Leading with Focus: Elevating the Essentials for School and District Improvement

by Mike Schmoker

Overview

In his 2011 ASCD best-seller Focus: Elevating the Essentials to Radically Improve Student Learning, author Mike Schmoker described a fresh pproach to K-12 teaching built on three core elements: a focused and coherent curriculum; clear, prioritized lessons; and purposeful reading and writing, or authentic literacy. Now, in Leading with Focus, he shows administrators, principals, and other education leaders how to apply his model to the work of running schools and districts. In this companion to his previous book, Schmoker offers

* An overview of the case for simple, focused school and district leadership—demonstrating its power for vastly improving the work of teachers and leaders.
* Examples of real schools and districts that have embraced focused leadership—and the incredible results for student learning.
* A practical, flexible, and easy-to-follow implementation guide for ensuring focused leadership in schools and districts.

All students deserve to learn in schools where educators eschew distractions and superfluous activities to concentrate on what's most important. To that end, this book is an essential resource for leaders ready to streamline their practice and focus their efforts on radically improving student learning.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781416621362
Publisher:	ASCD
Publication date:	01/20/2016
Pages:	148
Sales rank:	171,620
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Mike Schmoker is a former administrator, English teacher, and football coach. He has written six books and dozens of articles for educational journals, newspapers, and Time magazine. His is the author of the best-seller Focus: Elevating the Essentials to Radically Improve Student Learning (2011) and Results Now (2006), a finalist for the Association of Education Publishers’ Book of the Year award.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Focused Leadership: Doing Less--and Doing It Better

2. Leadership Opportunities in the Three Key Areas: Curriculum, Literacy, and Instruction

3. Focused Leadership in Action: Examples from Other Schools and Districts

4. An Implementation Guide for Focused Leadership

Appendix A: The Elements of Effective Lessons

Appendix B: Curriculum Template

References

About the Author

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