James H. Stronge

This invaluable resource demonstrates how to foster the development of highly qualified teachers through designing and implementing a solid teacher evaluation system.

A Guide to Current Thinking and Best Practice

Evaluating Teaching

Xianxuan Xu

For years, students in the United States have lagged behind students in many other countries on such measures of achievement as the PISA and TIMSS assessments. In an increasingly globalized world, such a gap is worrisome. Armed with statistics, examples, and cautionary tales from Scandinavia to Japan, James H. Stronge and Xianxuan Xu have written a book that can help educators better prepare students and close that gap. In What Makes a World-Class School and How We Can Get There, you will find Careful analysis of recent international assessment results—what they mean and what can be done to improve them. In-depth profiles of high-achieving education systems around the globe—their histories, their lessons learned, and what they can teach educators and policymakers in the United States. Strategies for aligning successful educational approaches from international systems to U.S. schools—which strategies to use, in which subjects, and with which students. Transformative ideas for cultivating a truly world-class system of schooling—both simple and complex ways to raise the bar for all students, no matter what their background. Educators in every country must ensure that their students are as prepared as possible to lead a future generation of citizens. This thought-provoking and copiously researched book provides educators with a blueprint for radical improvement based on the hard-learned experiences of their peers around the world.

What Makes a World-Class School and How We Can Get There

Pamela D. Tucker

This book discusses four approaches to incorporating student achievement in teacher evaluation. Seven chapters discuss: (1) "Teacher Evaluation and Student Achievement: An Introduction to the Issues"; (2) "What is the Relationship between Teaching and Learning?" (e.g., whether teachers are responsible for student learning and how to measure student learning); (3) "Assessing Teacher Performance through Comparative Student Growth: The Dallas Value-Added Accountability System"; (4) "Assessing Teacher Performance through Repeated Measures of Student Gains: The Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System"; (5) "Assessing Teacher Performance with Student Work: The Oregon Teacher Work Sample Methodology"; (6) "Assessing Teacher Performance in a Standards-Based Environment: The Thompson, Colorado, School District"; and (7) Teacher Evaluation and Student Achievement: What are the Lessons Learned and Where Do We Go from Here?" (e.g., basic requirements of fair testing programs that are to be used to inform teacher evaluation). Chapters 3-6 include information on the purposes of the accountability system and how it was developed; student assessment strategies; how the accountability system works; how the accountability system relates to teacher evaluation; the advantages and disadvantages of the accountability system for teacher evaluation; and results of implementation. (Contains 66 references.) (SM)

Teacher Evaluation and Student Achievement

Holly B. Richard

Nancy Catano

What does it take to be a good school principal? No two principals work in exactly the same way, but research shows that effective principals do focus on a core set of factors that are critical to fostering success for all students. In Qualities of Effective Principals, James H. Stronge, Holly B. Richard, and Nancy Catano delineate these factors and show principals how to successfully balance the needs and priorities of their school and continuously develop and refine their leadership skills. Throughout the book, the authors provide readers with helpful tools and extensive research that will help them to *Develop a blueprint for sustained school leadership *Create an effective school climate for learning *Select, support, and retain high-quality teachers and staff *Assess instructional high quality *Build a foundation for organizational management *Create, maintain, and strengthen community relationships *Make contributions to the professional educational community *Define their critical role in student achievement This book also includes practical skills checklists, quality indicators and red flags for effective leadership, and an extensive annotated bibliography. Qualities of Effective Principals is an excellent resource for both experienced and new principals committed to developing and leading strong schools that help all students succeed.

Qualities of Effective Principals

What does it take to be a good school principal? No two principals work exactly the same way, but research shows that effective principals focus on a core set of factors critical to fostering success among all students. In this second edition of Qualities of Effective Principals, James H. Stronge and Xianxuan Xu delineate these factors and show principals how to successfully balance the needs and priorities of their schools while continuously developing and refining their leadership skills. Throughout the book, the authors provide practical tools and extensive research that will help principals * Assess, exhibit, and harness instructional leadership to meet a school's goals. * Foster and sustain an effective school climate for learning. * Select, support, and retain high-quality teachers and staff. * Manage school resources effectively and efficiently. * Create, maintain, and strengthen internal and external community relationships. * Define their role in student achievement. This book also includes practical skills checklists, along with quality indicators and red flags for effective leadership. Qualities of Effective Principals, 2nd Edition, is an excellent resource for both experienced and new principals committed to developing and leading strong schools that help all students succeed.

Jennifer L. Hindman

Presents a research-based protocol that is more apt to select teachers who will increase student achievement.

James H. Stronge

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