At The MTPT Project we know that teaching can be a sustainable career choice for parents, and in this essential handbook, we show you how. Supported by case studies celebrating the best that the family friendly schools and happy teachers in our community have to offer, this book is a lifeline for both educators aspiring to combine their passion for teaching with becoming a parent, and the school leader who wants to empower them. However you become a parent, or choose to grow your family and your career, this handbook will provide you with the guidance and cheerleading that you need to fulfil your personal and professional aspirations. The book is divided into nine chapters, guiding readers from the first considerations of family planning, all the way through to the reality that some teachers and leaders may choose to leave classrooms for good. Each chapter includes: the latest research on working families legalities associated with different stages of working parenthood (including discrimination and how to avoid it as an employer and address it as an employee) case studies from our community suggestions for individuals and schools recommended further reading. Each chapter will help you to navigate the journey from planning a family, to stepping in and out of teaching to suit your parenting needs, to creating family friendly working environments, whatever your role in school. With its mixture of research-informed solutions, hints and tips, this text is perfect for colleagues embarking on their parenting journey and school leaders who want to take practical steps to retain and empower valued colleagues.

Designed for easy use by school administrators and teachers, this illustrated publication presents strategies to help in the involvement of parents and families, including single parents and those with limited English skills, as more active participants in their children's education. The suggested strategies are appropriate for all students, including those with special needs, and focus on improved communication between educators and families in the areas of: school programs, activities, and procedures; the progress of individual students; and home activities which can improve children's school learning.

Something is terribly wrong with our schools. How did a place that should be a sanctuary for kids becomes a source of fear and intimidation? What has happened? In Creating Emotionally Safe Schools, Jane Bluestein offers a plan to return schools to havens of nurturing and learning. She examines environmental, historical, developmental, psychological, sociological, interpersonal, instructional and administrative factors that contribute to the emotional climate of an educational institution. This is a comprehensive view of what makes a school feel the way it feels, and what we can do to make it feel safe for every child—and every adult—who walks through its doors. Emotional safety has many dimensions, such as: the impact of the family and early development, childhood stress and coping, the changing role of the school, acceptance and emotional support, respect and belonging, temperament and labels, gangs and violence, instructional strategies, learning styles and multiple intelligences, teacher training and support, and the inherent need for a sense of community. The message Jane Bluestein brings is positive: information, programs and solutions are available that can ultimately make our schools inviting, inspiring, and, yes—safe. Includes: Comprehensive list of references and resources Complete index

Strengthen programs of family and community engagement to promote equity and increase student success! When schools, families, and communities collaborate and share responsibility for students′ education, more students succeed in school. Based on 30 years of research and fieldwork, the fourth edition of the bestseller School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, presents tools and guidelines to help develop more effective and more equitable programs of family and community engagement. Written by a team of well-known experts, it provides a theory and framework of six types of involvement for action; up-to-date research on school, family, and community collaboration; and new materials for professional development and on-going technical assistance. Readers also will find: Examples of best practices on the six types of involvement from preschools, and elementary, middle, and high schools Checklists, templates, and evaluations to plan goal-linked partnership programs and assess progress CD-ROM with slides and notes for two presentations: A new awareness session to orient colleagues on the major components of a research-based partnership program, and a full One-Day Team Training Workshop to prepare school teams to develop their partnership programs. As a foundational text, this handbook demonstrates a proven approach to implement and sustain inclusive, goal-linked programs of partnership. It shows how a good partnership program is an essential component of good school organization and school improvement for student success. This book will help every district and all schools strengthen and continually improve their programs of family and community engagement.

Smashing Glass Ceilings is the book to help elevate and excite women across the education sector to become confident, successful and fulfilled in their careers. Empowerment can look and feel different for everyone, and this book is designed to show every woman how you can succeed in the education sector. In addition to providing a wealth of advice about leadership progression, bestselling author and presenter Kate Jones shares guidance on alternative options to leadership for women in education. Have you ever thought about launching and hosting your own podcast about teaching and learning? Are you keen to lead professional development training internally and/or externally? Are you a keen writer but not sure how to set up a website to blog or how to get published? Helpful tips and suggestions for these routes and more are presented alongside a wide range of diverse case studies and interviews that shine a spotlight on innovative women, from school leaders to entrepreneurs in education. The book also contains advice for male colleagues so that they too can help empower women in education. This book will provide advice, guidance and inspiration for all women in education regardless of age, role or experience.

It is self-evident that parents and children garner the benefits of a great teacher but also pay some kind of price for anything less than a sterling teacher. Likewise, teachers and children share the advantages of committed, capable parents, but also suffer consequences when parental responsibility and efficacy falters. Therefore, parents and teachers must be allies who share common expectations, methods, and goals. This book, divided into three parts will help everyone achieve this goal.