A Charter School Principal Story : : A View from the Inside (Second Edition) / / Barbara J. Smith.

• Superior document: Educational Research E-Books Online, Collection 2023
• VerfasserIn: Smith, Barbara J., 1956-
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, Boston : : Brill,, 2024.; ©2024
• Year of Publication: 2024
• Edition: First edition.
• Language: English
• Series: Educational Research E-Books Online, Collection 2023.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (272 pages)

What happens when a Canadian principal, guided by the teachings of Fullan and Hargreaves, takes on the role of school leader in an inner-city charter school in the United States? This inside story of a principal in the DC charter school system, reveals much about the desire for educators and students to experience more than a life of multiple-choice testing that tends to be so commonplace in these schools. While such a case adds to the mound of research that supports the ‘change takes time' findings, it nevertheless demonstrates the reality, on a day-to-day basis, of what's worth fighting for in schools. Student and teacher engagement and empowerment matter, and to get to such ends, a school must fiercely focus on targets well beyond test scores.

Table of Contents

Foreword --   Leonard A. (Tony) Upson -- Acknowledgements -- List of Figures and Tables -- Introduction --  1 First Impressions… -- 1 Beginning Sketches -- 2 Trust -- 3 Day 1 -- 4 Ten Days of Preparations -- 5 The First Reach: WEDJ Parents -- 6 First Week of School -- 7 Parent Communications -- 8 Connecting with Staff -- 9 Initial Board of Trustees Communications -- 10 Arts to the Core -- 11 Learning that Sticks -- 12 Building Relationships -- 13 Safety, Supervision and Discipline -- 14 Bodies in Their Seats -- 15 Student and Staff Performance Reviews -- 16 Learning Communities for Staff and Parents -- 17 November 2012 Qualitative Site Review -- 18 Investing Time to Recognize Others -- 19 Welcomed Visitors -- 20 Tears in Heaven -- 21 Arts on Fire -- 22 Other People's Money -- 23 Never-Ending Talent Search -- 24 The DC CAS Experience -- 25 Middle States Candidacy -- 26 First Spring Rising -- 27 Summer Highs and Lows -- 28 Year 2: Welcome Back Wolves -- 29 The Sting of the 2013 Qualitative Site Review -- 30 Response to the Charter Board Qualitative Site Review -- 31 Board Retreat -- 32 WEDJ through the Eyes of TenSquare -- 33 Dismantling Leadership -- 34 Catching Fire -- 35 The Chill in January -- 36 The Ambush…"And So It Begins" -- 37 Valentine Bundle: February 14 -- 38 Leadership Performance Review -- 39 Cracks in the Foundation -- 40 Apology Accepted: Opportunity Denied -- 41 An Inquiry within an Inquiry -- 42 Build to Thrive -- 43 So How Can Stakeholders Relate to Each Other Differently? -- 44 Asking Some Tough Questions -- References.