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Generations at School

Building an Age-Friendly Learning Community

By: Suzette Lovely, Austin G. Buffum

Foreword by Roland S. Barth

An enlightening guide to encourage multigenerational school staff collaboration.

Today's workforce of Veterans, Baby Boomers, Gen-Xers, and Millennials brings a unique set of skills, qualities, and perspectives to their jobs. This insightful resource offers a variety of approaches to bring out the best in people and cultivate improvement-driven, cross-age learning communities by providing:

Case studies and workplace alternatives for the hiring and retention of high-quality employees
Practices for orientation, mentoring, and boosting schoolwide communication
Guidelines for examining the generational footprint of an entire district, department, school site, or employee group
Easy-to-apply strategies to promote cross-generational collaboration

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Product Details

Grade Level: K-12
ISBN: 9781412927284
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2007
Page Count: 160
Publication date: March 07, 2014

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Description

"An insightful and uplifting read!"
—James Rickabaugh, Superintendent, Whitefish Bay School District, WI

"Baby boomer teachers are now the old guard. Gen-Xers demand accountability and transparency. And Millennials are recasting the attitudes and behaviors of youth. The authors provide a roadmap that rings true with anyone who works in a school."
—Neil Howe, LifeCourse Associates
Author, Generations and Millennials Rising

An enlightening guide to encourage multigenerational school staff collaboration.

Today's workforce comprises distinct generational cohorts—Veterans, Baby Boomers, Gen-Xers, and Millennials. Generations at School provides educators with the knowledge and tools to create and sustain true collaboration, teamwork, and consensus.

Suzette Lovely and Austin G. Buffum introduce the traits and tipping points of these diverse age groups, while providing:

Case studies and workplace alternatives for the hiring and retention of high-quality employees as well as practices for orientation, mentoring, and boosting schoolwide communication
Guidelines for examining the generational footprint of an entire district, department, or school site
Easy-to-apply strategies to promote cross-generational collaboration, performance, and harmony

When sound communication emerges and differences are understood, school districts can create communities that appreciate the uniqueness of each member and value the rich contributions from a multigenerational staff.

Key features

Case studies and workplace alternatives to assist educational leaders in hiring, orienting, mentoring, building capacity, and retaining high quality employees
A guide for all educational leaders to examine the generational footprint of an entire district, department, school site, or employee group
Easy-to-apply strategies

Author(s)

Suzette Lovely

Suzette Lovely is the deputy superintendent of personnel services for the Capistrano Unified School District in Orange County, CA. She has spent 24 years in public education as a teacher, assistant principal, elementary principal, and director of elementary operations. Lovely also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Chapman University, teaching courses in educational administration.

Author of two previous books: Setting Leadership Priorities: What’s Necessary, What’s Nice and What’s Got to Go (Corwin Press, 2006) and Staffing the Principalship: Finding, Coaching and Mentoring School Leaders (ASCD, 2004), Lovely is also a staff writer for Master Teacher publications.

Austin G. Buffum

Austin G. Buffum is currently adjunct professor of educational leadership at Chapman University and California State University, Fullerton. He recently retired as the senior deputy superintendent of the Capistrano Unified School District in South Orange County, CA. During his 34-year career, Buffum served as a music teacher and coordinator, elementary school principal, curriculum director, and assistant superintendent.

Buffum was selected as the 2006 Curriculum and Instruction Administrator of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators. He has presented at scores of regional and national conferences and speaks regularly to schools, districts, and departments of education across the nation about his passion for professional learning.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Roland S. Barth

Preface: The Demographic Divide

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

1. The Generations at Work in Schools

The Perfect Storm

Who's Who? A Snapshot of Four Living Generations

Roadmaps and Aspirations

Conclusion: A Cause Celebre

2. New Rules for the Sandbox

Coloring Within the Lines

From School to Work

The Birth of Organized Labor

Trailblazers, Pioneers, and Indiana Jones

The Neutral Zone

That Was Then, This Is Now

Conclusion: Let Go of the Quo

3. Cross Age Connections in a Learning Community

Intergenerational Chemistry in a PLC

Know Your Lineup

A Case in Point

Conclusion: Ageless Excellence

4. Recruitment Renaissance: Give It to 'Em Their Way

Generational Forecasting

Start Your Own Farm Team

Who's on First?

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

Be All That You Can Be

Handle With Care

Conclusion: Become First-Rate

5. Creating Synergy in the Schoolhouse

The Demographic Gulch

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Work We Go

The Synergy Doctrine

Diplomacy: New Word of the Day

Connecting the Dots

Conclusion: Not Too Young, Not Too Old

6. Here Come the Millennials, Ready or Not!

Generational Recycling

Bye-Bye, Breakfast Club

A Special Lot

Safety First!

Oozing With Optimism

Teamwork: Here, There, Everywhere

Conventional Wisdom

Under Pressure

Achievers 'R' Us

When Theory Meets Practice

Conclusion: In Good Hands

7. Meet the Parents

Fly-Overs and Swoop-Ins

Lower the Drawbridge

Outwit, Outlast, Outplay

Mind Your Manners

Different Worlds

Does Your Complaint Policy Make the Grade?

Conclusion: Let's Make a Deal

Resource A: Attracting and Retaining High-Quality Leaders: District Inventory

Resource B: Snag the Best and Bypass the Rest: Behavioral-Based Interview Questions

Resource C: Partnership Teaching Contract Language

Resource D: Synergy Audit: How Generationally Friendly Is Your Workplace?

Resource E: Civility Board Policy

References

Reviews

"An interesting, insightful, and uplifting read! Filled with practical suggestions and strategies to understand generational differences and build on shared interests and strengths while leveraging unique perspectives and motivations."

James Rickabaugh, Superintendent
Whitefish Bay School District, WI

"Baby boomer teachers are now the old guard. Generation X parents are demanding accountability and transparency. And a rising generation of Millennials is recasting the attitudes and behaviors of youth. The authors provide an excellent roadmap through this new landscape, drawing on concrete examples that will ring true with anyone who works in a school."

Neil Howe, Author, Generations and Millennials Rising
LifeCourse Associates

"Filled with creative ways to develop the capacity of a staff to work together as a professional learning community. The authors make a compelling case for recognizing the significant generational differences in play among most faculties and, more important, offer specific strategies for addressing those differences in ways that benefit teachers and students alike."

Richard P. DuFour, Educational Author and Consultant

"This is the essence of the book: understanding our generational differences, finding our generational commonalities, which ultimately will enable us to work together to make a difference for all students. The authors do an outstanding job of providing practical examples and strategies that can be easily implemented."

Middle Ground Magazine, February 2008, Vol. 11(3)
National Middle Schools Association

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