Full Description
"Unmistakable Impact takes us deeper into the realm of grounded school improvement—a great contribution to the field."
—Michael Fullan, Professor and Author
University of Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Centre for Teacher Development
"This book exemplifies everything Jim Knight advocates: a clear focus, respect for educators' significant contributions, and the value that well-designed professional learning contributes to school improvement efforts."
—Dennis Sparks, Former Executive Director
Learning Forward
A focused approach to school improvement that hits the mark
A staggering amount of evidence shows that our schools are not as effective as they should be, and they are working toward improvement. This book simplifies the process for becoming an Impact School through targeted, consistent professional learning that is done with teachers, not to teachers. Award-winning author Jim Knight describes how to translate staff members' joy of learning into high-leverage practices that achieve dramatic student outcomes. Characteristics of Impact Schools include
A focused, clearly defined improvement plan that takes into account the complexity of teaching and learning relationships
A school culture that encourages enrollment in ongoing professional development
Alignment of purpose and actions among all staff members
Helpful resources include tangible tools and reproducibles for use by principals, workshop leaders, professional learning communities, and instructional coaches. When everyone learns, every student receives excellent instruction every day in every class. Unmistakable Impact provides the roadmap to remarkable results.
Contents
Foreword by Michael Fullan
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Author
1. Impact Schools
The Best Jobs
The Failure of the American School System
Unmistakable Impact
Core Concepts of an Impact School
What You Will Find in This Book
To Sum Up
Going Deeper
2. Partnership
Helping Others
Partnership: The Theory Behind Impact Schools
Equality: Professional Learning With Teachers Rather Than Training Done to Teachers
Choice: Teachers Should Have Choice Regarding What and How They Learn
Voice: Professional Learning Should Empower and Respect the Voices of Teachers
Reflection: Reflection Is an Integral Part of Professional Learning
Dialogue: Professional Learning Should Enable Authentic Dialogue
Praxis: Teachers Should Apply Their Learning to Their Real-Life Practice as They Are Learning
Reciprocity: We Should Expect to Get as Much as We Give
To Sum Up
Going Deeper
3. Principals
Leading Schools and the Partnership Principles
Principals as Designers
The Target
The Big Four
Creating the Target
Observing and Monitoring Teacher Progress
Principals as First Learners
Making It All Happen
Getting Support From Central Office
To Sum Up
Going Deeper
4. Instructional Coaching
Partnership
Partnering With Administrators
Workshops and Intensive Learning Teams
Components of Coaching
Who Should Be a Coach
To Sum Up
Going Deeper
5. Workshops That Make an Impact
Take the Partnership Approach
Address the Impact Factors
Use Effective Design
Apply Learning to Real Life
Deliver the Message Powerfully
Connect With the Audience
Walk the Talk
Keep the Energy High
Use Dialogue Architectures
Tell Stories
To Sum Up
Going Deeper
6. Intensive Learning Teams
The Challenge
Partnership Principles
Address Impact Factors
Partnership Facilitation
Intensive Learning Teams
To Sum Up
Going Deeper
7. Partnership Communication
Partnership Principles and Communication
Listening
Good Questions
Finding Common Ground
Controlling Difficult Emotions
Love Your Partners
To Sum Up
Going Deeper
Final Thoughts
Resource A: Impact Toolkit
Administrator Resources
Big Four Observation Tools
Teacher Progress Map (TPM) Resources
Coach Resources: What Coaches Do
Additional Tools
Intensive Learning Teams
Resource B: Research
Research on Coaching
Research on Workshops
Research on Intensive Learning Teams
References and Further Readings
Index
