"A fresh new approach that strengthens the need for teaching with creative thinking strategies for administrative leadership teams. Few textbooks have such detailed examples combined with the background study of best practices. The authors have great credibility, experience, resources, and abundant research to support their proposal. A very well-written text offering ample review of the research."
—Sara E. Spruce, Professor of Education
Olivet Nazarene University

Use this research-based instructional model to meet students' achievement goals!

As the achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students gets wider, teachers and administrators need a proven process to help all students meet the requirements of NCLB. This practitioner-friendly guidebook provides a step-by-step approach to a complete standards-based curriculum and the integration of best practices into the delivery and assessment of instruction in every classroom.

The authors present three capacity-building features of the design process: (1) training for building leadership teams to help teachers plan and lead the reform process, (2) stewardship training to assist district administrators and principals in supporting and sustaining the implemented reforms, and (3) a collaborative observation process to help teachers work together and in partnership with principals to monitor and improve classroom instruction.

Offering an education model that has been field-tested with more than 50 school districts in the U.S. and Canada, this book shows school leaders how to maximize collaborative observation and other team leadership processes to integrate reforms into a school's existing culture. Educators will learn ways to:

• Integrate instructional design with successful instructional reform
• Strengthen the learning culture through standards
• Develop effective performance indicators
• Apply curriculum mapping to instructional design

Designing Instruction supports teachers and administrators working together to raise student achievement by using proven instructional design and best practices.

• Unique three-tiered approach: discusses the core elements of school reform, provides best practices for delivering and assessing classroom instruction, and shows how to use collaborative observation and other team-leadership processes to integrate reforms into the deep-rooted culture of a school (thus ensuring that promising reforms are lasting).
• Research-based practices fine-tuned as a result of long-term relationships with 50+ school-districts across the country and in Canada
• Each author has more than 20 years' experience in school reform and curriculum/instruction
• Highly-referenced material with reference sections following each chapter
• "Bird-walk/Aside" sections highlight author observations and lessons learned
• Authors share what worked and what didn't work
• Rubrics to guide the development of Performance Indicators, Curriculum Maps, Unit Plans and benchmark assessments
• Samples of Performance Indicators, Curriculum Maps, Unit Plans, benchmark assessments, and checklists
• Sample short and long-range checklists and to-do lists to help educators accomplish each stage of the Instructional Design Process
• Sample administrative job descriptions and annual performance appraisals aligned with reform targets
• Sample text for Board Policies to adopt the performance indicators as achievement targets of the district
• Sample evaluation scenarios to monitor the progress of the reform activities, and more