This book shows principals how to successfully balance the needs and priorities of their schools while continuously developing and refining their leadership skills.

"This book is filled with strategies to assist school leaders in assessing and monitoring many of the important elements that must be in place for kids to be successful. There are excellent tools that savvy leaders have been searching for—tools that will help them achieve their strategic vision of continuous improvement." —Gina Marx, Assistant Superintendent USD 262 Valley Center Schools, KS Increase your school′s effectiveness and ensure academic excellence for all students! Written by best-selling author Elaine K. McEwan, this invaluable resource identifies the distinguishing qualities and unique characteristics of schools that help all students make outstanding gains in performance. Each chapter offers a comprehensive description of a research-based trait and examines its impact on student achievement. Featuring a "10 Traits Audit" for use by schools or districts, this book provides principals and administrators with: Tools and processes to facilitate the development of each trait Snapshots of each trait in actual schools and districts Reflections from teachers and administrators who have helped create effective schools Observations on the school improvement process from noted thinkers, theorists, and scholars Examples of documents, forms, and resources used in effective schools By nurturing these traits in their schools, educational leaders can build coherent instructional programs and create schools of equity and excellence.

This book presents and theorises research findings into why and how school principals play a critical role in engaging parents and their school communities to enhance student learning and wellbeing. It highlights the imperative of parent engagement as evidenced by clear, consistent findings from research over the last fifty years and government reforms, policies and frameworks internationally and nationally in Australia which have been driven by the weight of this evidence. It focuses on a research project conducted from 2016 to 2017, titled 'Principal leadership for parent-school-community engagement in disadvantaged schools'. This project investigated four principals identified as successful in parent engagement based on findings of state-wide survey research of principals and presidents of parents and citizens’ associations in 2014 in Queensland, Australia. This book offers theoretical and empirical evidence based on literature for the qualities successful principals in parent engagement exhibit, and the strategies they take to achieve parent and community engagement. It shows how the concept of agency as achievement can be used by educators and public policy makers to enable school leaders and teachers to adopt qualities and strategies that will engage parents in their child’s learning and wellbeing, so that improved outcomes for their child and schools can result.

"I feel that this is a book that principals will be interested in purchasing and reading. It has practical advice and relevant examples of how the advice can and has been implemented." Phillip Silsby, Principal Belleville West High School, Belleville, IL "I could hear the voices of some of the principals who were interviewed speaking to me. The author clearly knows how to gather information and present it in a meaningful way." Bonnie Tryon, Zone 2 Director National Association of Elementary School Principals "This is a powerful guidebook for new principals. More than that, it also contains valuable insight and examples to assist veteran principals in growing and improving professionally." Kimberly Kay Janisch, Principal Watertown High School, Watertown, SD How can principals raise achievement levels, energize teachers, and get results? How can you remain productive and effective in this age of accountability? Highly effective principals have strong communication skills, high levels of knowledge about teaching and learning, and the ability to provide instructional leadership. This excellent, new resource provides principals, administrative teams, and educators with tremendous resources to hone these skills and traits. Ten Traits of Highly Effective Principals contains ideas, reflections, behaviors, habits, and stories from the trenches to guide and inspire as you seek to increase your own effectiveness. Each chapter in this resource describes an essential component of personal effectiveness. A highly effective principal is A communicator—listen, empathize, and connect An educator—with a depth of knowledge; motivates intellectual growth An envisioner—focused on the vision of what schools can be A facilitator—building strong relationships A change master—flexible, futuristic, and realistic, and can motivate change A culture builder—communicating and modeling a strong, viable vision An activator—with motivation, energy, and enthusiasm to spare A producer— building intellectual development and academic achievement A character builder—whose values are trustworthiness, respect, and integrity A contributor—whose priority is making contributions to the success of others Transform your school into a community of learners, set high academic and behavioral expectations, and create a culture where children feel special and safe.

What makes a great school leader? Contrary to what many believe, the answer is not tied to a certain kind of personality but to specific behaviors and actions that have positive effects on student achievement—behaviors and actions that any school leader can learn and put into practice. Over the last decade, thousands of school principals have done that, by implementing “balanced leadership,” an approach that recognizes the need to both maintain and challenge the status quo in order to move schools forward. Building on the analysis that was first reported in School Leadership That Works, the authors of Balanced Leadership identify the 21 responsibilities associated with effective leadership and show how they relate to three overarching responsibilities: * Establishing a clear focus—keeping the work and the conversations targeted on the issues that matter most; * Managing change—understanding how to skillfully steer through the challenges associated with making improvements, both large and small; and * Developing a purposeful community—creating a sense among all teachers and staff that they are invested in student outcomes and that they can make a difference. For each of these areas, key points and specific practices are described in detail and illustrated with stories from school principals who have successfully learned how to become great leaders. Step-by-step tools provide clear guidance for readers who are ready to make the same kind of journey—one with the potential to transform them and the schools they serve.

Remember those great teachers who made you excited about learning? Remember how it felt to be in their classes and to experience how they made their classrooms come alive? What made those teachers special? What qualities and skills did they have to ignite student learning? Most important, how did those teachers help their students become successful?In Qualities of Effective Teachers, 2nd edition, James H. Stronge shows educators how to recreate this same excitement and enthusiasm in their own classrooms by describing the characteristics and skills of effective teachers. Stronge synthesizes research to identify specific teacher behaviors that contribute to student achievement. Rather than look at outside factors like demographics, district leadership, and state mandates, Stronge focuses specifically on what teachers can control: their own preparation, personality, and practices.Learn how effective teachers*Prepare to be effective educators.*Establish, manage, and maintain learning-focused classroom environments.*Organize time, communicate expectations, and plan instruction.*Present curriculum to support active and engaged learning.*Monitor student progress, identify student potential, and meet the needs of special populations in the classroom.This second edition includes new tips and tools for engaging at-risk students and high-ability students. It also includes skills checklists and an expanded, annotated bibliography to provide a springboard for further insight and exploration. Teachers, educators who hire teachers, teacher leaders, supervisors, and teachers-in-training can all use this book to learn to how to develop better teachers and to improve the quality of learning for all students.

Inspire yourself and others with the second edition of this best-selling book. With heartfelt advice, practical wisdom, and examples from the field, Todd Whitaker explains the qualities and practices that distinguish great principals. New features include: Developing an accurate sense of self Understanding the dynamics of change Dealing with negative or ineffective staff members One of the nation’s leading experts on staff motivation, teacher leadership, and principal effectiveness, Todd Whitaker has written over 20 powerful books for educators of every level. Discover what you can do differently.