The Keys to Effective Schools: Educational Reform as Continuous Improvement

Raise organizational effectiveness to improve the quality of instruction and dramatically impact student achievement! Working in tandem with the powerful National Education Association′s KEYS initiative (Keys to Excellence in Your Schools), this second edition focuses on how to change a school′s organizational structure and culture to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Each chapter, revised and updated to address continuous improvement and narrowing the achievement gap, provides a wealth of knowledge from leading experts in the field including Patricia A. Alexander, Eva L. Baker, James A. Banks, Peter Cookson, Lorna M. Earl, Richard F. Elmore, Michael Fullan, Geneva Gay, Willis D. Hawley, Jacqueline Jordan Irvine, Kenneth Leithwood, Ann Lieberman, Judith Warren Little, Lynne Miller, P. Karen Murphy, Fred M. Newmann, Sonia Nieto, Janet Ward Schofield, Walter G. Stephan, Gary Sykes, and Linda Valli. Educators at all levels, policymakers, and parents will discover how to apply the lessons learned from research. This essential handbook provides new chapters, including exemplary practice on teaching and learning for a multicultural society and on continuous school improvement. Now you can advance to the next level of change with an integral resource for school reform.

Table of Contents:
Introduction to the Second Edition - Reg Weaver Preface: The Problem of Continuous School Improvement - Donald L. Rollie 1. Educational Reform as Continuous Improvement - Michael Fullan 2. Contextualizing Learner-Centered Principles for Teachers and Teaching - P. Karen Murphy and Patricia A. Alexander 3. Improving Acheivement for All Students: The Meaning of Staff Shared Understanding and Commitment - Fred M. Newmann 4. Professional Communication and Collaboration - Judith Warren Little 5. Teacher Use of Formal Assessment in the Classroom - Eva L. Baker 6. Assessment as Learning - Lorna M. Earl 7. Transforming Professional Development: Understanding and Organizing Learning Communities - Ann Lieberman and Lynne Miller 8. Design Principles for Learner-Centered Professional Development - Willis D. Hawley and Linda Valli 9. Organizational Conditions That Enhance Teaching and Learning - Kenneth Leithwood 10. Continuous School Improvement - Willis D. Hawley and Gary Sykes 11. Essential Principles for Teaching and Learning for a Multicultural Society - James A. Banks, Peter Cookson, Geneva Gay, Willis D. Hawley, Jacqueline Jordan Irvine, Sonia Nieto, Janet Ward Schofield, and Walter G. Stephan 12. Local School Districts and Instructional Improvement - Richard F. Elmore About the Editors About the Contributors Index

About the Author :
Willis D. Hawley is Professor of Education and Public Affairs at the Univer­sity of Maryland, where he served as Dean of the College of Education from 1993 to 1998. He taught at Yale, Duke, and Vanderbilt universities before going to Maryland. He has published numerous books, articles, and book chapters dealing with teacher education, school reform, urban politics, po­litical learning, organizational change, school desegregation, and educa­tional policy. His most recent research deals with the professional develop­ment of teachers, the education of teachers (in the United States and Japan), school restructuring and effectiveness, family influences on the academic performance of Southeast Asian children in the United States, and race re­lations. He has served as consultant to numerous public agencies, includ­ing the Executive Office of the President, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Depart­ment of Education, and the World Bank, as well as many state and local governments, foundations, and professional associations. He also organized and directs the Common Destiny Alliance, a coalition of national organi­zations and scholars interested in using research to improve intergroup relations.

Review :
"This is a book that we need now more than ever. Continuous improvement stands at the heart of school leadership and school improvement. This update brings the best thinkers and the strongest voices on the topic together to help launch a stronger and deeper effort for improvement that is likely to sustain itself. Readers will find this new edition timely and helpful." -- Thomas J. Sergiovanni, Lillian Radford Professor of Education "An illuminating, must-read book that brings laser-like focus from several perspectives about the most important components in sustainable school reform." -- Jerry D. Weast, Superintendent of Schools "Provides valuable insights into how systematic reform works, offers suggestions regarding successful learning environments, and addresses the need for intensive, long-term professional development for the purpose of engaging teachers, administrators, and their colleagues in communities of practice supported by a strong school culture." -- Pedro Reyes