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Developing Successful K-8 Schools

A Principal's Guide

By: Jon Wiles

A how-to guide for developing or transitioning to a K–8 school!

The K–8 model has gained popularity for demonstrating higher student achievement, fewer behavioral problems, and increased cost effectiveness. This guide offers practical strategies for developing a K–8 school or converting an existing school, designing curriculum aligned to state standards, promoting 21st-century skills, and planning instruction. Readers will also find:

Ten instructional methods for meeting the learning needs of K–8 students, with examples that illustrate how to apply the strategies
Student assessment techniques and record-keeping procedures
Implementation tools such as charts, checklists, and more!

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Product Details

Grade Level: K-8
ISBN: 9781412966177
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2009
Page Count: 152
Publication date: June 10, 2009

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Author(s) Table of Contents Reviews

Description

"The return to K–8 schools is an opportunity to step back, be purposeful and thoughtful, and plan for what we want for young persons in our schools. This book provides the vision and the tools we need to plan and build something better in Grades K–8."
—Heather MacTaggart, Executive Director
Classroom Connections, Ontario, Canada

A how-to guide for developing or transitioning to a K–8 school!

The K–8 model for school design has gained popularity with educators and parents for demonstrating higher student achievement, fewer behavioral problems, and increased cost effectiveness. This comprehensive guide provides school leaders with the tools to develop and implement a sound plan for creating an exemplary K-8 school or transitioning successfully to the K–8 approach.

Developing Successful K–8 Schools offers strategies for designing curriculum aligned to state standards, promoting 21st-century skills, planning instruction, and evaluating an effective K–8 program. Readers will also find:

Ten proven instructional methods for meeting the learning needs of K–8 students, plus examples that illustrate how to apply the strategies and deal with problems that might arise
Student assessment techniques and record-keeping procedures
Implementation tools such as checklists, activity charts, and much more!

This resource is ideal for school leaders who want to articulate a clear vision for a K–8 school and stay on the cutting edge of educational excellence and student achievement.

Key features

Provides multiple strategies for making the case for a K–8 school, re-training teachers, connecting the elementary and middle school content curriculum, new record-keeping procedures, and dealing with an ever-increasing range of student performance
Offers concrete guidance in developing a seamless K–8 curriculum, using a four-tier developmental model aligned to the stages of human development, and aligning the curriculum to standards
Presents examples that illustrate how to apply the strategies, and how to deal with problems that arise
Provides designing tools such as checklists, implementation schedules, summary charts, and resources for K–8 funding to assist the reader in planning for change
Offers end-of-chapter discussion questions designed for use by book study groups
Includes additional resources such as a glossary and information about teaching via the Internet

Author(s)

Jon Wiles

Jon Wiles is a highly experienced educator who has provided curriculum leadership to schools and educational agencies for over thirty years. His specialty is the creation and implementation of curriculum plans. Wiles’s work as an educational consultant has taken him to hundreds of agencies in more than forty states and a dozen foreign nations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Wiles is the author or coauthor of twelve widely used books addressing curriculum and educational leadership. His text, Curriculum Development: A Guide to Practice (Seventh Edition), has been used for nearly thirty years in colleges and universities throughout the world to train curriculum leaders. Other areas of publication by Wiles include teacher training, administration, school supervision, theory of change, politics of education, middle grades education, and technology.

List of Figures

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Author

1. Here Comes the K-8 School

Origins of the New K-8 School

Rationale for Changing the School Design

Bedrock Beliefs About Educating Children

An Initial Look at the New K-8 Program We Need

Some Issues Associated With K-8 Education

Questions for Study Groups

Summary

Notes

2. Using Standards to Define K-8 Programs

Origin of Standards

National Standards for K-8 Education

Subject Matter Standards in K-8 Schools

Extending Standards in K-8 Schools

Learning Targets for Standards-Based School

Managing Standards-Based Programs

Nurturing Intellectual Competence

Transfer of Knowledge

Questions for Study Groups

Summary

Notes

3. Using Skills to Create the Seamless Curriculum

Two Conceptions of Ends

The Curriculum Design Tasks

What Kind of Skills Should be Taught?

Sample Tasks for Each Learner

Collaborative Emphasis

A Final Word About the Subjects

Questions for Study Groups

Summary

Notes

4. New Instructional Patterns for the K-8 School

General Design

Organization Patterns

Modifying Standards-Based Curriculum

New Uses of School Buildings

New Deployment of Teachers

New Ways of Assessing Students

New Patterns for Involving Parents

Questions for Study Groups

Summary

Notes

5. A Return on Investment

Parents

Students

Teachers

Administrators

Questions for Study Groups

Summary

Notes

6. Implementing the K-8 Program

The Unfolding Process

Prerequisite Conditions

Acquiring Resources

Assessment

Putting It All Together

Questions for Study Groups

Summary

Notes

7. Validating Progress

Concept Development

Mission Statements

Curriculum Design

Instructional Features

Teachers

Parents

Facilities and Transportation

Technology

Resource A. Summary of K-8 Research Findings

Resource B. Standards Organizations

Resource C. Instructional Resource Sites on the Internet

Resource D. Teaching Through the Internet

Resource E. Glossary

References

Index

Reviews

“This book provides a clear and concise road map for turning the current trend towards K-8 schools to the advantage of children. The return to K-8 schools is an opportunity to step back, be purposeful and thoughtful, and plan for what we want for young persons in our schools. This book provides the vision and the tools we need to plan and build something better in Grades K-8.”

Heather MacTaggart, Executive Director
Classroom Connections, Ontario, Canada

“As a middle school principal, I find many of these arguments compelling. This book makes a major contribution to the field of education. School leaders developing K-8 schools will find this book helpful.”

Ed Sansom, Principal
Seven Oak Middle School, Lebanon, OR

"A valuable resource for all educators. It not only provides a timeline of past mistakes and successes we’ve made educating students of these ages, but goes further to provide a prescription for future schools that emphasizes developmental levels, content, skill-building, and involvement of students, parents, teachers, and administrators.”

Marie Blum, Superintendent
Canaseraga Central School District, NY