Using Research to Lead School Improvement: Turning Evidence Into Action

This one-of-a-kind book takes readers beyond thinking about school improvement to leading the process of creating excellent learning environments. Beginning with fundamental principles of whole school leadership, the book demonstrates how action research and published studies can work hand-in-hand to explain the nature of student achievement gaps and the reasons that underlie them. Using examples from education leadership classrooms, research, and practice, the authors bring to life the processes of problem identification and diagnosis, developing solutions, and project implementation and evaluation.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgments List of Tables and Figures ELCC Standards Part I. Research and Leadership 1. A Structured Approach to Leading School Improvement 2. Research, Leaders, and Improving Student Performance 3. Involving Others, Forming a Team Part II. Problem Articulation: Using Evidence to Find Improvement Needs 4. Assessing the Local Situation 5. Communicating a Message with Data Part III. Building a Deep Understanding of the Problem 6. Getting to the Root of the Problem 7. Finding Supportive Literature 8. Understanding Research Design and Analysis Part IV. Completing the Journey: Solutions, Actions, and Implementation 9. Identifying Solutions and Action Planning for School Improvement 10. Considering Implementation and Evaluation Epilogue References Index About the Authors

About the Author :
Scott C. Bauer (Ph.D. Cornell University) serves as Associate Professor and Program Coordinator in the Education Leadership Program at George Mason University. His research interests involve the application of organizational design and theory to the improvement of schools, and the efficacy of various strategies used to develop school leaders at all levels. His most recent publications deal with the design of distributed leadership processes in schools, the development of teacher leaders, and the redesign of school leadership preparation programs. He is involved in a federally-funded three-year study of the implementation and effectiveness of a cross-district coaching and mentoring support system for new principals. He serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of School Leadership and Journal of Research for Educational Leaders, and he is an officer for the Learning and Teaching in Educational Leadership special interest group in the American Educational Research Association (AERA). S. David Brazer (Ph.D. Stanford) is an Associate Professor in the Education Leadership Program at George Mason University. Prior to coming to the College of Education and Human Development, David was a School Administrator for 12 years in the San Francisco Bay Area, serving his last six years as the Principal of Los Altos High School in Los Altos, California. David teaches primarily in the Education Leadership master′s program for students pursuing a Virginia principal′s license. He teaches in cohorts throughout Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. Recent projects also include coordinating a partnership with Fairfax County Public Schools to provide accelerated licensure to a promising group of teacher leaders.

Review :
"Hurry and get this book published. I′d like to use it in my current class. It is better than anything else I′ve seen. The book covers more topics than most textbooks. I like the way in includes the change process, the understanding of how to find high quality literature and research, and the understanding of the research processes. I also like the inclusion of the topic of assessing the context.