Lead With Me by Gayle Moller and Anita Pankake among best education books of the decade

A list of the 20 best education books of the decade, compiled by former principal and special education teacher Steve DiMattia of the Jacksonville Public Education Examiner, features Gayle Moller and Anita Pankake’s guide to promoting intra-staff leaders, Lead With Me: A Principal’s Guide to Teacher Leadership.

The book helps principals identify and support teachers who also act as leaders within their schools. DiMattia chose Lead With Me as one of a list of “great books to guide our instructional and parenting practice, so that we may grow the best kids possible.”

Blackburn and Williamson review research on rigor in The Principal’s Partnership

Recent research on rigor, including student-survey data and arguments from detractors, is compiled in a December 2009 article by Ronald Williamson and Barbara R. Blackburn in The Principals' Partnership.

The authors provide an overview of the debate among educators surrounding the call for an increase in rigor and offer six takeaways for school leaders from Michael Fullan's book, The Six Secrets of Change (2008). Check out the following tip:

"Attract, recruit and retain talented people. Always make employment decisions based on the people with the greatest potential to positively impact students. Once they are hired, support the professional development of your teachers individually and collectively."

Blackburn and Williamson define classroom rigor in Instructional Leader magazine

In the November 2009 issue of Instructional Leader magazine, Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word author Barbara Blackburn and Ron Williamson (co-author of The Principalship from A-Z) identify key characteristics of a rigorous classroom and offer specific recommendations for cultivating one yourself.

For example, in a rigorous classroom, teachers support their students as expectations rise. “It is critical that teachers…provide ongoing scaffolding to support students as they learn.” the authors write. “To simply increase expectations without helping students move to higher levels is inappropriate.”

Franklin Schargel alerts leaders to high dropout rates

Schargel recently spoke at a graduation workshop held by the United Way of Cass-Clay in Fargo, ND. Over 100 community leaders listened as the author identified the top reasons students quit school: alcohol or drug use, poor teacher quality and curriculum planning, and low parental involvement.

His advice was for policymakers to “recognize that we have a very severe problem,” adding that teachers should make an effort to get to know their students.

Schargel is the author of many books on dropout prevention, including 152 Ways to Keep Students in School: Effective, Easy-to-Implement Tips for Teachers and co-author of titles such as Creating School Cultures that Embrace Learning: What Successful Leaders Do.

Christopher Gareis wins VERA Charles Clear Research Award

Gareis is co-author of Teacher-Made Assessments: How to Connect Curriculum, Instruction, and Student Learning and a dean at the William and Mary School of Education.

The annual award, given by the Virginia Educational Research Association, goes to an "individual, group, or organization that has made a sustained contribution to educational research or evaluation in the Commonwealth of Virginia or the nation." While not a Virginia native, Gareis has spent his entire career as an educator in the state.

"It is incredibly affirming to have my work in and contributions to Virginia recognized by my peers," he said.

Franklin Schargel interviewed on New Mexico’s KOB-TV

On August 9, 2009, Franklin Schargel, author of Creating School Cultures that Embrace Learning and other Eye On Education titles, appeared on New Mexico's KOB-TV Channel 4. He discussed the causes of high dropout rates and presented possible action steps for reversing them.

Also an education consultant, Schargel talked about the importance of early literacy and the number-one reason students drop out.

Teacher Leader Network blogger praises Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word

In the Teacher Leaders Network’s Teacher Voices blog, writer and educator Karen Molter credits the wealth of tools provided in Blackburn’s book, as well as the author’s enthusiasm and truthful take on the experiences of a classroom teacher.

"... The individual teacher has the power to make changes in each individual classroom. This attitude — in a book filled with examples of real teachers’ lessons, time-saving charts and organizers, and opportunities for the audience to reflect and plan — truly displays the author’s understanding of classroom dynamics and the demands upon a teacher’s time."

Teaching Children Mathematics magazine reviews Hamm and Adams' latest book

A review of Differentiated Instruction for K-8 Math and Science by Mary Hamm and Dennis Adams appears in the August 2009 issue of Teaching Children Mathematics, published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

The reviewer, Shirley Ferguson of New Hampshire's Lebanon School District, writes, "This book would make an excellent addition to a preservice education class or as a book study for a continuing professional development opportunity."

Instructional Leader magazine publishes “Beginnings and Endings: A Reflection of School Culture” by authors of The Principalship from A-Z

The first and last weeks of school are pivotal times for defining your school’s culture. In the July 2009 edition of Instructional Leader magazine, Ronald Williamson and Barbara R. Blackburn explain specific ways that principals and administrators can cultivate an environment that inspires students and teachers alike.

“Culture reflects the often unspoken and unwritten norms about a school,” the authors write. “Influential staff members whom others recognize as the informal leaders and opinion makers often transmit it from generation to generation.”

VisualThesaurus.com interviews Vocabulary at the Center authors Amy Benjamin and John T. Crow

Check out this interview with Amy Benjamin and John T. Crow, authors of Vocabulary at the Center, a guidebook for teachers seeking to advance their vocabulary instruction. The interview, conducted by the word-lovers over at ThinkMap's Visual Thesaurus, covers what exactly puts vocabulary at the center of learning, whether the SATs are a fair predictor of college success, and how teachers can enrich the vocabulary of students who may not be exposed to many new words at home.

"A basic principle in education is that you build from known to unknown, " said Crow. "How do you get into the known and give students something to attach to? You do it through vocabulary. All of our experiences are grouped around vocabulary. If I say the word dog, you're able to access not only the word and its meaning, but dogs that you may have had as pets in the past, pleasant or unpleasant experiences, what a dog feels like, what a dog smells like, different breeds of dogs. All kinds of information that you might have stored in your brain is organized under that one tag. All you have to do is access all of that. And that is why we consider vocabulary at the center."