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3 strands form strong school leadership

By Jonathan Saphier, Matt King and John D’Auria
April 2006
If you go to a teacher team meeting and observe well, you can tell if a school is on the move. Take a typical school district on a Tuesday. At the high school, the four teachers who teach 9th-grade algebra are meeting. Across town at Parker Elementary, the three 4th-grade teachers are having their 60-minute weekly meeting. Later in the day, the social studies team at the middle school will be meeting. What do they spend their time doing? What beliefs about students are revealed in their talk? How honestly and nondefensively do they deal with one another?   The literature is clear and consistent that schools with strong organizational cultures produce the best results for children, especially children who are disadvantaged and behind grade

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References

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DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & Karhanek, G. (2004). Whatever it takes. Bloomington, IN: National Educational Services.

Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., & McKee, A. (2002). Primal leadership: Realizing the power of emotional intelligence. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

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Newmann, F.M. & Wehlage, G.G. (1995). Successful school restructuring. Madison, WI: Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools.

Patterson, K., Grenny, J., McMillan, R., & Switzer, A. (2002). Crucial conversations: Tools for talking when stakes are high. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Reeves, D.B. (2002). The leader’s guide to standards: A blueprint for educational equity and excellence. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Rosenberg, M.B. (2003). Nonviolent communication: A language of life (2nd ed.). Encinitas, CA: Puddle Dancer Press.

Saphier, J.D. & Gower, R. (1997). The skillful teacher: Building your teaching skills. Acton, MA: Research for Better Teaching.

Schlechty, P.C. (2000). Shaking up the schoolhouse: How to support and sustain educational innovation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Schmoker, M. (1999). Results: The key to continuous improvement (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Stone, D., Patton, B., & Heen, S. (1999). Difficult conversations: How to discuss what matters most. New York: Penguin Books.


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