Creating and Sustaining Small Learning Communities
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Description
"Creating and sustaining small learning communities is not for the faint of heart. Without this invaluable resource and the talents and expertise of the writer, we likely would have done neither."
—Cynthia Conwell, School Improvement Facilitator
Houston Independent School District, TX
"Strikes the right balance between theory and practice. This extensive text and impressive electronic tool kit reflects a national perspective on school reform gleaned from the author's many years of partnering with school systems for success for all students and teachers."
—Gary Norris, Superintendent
Sarasota County Public Schools, FL
"Builds capacity in applying research to practice, providing strategies to improve teaching and learning that maximize student achievement, and using tools and techniques that enable staff to implement, share, and sustain new learning."
—Kent Mathers, Assistant Superintendent
Yukon Public Schools, OK
Transform your high school into a high-performing environment for teaching and learning!
This research-based, fully revised edition of Creating and Sustaining Small Learning Communities demonstrates how to empower school teams and foster the professional practices that create a true climate for success. Author Grace Sammon offers school leaders a step-by-step approach for redesigning high schools into small learning communities (SLC) that cultivate sound instructional methods and personalized learning environments for students.
Presenting a hands-on process that addresses data, personalization, partnerships, curriculum, and instruction, this book moves educational leaders and school reformers from an appreciation of SLC to the nuts and bolts of collaborating and doing the work of improving school culture and academic achievement. With a focus on getting results, the text offers:
- A CD-ROM tool kit with over 30 planning templates and data collection and assessment tools for developing, sustaining, and evaluating a successful school transformation to SLC
- Frequently asked questions about how SLC benefit students and schools
- Procedures to create school-based teams to jump-start and sustain data-driven discussions and decision making
This resource and collection of tools is ideal for school leaders who are serious about continuous improvement to ensure success for all students.
Contents
List of Artwork
List of Artwork
List of Tool Kit Files
List of Tool Kit Files
Preface
Preface
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
About the Author
About the Author
1. The Journey Begins
- Background
- The Mandate for School Reform
- Benefits of SLC
- Who Makes It Happen? The Practitioner's Role
- Key Elements of Effective Redesign Efforts
- Looking at Design Options
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
2. Formation, Study, and Awareness: The Sum of the Parts
- Understanding the Process of Change
- What Do We Want a Graduate to Look Like?
- What Does the Ideal Teacher Look Like?
- Are We Producing That Now? The Data Discussion Begins
- What "Real" Might Look Like
- Building a "Commitment Framework": Agreements Needed for Success
- Building Your Local Definition: Establishing Structures
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
3. Leading an Improvement Process: Changes in Practice Are Inevitable
- Creating a Theory of Change
- Where to Begin With Building Capacity
- Establish Relationships
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
4. The Plan?s the Thing: Establishing Structures
- Initiative Alignment and Partnership Audit
- Creating Working Teams
- The Punch List: 100+ Things for Teams to Think About and Work Through
- How Much Will SLC Implementation Cost?
- Reality Check: Strengths and Deficit Mapping
- The Planning Stage
- The Ninth Grade Experience
- How Fast Do We Have to Go?
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
5. Establishing SLC Teams: Developing the Mission, Culture, and Schedule
- Creating Teams
- Creating Specific SLC Teams
- Building the Team
- The Team Sets the Agenda
- Mission
- Commitment to Students and Families
- Scheduling
- School Practices
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
6. Curriculum for College and Careers
- Curriculum Defined
- Understanding and Addressing Academic and Industry Skills Standards
- From Goals 2000 to SCANS: What Work Requires of Schools
- Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Identifying and Honing the SLC Curriculum: Pathways, Courses, and Integration
- 'Quick Wins" Curriculum Tools
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
7. Professional Practice
- Moving Into Data-Driven Discussions
- A Culture of Literacy
- Data, Data Everywhere
- Use of Time
- Professional Development
- Will This Impact Student Achievement?
- Pulling the Pieces Together
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
8. Powerful Partnerships
- Partnership Defined
- Partnership Possibilities
- Business Basics
- Key Ingredients in Creating and Sustaining Partnerships
- Structures and Strategies
- Work-Based Learning
- The "Why" of Employability Skills
- The "When" of Employability Skills
- Developing Work-Based Experiences
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
9. The Student Experience: Making It Personal
- School-Based Structures
- Personalizing the Learning Experience
- Service Learning/Community Service
- The Senior Experience
- Student Voice
- More About Work-Based Learning: Brief, Perform, and Debrief Everything
- A Word About Placements
- Job Shadowing
- Mentorships
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
10. Sustaining: The Experts Are Among Us
- Revisiting the Practitioner?s Role
- What Will It Take to Succeed?
- What Do Success and Sustainability Look Like?
- Taking Stock: Study Process and the Peer Review
- Study Tools to Get You Started
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
- The Journey Continues
Resources
Resources
References
References
Index
Index
Description
"Creating and sustaining small learning communities is not for the faint of heart. Without this invaluable resource and the talents and expertise of the writer, we likely would have done neither."
—Cynthia Conwell, School Improvement Facilitator
Houston Independent School District, TX
"Strikes the right balance between theory and practice. This extensive text and impressive electronic tool kit reflects a national perspective on school reform gleaned from the author's many years of partnering with school systems for success for all students and teachers."
—Gary Norris, Superintendent
Sarasota County Public Schools, FL
"Builds capacity in applying research to practice, providing strategies to improve teaching and learning that maximize student achievement, and using tools and techniques that enable staff to implement, share, and sustain new learning."
—Kent Mathers, Assistant Superintendent
Yukon Public Schools, OK
Transform your high school into a high-performing environment for teaching and learning!
This research-based, fully revised edition of Creating and Sustaining Small Learning Communities demonstrates how to empower school teams and foster the professional practices that create a true climate for success. Author Grace Sammon offers school leaders a step-by-step approach for redesigning high schools into small learning communities (SLC) that cultivate sound instructional methods and personalized learning environments for students.
Presenting a hands-on process that addresses data, personalization, partnerships, curriculum, and instruction, this book moves educational leaders and school reformers from an appreciation of SLC to the nuts and bolts of collaborating and doing the work of improving school culture and academic achievement. With a focus on getting results, the text offers:
- A CD-ROM tool kit with over 30 planning templates and data collection and assessment tools for developing, sustaining, and evaluating a successful school transformation to SLC
- Frequently asked questions about how SLC benefit students and schools
- Procedures to create school-based teams to jump-start and sustain data-driven discussions and decision making
This resource and collection of tools is ideal for school leaders who are serious about continuous improvement to ensure success for all students.
Contents
List of Artwork
List of Artwork
List of Tool Kit Files
List of Tool Kit Files
Preface
Preface
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
About the Author
About the Author
1. The Journey Begins
- Background
- The Mandate for School Reform
- Benefits of SLC
- Who Makes It Happen? The Practitioner's Role
- Key Elements of Effective Redesign Efforts
- Looking at Design Options
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
2. Formation, Study, and Awareness: The Sum of the Parts
- Understanding the Process of Change
- What Do We Want a Graduate to Look Like?
- What Does the Ideal Teacher Look Like?
- Are We Producing That Now? The Data Discussion Begins
- What "Real" Might Look Like
- Building a "Commitment Framework": Agreements Needed for Success
- Building Your Local Definition: Establishing Structures
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
3. Leading an Improvement Process: Changes in Practice Are Inevitable
- Creating a Theory of Change
- Where to Begin With Building Capacity
- Establish Relationships
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
4. The Plan?s the Thing: Establishing Structures
- Initiative Alignment and Partnership Audit
- Creating Working Teams
- The Punch List: 100+ Things for Teams to Think About and Work Through
- How Much Will SLC Implementation Cost?
- Reality Check: Strengths and Deficit Mapping
- The Planning Stage
- The Ninth Grade Experience
- How Fast Do We Have to Go?
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
5. Establishing SLC Teams: Developing the Mission, Culture, and Schedule
- Creating Teams
- Creating Specific SLC Teams
- Building the Team
- The Team Sets the Agenda
- Mission
- Commitment to Students and Families
- Scheduling
- School Practices
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
6. Curriculum for College and Careers
- Curriculum Defined
- Understanding and Addressing Academic and Industry Skills Standards
- From Goals 2000 to SCANS: What Work Requires of Schools
- Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Identifying and Honing the SLC Curriculum: Pathways, Courses, and Integration
- 'Quick Wins" Curriculum Tools
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
7. Professional Practice
- Moving Into Data-Driven Discussions
- A Culture of Literacy
- Data, Data Everywhere
- Use of Time
- Professional Development
- Will This Impact Student Achievement?
- Pulling the Pieces Together
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
8. Powerful Partnerships
- Partnership Defined
- Partnership Possibilities
- Business Basics
- Key Ingredients in Creating and Sustaining Partnerships
- Structures and Strategies
- Work-Based Learning
- The "Why" of Employability Skills
- The "When" of Employability Skills
- Developing Work-Based Experiences
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
9. The Student Experience: Making It Personal
- School-Based Structures
- Personalizing the Learning Experience
- Service Learning/Community Service
- The Senior Experience
- Student Voice
- More About Work-Based Learning: Brief, Perform, and Debrief Everything
- A Word About Placements
- Job Shadowing
- Mentorships
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
10. Sustaining: The Experts Are Among Us
- Revisiting the Practitioner?s Role
- What Will It Take to Succeed?
- What Do Success and Sustainability Look Like?
- Taking Stock: Study Process and the Peer Review
- Study Tools to Get You Started
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
- The Journey Continues
Resources
Resources
References
References
Index
Index
Reviews
Creating and Sustaining Small Learning Communities
Strategies and Tools for Transforming High Schools
September 2007 | 248 pages | Corwin
| Format | Published Date | ISBN | Price |
|---|
"Creating and sustaining small learning communities is not for the faint of heart. Without this invaluable resource and the talents and expertise of the writer, we likely would have done neither."
—Cynthia Conwell, School Improvement Facilitator
Houston Independent School District, TX
"Strikes the right balance between theory and practice. This extensive text and impressive electronic tool kit reflects a national perspective on school reform gleaned from the author's many years of partnering with school systems for success for all students and teachers."
—Gary Norris, Superintendent
Sarasota County Public Schools, FL
"Builds capacity in applying research to practice, providing strategies to improve teaching and learning that maximize student achievement, and using tools and techniques that enable staff to implement, share, and sustain new learning."
—Kent Mathers, Assistant Superintendent
Yukon Public Schools, OK
Transform your high school into a high-performing environment for teaching and learning!
This research-based, fully revised edition of Creating and Sustaining Small Learning Communities demonstrates how to empower school teams and foster the professional practices that create a true climate for success. Author Grace Sammon offers school leaders a step-by-step approach for redesigning high schools into small learning communities (SLC) that cultivate sound instructional methods and personalized learning environments for students.
Presenting a hands-on process that addresses data, personalization, partnerships, curriculum, and instruction, this book moves educational leaders and school reformers from an appreciation of SLC to the nuts and bolts of collaborating and doing the work of improving school culture and academic achievement. With a focus on getting results, the text offers:
- A CD-ROM tool kit with over 30 planning templates and data collection and assessment tools for developing, sustaining, and evaluating a successful school transformation to SLC
- Frequently asked questions about how SLC benefit students and schools
- Procedures to create school-based teams to jump-start and sustain data-driven discussions and decision making
This resource and collection of tools is ideal for school leaders who are serious about continuous improvement to ensure success for all students.
Table Of Contents:
- List of Artwork
- List of Tool Kit Files
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- 1. The Journey Begins
- Background
- The Mandate for School Reform
- Benefits of SLC
- Who Makes It Happen? The Practitioner's Role
- Key Elements of Effective Redesign Efforts
- Looking at Design Options
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
- 2. Formation, Study, and Awareness: The Sum of the Parts
- Understanding the Process of Change
- What Do We Want a Graduate to Look Like?
- What Does the Ideal Teacher Look Like?
- Are We Producing That Now? The Data Discussion Begins
- What "Real" Might Look Like
- Building a "Commitment Framework": Agreements Needed for Success
- Building Your Local Definition: Establishing Structures
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
- 3. Leading an Improvement Process: Changes in Practice Are Inevitable
- Creating a Theory of Change
- Where to Begin With Building Capacity
- Establish Relationships
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
- 4. The Plan?s the Thing: Establishing Structures
- Initiative Alignment and Partnership Audit
- Creating Working Teams
- The Punch List: 100+ Things for Teams to Think About and Work Through
- How Much Will SLC Implementation Cost?
- Reality Check: Strengths and Deficit Mapping
- The Planning Stage
- The Ninth Grade Experience
- How Fast Do We Have to Go?
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
- 5. Establishing SLC Teams: Developing the Mission, Culture, and Schedule
- Creating Teams
- Creating Specific SLC Teams
- Building the Team
- The Team Sets the Agenda
- Mission
- Commitment to Students and Families
- Scheduling
- School Practices
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
- 6. Curriculum for College and Careers
- Curriculum Defined
- Understanding and Addressing Academic and Industry Skills Standards
- From Goals 2000 to SCANS: What Work Requires of Schools
- Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Identifying and Honing the SLC Curriculum: Pathways, Courses, and Integration
- 'Quick Wins" Curriculum Tools
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
- 7. Professional Practice
- Moving Into Data-Driven Discussions
- A Culture of Literacy
- Data, Data Everywhere
- Use of Time
- Professional Development
- Will This Impact Student Achievement?
- Pulling the Pieces Together
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
- 8. Powerful Partnerships
- Partnership Defined
- Partnership Possibilities
- Business Basics
- Key Ingredients in Creating and Sustaining Partnerships
- Structures and Strategies
- Work-Based Learning
- The "Why" of Employability Skills
- The "When" of Employability Skills
- Developing Work-Based Experiences
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
- 9. The Student Experience: Making It Personal
- School-Based Structures
- Personalizing the Learning Experience
- Service Learning/Community Service
- The Senior Experience
- Student Voice
- More About Work-Based Learning: Brief, Perform, and Debrief Everything
- A Word About Placements
- Job Shadowing
- Mentorships
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
- 10. Sustaining: The Experts Are Among Us
- Revisiting the Practitioner?s Role
- What Will It Take to Succeed?
- What Do Success and Sustainability Look Like?
- Taking Stock: Study Process and the Peer Review
- Study Tools to Get You Started
- At a Glance: Summing It Up and Next Steps
- The Journey Continues
- Resources
- References
- Index