your own education.

Editorial Review:

A highly praised bestseller for over a decade, Dumbing Us Down is a radical treatise on public education that concludes that compulsory government schooling does little but teach young people to follow orders like cogs in a machine. This Special Collector's Hardcover Edition celebrates 100,000 copies of the book in print, and the book's on-going importance and popularity.

John Gatto was a teacher in New York City's public schools for over 30 years and is a recipient of the New York State Teacher of the Year award. A much-sought after speaker on education throughout North America, his other books include A Different Kind of Teacher (Berkeley Hills Books, 2001) and The Underground History of American Education (Oxford Village Press, 2000).

Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work (Book & CD-ROM)

Richard Dufour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker, Thomas Many

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Great Resource for PLCs 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 13 people found this review helpful.

Professional Learning Communities are the big buzz currently. Does your school district have professional learning communities? Have you wondered where to start? Have you wondered how your professional learning communities are doing? If you've wondered about any of those, then this is the book for you.

Learning by Doing is a great handbook for administrators and teachers to use as they implement professional learning communities in their school. This handbook gives an overview of the different components of the professional learning community process. As schools implement the professional learning community process this handbook is also a useful tool to assist in self reflection and evaluation.

As a school is developing professional learning communities, this handbook is a great resource to use through the process. It begins by giving advice on how to clarify the purpose of professional learning communities, how to build collaborative teams, and how to establish team norms. The collaborative foundation is essential to the success of the professional learning communities. The professional learning communities must collaborate in order to increase student achievement.

The handbook also shares information about how to collect data, how to use the data to improve results, and how to implement interventions in order to improve student achievement. These components help the professional learning community develop strategies to help each individual learner in their classroom. Schools must develop and support a pyramid of interventions in order to meet the students' needs.

This handbook includes many useful reproducible handouts and continuums which help analyze the progress of each professional learning community. The continuums are great conversation starters for the professional learning communities to use to evaluate their progress. This handbook can help your school improve the PLC process through self reflection and evaluation.

If you are looking for tools to help your Professional Learning Communities improve, this book is for you.

Editorial Review:

Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work helps educators close the knowing-doing gap as they transform their schools into professional learning communities (PLCs). This handbook is a guide for action that will: · Help educators develop a common vocabulary and consistent understanding of key PLC concepts. · Present a compelling argument that the implementation of PLC concepts will benefit students and educators alike. · Help educators assess the current reality in their own schools and districts. · Convince educators to take purposeful steps to develop their capacity to function as PLCs.

LEADERSHIP AND TRAINING FOR THE FIGHT: A FEW THOUGHTS ON LEADERSHIP AND TRAINING FROM A FORMER SPECIAL OPERATIONS SOLDIER

PAUL, R. HOWE

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Warrior's leadership lessons 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

There seems to be no shortage of leadership books available to our self-help addicted society. How many people do you know who brag about having read "The Art of War"? This is not one of these types of books. I mention "The Art of War" because I find it helpful to draw parallels between life and battle. I find that if I approach my life's commitments and challenges like all-out warfare, I tend to get after it with aggression and a hunger for success.
If you feel the same, this book might be for you. In truth, this book is geared mostly for soldiers and police specifically combatants of the special ops variety and swat officers. In short it is by and for modern Spartan warriors.
You will have to work to draw your own connections between how you run your organization, business, or life, but if you are not inspired by some of the greatest men to walk among us, you are dead inside.
If you are in charge of or lead anything and you are interested in developing your leadership skills, you will find it here. If you think that leadership in the world's harshest conditions when the bullets are flying and men are dying doesn't apply to how you run your small business, ask yourself this, "Is there a difference between kinds of leadership, or is good leadership in concept more or less the same everywhere?" The only real difference is that if you are a shooter, your failures in leadership can cost lives, in business it is only money.
If you are considering this book, take the journey and trust the author to share his ideals and wisdom with you.
This book feels aggressive and extreme in it's intent to convey to the reader not just leadership skills, but in philosophy towards life.
We all want to be like the guy in the movies who remains calm and wins in the chaos of extreme conditions, this book shows you how. If you could do this imagine how you could attack your own life.

Editorial Review:

This book will pursue an honest and frank discussion of leadership and training that is applicable to the military, law enforcement and the business world. It provides accounts of leadership successes and failures under the most severe conditions.

Your Child's Strengths: Discover Them, Develop Them, Use Them

Jenifer Fox

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Starting them on a Me Inc. journey 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

The older we get, the more we realize that life is a journey of discover into who we are; and those who help guide us along that path are called our most honored teachers. In this easy to read tutorial, educator Jenifer Fox relies on stories from her life and her life's work with children to demonstrate the importance of integrating that process into your child's education and then provides the how-to-do manual.

Arguing persuasively against systems that place all comers into a common box and then looks to identify failure (weakness) as the path to growth, Fox reminds us that we are all unique, individual beings with both weaknesses and strengths. Recognizing that our weaknesses are most often the underside of a powerful strength, educator Fox shows us how to use this strength base as a foundation for growth and learning - starting not when we are adults, but starting from an early age by incorporating this concept into our educational institutions. Recognizing that this strength positioning applies not just to students, but also to the teachers, Fox created an Affinities Program as an alternative to standardized teaching and testing methodologies.

Applying the well accepted "Head, Heart, & Hands" framework to strength understanding, Fox categorizes children's (adults too, for that matter) strengths as Learning, Relational, or Activity based, and provides examples and discovery techniques for each. If you have done any introspective analysis yourself, you will appreciate that a book cannot give the answers to your child's strengths, but this one will surely help you start them on that journey and integrate it into their educational development.

Do not be off-put by the nearly 350 pages. The book takes only 160 pages to present the usual problem/solution argument - an easy two sitting read. The next 75 pages are the how-to-do application piece for working with the child - a worthwhile book in its own right. By including the Affinities curriculum as an appendix to the book, Fox expanded the book beyond the usual < 250 page limit for the easy read designation - consider this your free gift when you buy the book.

This book is highly recommended for anyone who loves a child.

Dennis DeWilde, Author of "The Performance Connection"

Editorial Review:

An essential book for parents and teachers that explores how children's individual strengths create success.