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Sustaining Extraordinary Student Achievement

By: Linda E. Reksten

Transform your school with best leadership practices that sustain high student achievement year after year!

This powerful resource presents "on-the-ground, walking-the-hallways" case studies and analyses of five Title I elementary schools that overcame a myriad of challenges, including high staff turnover and a high percentage of students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, to achieve and maintain academic excellence. Drawing from interviews, vignettes, and site visits, the author shows how these schools succeeded by:

Creating a school culture that emphasizes high standards and expectations
Nurturing collaboration and effective shared leadership
Using data to target instruction and make decisions
Focusing on exemplary standards

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Product Details

Grade Level: PreK-12, Elementary, Secondary
ISBN: 9781412917537
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2008
Page Count: 152
Publication date: March 10, 2014

Price: $28.95

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Description

"The patterns described in these successful schools both validated and challenged my thinking. I can see opportunities for renewed emphasis in our district and much hope for continuing our progress with students."
—Nancy Skerritt, Assistant Superintendent
Tahoma School District, Maple Valley, WA

Transform your school with best leadership practices that sustain high student achievement year after year!

What are the key elements necessary for creating enduring student success? In the era of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and high-stakes accountability, district leaders, principals, and teachers need to develop core values and practices that will help schools not only meet learning goals, but sustain performance over time.

Sustaining Extraordinary Student Achievement presents "on-the-ground, walking-the-hallways" case studies and analyses of five Title I elementary schools that overcame a myriad of challenges, including high staff turnover and a high percentage of students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, to achieve and maintain academic excellence. Drawing from interviews, vignettes, and site visits, the author shows how these schools succeeded through strategies that align with research on effective schools, such as:

Creating a school culture that emphasizes high standards and expectations
Nurturing collaboration and effective shared leadership
Using data to target instruction, intervene with students, and make decisions
Focusing on exemplary standards
Empowering staff to do their best work

Initiate meaningful change in your school with progressive practices and proven leadership strategies!

Key features

Best leadership practices from practicing successful school leaders
Strategies for effective shared leadership, data-based decision-making, standards mastery, utilizing benchmark assessments, and sustaining high achivement
Case studies of schools that have improved and sustained outstanding student achievement

Author(s)

Linda E. Reksten

Linda E. Reksten has been an educator for 25 years: 23 years in the public school system and two years as a college professor at Point Loma Nazarene University. Reksten began her public teaching career in the Burbank Unified School District in 1982 as a middle school science teacher and high school chemistry teacher. During the summers, she taught elementary science for gifted students in Grades 4 and 5. In 1986, she became principal of Disney Elementary School.

During Reksten’s 17 years as principal, Disney Elementary became a Title 1 school and the most ethnically diverse school in the Burbank Unified School District, with 12 languages and 44 percent of the student population speaking only limited English. Disney became a California Distinguished School in 1997 largely due to the school’s technology program. As a result of her leadership and a dedicated, hard-working staff, Disney students’ Academic Performance Index (API) grew from 603 to 790 in three years, ranking the third highest-performing school in the Burbank Unified School District. Because of this success with students, Reksten and her staff were recognized by President Bush on June 10, 2003 in The Rose Garden at the first anniversary of the No Child Left Behind Act.

After serving two years as Professor of Education at Point Loma Nazarene University, Reksten transitioned back into public education to become the director of assessment and evaluation for Mountain View School District in El Monte, where she was responsible for assessment and technology. As of August 2007, she was promoted to assistant superintendent of educational services for the Mountain View School District, assisting 12 schools in improving their student achievement.

Reksten is the author of Using Technology to Increase Student Learning (Corwin Press 2000). A native of Montana, she graduated from Montana State University, Billings, in 1973 with a secondary education degree in biology and chemistry. Immediately after graduating, she went on to earn a master’s degree in Christian education from George Fox University in 1976 and served four years as a director of Christian education. While still a teacher, she began her second master’s degree at Point Loma Nazarene University, where she graduated in curriculum and administration during the summer of 1985. She completed her doctoral studies at UCLA in teaching studies in June 1995 while she was a principal.

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Author

1. Introduction

Selection of Five Title 1 Schools

Focus Areas for Structured Interviews

The Five Sustaining Schools

2. Sylvan Elementary School, Modesto, California: A Culture of Effective Instruction

Building a High-Achieving Culture

Sylvan's Non-Negotiable Core Values

Empowering Staff to Do Their Best Work

Using Student Data to Guide Curriculum and Instruction

Ongoing Improvement of Instruction

Strategic Intervention With Students

Sylvan’s Sustaining Elements

Lessons Learned From Sylvan Elementary School

3. Camellia Elementary School, Sacramento, California: A Culture of Order and Discipline

Developing a Culture of Order and Discipline

The Right Staff Stays at the School

Using Student Data to Guide Curriculum and Instruction

The Role of the Leadership Team and Governance

Camellia’s Non-Negotiable Core Values and Sustaining Elements

Lessons Learned From Camellia Elementary School

4. Jefferson Elementary School, Carlsbad, California: A Culture of Collaboration

Developing a Culture of Collaboration

Jefferson’s Non-Negotiable Core Values

Using Benchmark Data to Target Instruction

Using Data to Intervene With Students

Jefferson’s Sustaining Elements

Lessons Learned From Jefferson Elementary School

5. Rosita Elementary School, Garden Grove, California: A Culture of Clarity

Building a High-Achieving Culture

Empowering Staff to Do Their Best Work

Rosita's Non-Negotiable Core Values

Advice to Principals

Sustaining Processes at Rosita

Lessons Learned From Rosita Elementary School

6. Baldwin Elementary School, Alhambra, California: A Culture of High Expectations

Building a High-Achieving Culture

Baldwin’s Non-Negotiable Core Values

Empowering the Right People

Mastery of Standards

Using Student Achievement Data

Baldwin’s Sustaining Elements

Lessons Learned From Baldwin Elementary School

7. Five Schools That Got the Job Done

A Crisis Point Forces Change

Developing a High-Achieving Culture

Non-Negotiable Core Values

The Essential Sustaining Elements

A Final Word

References

Index

Reviews

"The patterns described in these successful schools both validated and challenged my thinking. I can see opportunities for renewed emphasis in our district and much hope for continuing our progress with students."

Nancy Skerritt, Assistant Superintendent
Tahoma School District, Maple Valley, WA

"Reksten has utilized research by education gurus and data from the studied school sites to provide the foundation for educators to begin the challenging, but achievable path of collaboration and high expectations for successful sustainability. Kudos to the author and the school communities!"

Lori Grossman, Manager of Mentoring Services
Houston Independent School District, TX

"This book led me to think and reflect on my leadership as a principal. It also led to introspection and reflection of practices in my school, which is sustaining high achievement."

Steve Knobl, Principal
Gulf High School, New Port Richey, FL

Other Titles in: Instructional Leadership | Principalship | Standards & Accountability

Select Format:

For Instructors

Request Review Copy

When you select 'request review copy', you will be redirected to Sage Publishing (our parent site) to process your request.