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| Commentaries on Leadership: |
Design and Promote Teamwork |
by Dennis Sparks |
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"Team learning is vital because teams, not individuals, are the fundamental learning unit in modern organizations”
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I believe that it’s essential that leaders value teamwork among teachers and structure such teamwork around worthy goals and interdependent work. Among other important responsibilities, it is essential that leaders take an active role in designing the types of work in which teachers engage. For instance, when leaders design structures that promote genuine teamwork among teachers and interpersonal accountability for improved student learning, many teachers may for the first time engage in professional conversations that are results-oriented and that commit them to implementing new practices.
As teachers work in teams for the explicit purpose of continuously improving the learning of all students—a goal that cannot be achieved when teachers work in isolation—shifts in attitudes and beliefs are likely to occur as teachers experience success through experimentation with new practices acquired from their peers or through other professional learning processes. Rather than thinking their way into new ways of acting, teachers act themselves into new ways of thinking.
- After writing your statement, share it with colleagues for the purpose of better understanding your own views and those of others.
- To promote learning and to counter the debate and defensiveness that often occur when individuals advocate the "truth" of their points of view, I encourage you to offer your belief in the spirit of mutual inquiry with a genuine openness to being influenced by others.
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Dennis Sparks is emeritus executive director of the National Staff Development Council (nsdc.org) and serves as a “thinking partner” to leadership teams of education organizations. He is the author of the best-selling book Leading For Results (corwinpress.com), and his Leading Through Learning essays are co-published by NSDC and Phi Delta Kappa International (pdkintl.org/publications/leading.htm). He can be reached at dennis.sparks@comcast.net.
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Failure Is Not an Option®: Institute
Denver, Colorado • November 11-14, 2008 |
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About the Denver Institute: |
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This Institute will focus on creating a bold vision for 21 st-century, standards-based education based on the Failure Is Not an Option® process. Teams will learn how to apply data, effectively build collaborative teams, and develop systems for improving teaching and learning. Special attention will be spent on building leadership capacity - within and across schools - to engage students and achieve long-term success. Leading educational experts will review how high-performing schools effectively promote and utilize collaborative teaming and instructional leadership to sustain student achievement. |
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Learn How:
- High-performing schools are succeeding in closing achievement gaps within and between schools
- To utilize evidenced-based classroom instruction
- To develop teacher leadership and build capacity
- Utilize RtI to reach all learners
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Topics Will Include:
- RtI
Three Critical Interventions for Effective District/School Reform
- Turnaround Schools/Turnaround Systems
- Failure Is Not an Option®: Creating High-Performing School Cultures
- Collaborative Teaming Focused on Teaching and Learning
- Powerful Coaching for Educational Leaders
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| In This Issue |
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| Littleton Public Schools in the 21st Century |
| by Dan Maas, Chief Information Officer at Littleton Public Schools in Colorado |
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| The communities served by Littleton Public Schools are quiet suburbs of metropolitan Denver which can be described as traditional in most senses of the word. This is a community that still holds parades and people come to Main Street to cheer, even in the pouring rain. Local farmers’ markets are a regular occurrence here and there are still plenty of properties supporting horses and live-stock right in town. Unlike what you might expect based on the stereotypes of communities with traditional values, our district has some amazing stories of 21st Century learning. While much is happening here, I’d like to point out a few bright lights. Read more |
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| Culture Trumps Poverty When It Comes to Achievement Gaps |
| by Donna Walker Tileston |
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In this country, we have spent countless millions in an effort to close achievement gaps for children from poverty. We have disaggregated data, examined item analysis studies on state tests, and set aside many hours of instructional time in an effort to raise the scores of children from poverty and minority groups. Yet, we still have glaring achievement gaps.
In discussing 2007 test score results (STAR) for his state, California State Superintendent for.. Read more |
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Donna Walker Tileston Ed.D. serves education as a leader in teaching, teacher education, administration, research, writing, software development, and consulting. Read more. |
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| Building Courageous Leadership Capacity |
| by Alan Blankstein |
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| In the past decade, there has been a growing consensus around the elements necessary to succeed with students who have traditionally done poorly in school (Carlson, Shagle-Shah, & Ramirez, 1999; Carter, 2002; Holloway, 2004; Johnson & Asera, 1999). Those elements include: engaging curriculum, good teachers, clear goals, safe and orderly environment, high expectations and good parental relations. Read more |
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| Alan Blankstein is Founder and President of the HOPE Foundation, a
not-for-profit organization is dedicated to supporting educational leaders over time in
creating school cultures where failure is not an option for any student. Alan is author of the best-selling book Failure Is Not an Option®: Six Principles That Guide Student Achievement in High-Performing Schools, which has been awarded “Book of the Year” by the National Staff Development Council. Currently, Alan is Senior Editor along with Paul Houston of the eight-volume The Soul of Educational Leadership series. |
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