Download Free Making Schools Matter Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online Making Schools Matter and write the review.

At the heart of education are two fundamental questions: What should we teach? and How should we teach it? Educators striving to design and deliver the best-possible learning experiences can feel overwhelmed by the possibilities. To help them make these critical decisions, Angela Di Michele Lalor identifies five key priorities of a curriculum that matters—practices, deep thinking, social and emotional learning, civic engagement and discourse, and equity. Emphasizing the importance of schools' determining their own path forward, Lalor provides a framework for action by * Describing how each element contributes to a rigorous, meaningful curriculum, * Providing strategies for incorporating each element into daily instruction and assessment, and * Offering reflection activities to identify strengths, needs, and possible next steps. With insightful observations, research-based background information, and real-world examples from a variety of schools and districts, Making Curriculum Matter presents teachers and administrators with a path for reaching their most important overall goal: to provide comprehensive, meaningful learning to all students.
"In Making Grades Matter: Standards-Based Grading in a Secondary PLC authors Matt Townsley and Nathan L. Wear provide readers with a practical guide toward the implementation of the standards-based grading system. Although much has been written about the concept and advantages of standards-based grading, in this book, the authors focus specifically on implementing the framework at the secondary level with the vital support of a professional learning community (PLC). As such, this book provides a roadmap that secondary school educators and administrators working in a PLC can utilize to initiate the multiyear process toward implementing standards-based grading schoolwide or districtwide. Not only are each of the practices needed for this change covered in detail, but each practice is connected directly with one of three foundational principles of standards-based grading. In this book, readers will find all of the tools, resources, and guidance they need to not only implement the standards-based grading system in their schools but, through collaborative work within a PLC, achieve the greatest possible success with it"--
Most of us assume that public schools in America are unequal—that the quality of the education varies with the location of the school and that as a result, children learn more in the schools that serve mostly rich, white kids than in the schools serving mostly poor, black kids. But it turns out that this common assumption is misplaced. As Douglas B. Downey shows in How Schools Really Matter, achievement gaps have very little to do with what goes on in our schools. Not only do schools not exacerbate inequality in skills, they actually help to level the playing field. The real sources of achievement gaps are elsewhere. A close look at the testing data in seasonal patterns bears this out. It turns out that achievement gaps in reading skills between high- and low-income children are nearly entirely formed prior to kindergarten, and schools do more to reduce them than increase them. And when gaps do increase, they tend to do so during summers, not during school periods. So why do both liberal and conservative politicians strongly advocate for school reform, arguing that the poor quality of schools serving disadvantaged children is an important contributor to inequality? It’s because discussing the broader social and economic reforms necessary for really reducing inequality has become too challenging and polarizing—it’s just easier to talk about fixing schools. Of course, there are differences that schools can make, and Downey outlines the kinds of reforms that make sense given what we know about inequality outside of schools, including more school exposure, increased standardization, and better and fairer school and teacher measurements. ? How Schools Really Matter offers a firm rebuke to those who find nothing but fault in our schools, which are doing a much better than job than we give them credit for. It should also be a call to arms for educators and policymakers: the bottom line is that if we are serious about reducing inequality, we are going to have to fight some battles that are bigger than school reform—battles against the social inequality that is reflected within, rather than generated by—our public school system.
This inspiring collection of accounts from educators and students is “an essential resource for all those seeking to build an antiracist school system” (Ibram X. Kendi). Since 2016, the Black Lives Matter at School movement has carved a new path for racial justice in education. A growing coalition of educators, students, parents and others have established an annual week of action during the first week of February. This anthology shares vital lessons that have been learned through this important work. In this volume, Bettina Love makes a powerful case for abolitionist teaching, Brian Jones looks at the historical context of the ongoing struggle for racial justice in education, and prominent teacher union leaders discuss the importance of anti-racism in their unions. Black Lives Matter at School includes essays, interviews, poems, resolutions, and more from participants across the country who have been building the movement on the ground.
Uses the information gathered by the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 1995 to examine the connection between curriculum and achievement in the teaching of science and mathematics.
Making Number Talks Matter is about the myriad decisions facing teachers as they make this fifteen-minute daily routine a vibrant and vital part of their mathematics instruction. Throughout the book, Cathy Humphreys and Ruth Parker offer practical ideas for using Number Talks to help students learn to reason numerically and build a solid foundation for the study of mathematics. This book will be an invaluable resource whether you are already using Number Talks or not; whether you are an elementary, middle school, high school, or college teacher; or even if you are a parent wanting to support your child with mathematics. Using insight gained from many years of doing Number Talks with students of all ages, Cathy and Ruth address questions to ask during Number Talks, teacher moves that turn the thinking over to students, the mathematics behind the various strategies, and ways to overcome bumps in the road. If you've been looking for ways to transform your mathematics classroom--to bring sense-making and divergent thinking to the foreground, to bring the Standards for Mathematical Practice to life, and to bring joy back into your instruction--this book is for you.
We know that curriculum is the core of the classroom experience, but what makes a quality curriculum? How can educators be sure that what they teach is strongly aligned to the specific standards that their district or school has adopted? What kinds of lessons, learning experiences, and assessments are most effective, and how should they be embedded within the curriculum? You'll find the answers to these and many other questions in this definitive, step-by-step guide to curriculum design and evaluation. Drawing from her work with teachers and administrators to facilitate curriculum development, Angela Di Michele Lalor offers targeted advice and real-life examples from elementary and secondary units of study across a variety of content areas and standards, as well as field-tested rubrics, protocols, and other tools. She provides criteria for evaluating each component of a curriculum and end-of-chapter checklists to help you ensure that the criteria are met. Relevant to anyone who is creating or revising curriculum, or evaluating options among published alternatives, Ensuring High-Quality Curriculum is a comprehensive and accessible roadmap to developing a solid foundation for teaching and learning--and better results in the classroom.
Making Schools Matter is an anthology of articles and interviews about classroom issues of continuing importance in education today. The contributors to this anthology are drawn from across Canada as well as abroad. They offer practical advice on how to develop anti-racism and anti-sexism programs; to interest students in science; make history and social studies relevant; create a curriculum that's dedicated to social justice. Watching these good teachers at work, we too can learn to engage students in their subjects, stretch them as individuals, and help them to think as part of a larger community. Teachers who care about the role schools play in creating thoughtful, well-rounded individuals in a democratic society will find Making Schools Matter a rich source of ideas. An Our Schools/Our Selves book.
More than half of 9th graders in the United States will never complete a college degree. High schools must do more than prepare some students for college: They must prepare all American youth for productive lives as well as continued learning beyond high school. In this timely volume, two educational leaders advocate for a more meaningful high school experience. To accomplish this, the authors argue that we need to change the focus of our current high school reform efforts from "college for all" to "careers for all." This work shows how schools can prepare young people both for the emerging workplace and postsecondary education.
While race and culture remain important variables in how young people experience schools, they are often misunderstood by educators and school personnel. Building on three studies that investigated schools successful in closing the achievement gap, Tyrone Howard shows how adopting greater awareness and comprehensive understanding of race and culture can improve educational outcomes. Important reading for anyone who is genuinely committed to promoting educational equity and excellence for all children, this accessible book: Outlines the changing racial, ethnic, and cultural demographics in U.S. schools. Calls for educators to pay serious attention to how race and culture play out in school settings. Presents empirical data from schools that have improved achievement outcomes for racially and culturally diverse students. Focuses on ways in which educators can partner with parents and communities.