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PAST BOOK TITLES
Below is a partial list of books that have been summarized in the past. All current subscribers have free access to all previous summaries of books.
If you are a subscriber and would like to download previous summaries, please enter the username and password provided to you.
If you are a subscriber and do not have this information, please email J.David-Lang@TheMainIdea.net |
| Academic Conversations: Classroom Talk That Fosters Critical Thinking and Content Understandings
By Jeff Zwiers and Marie Crawford (Stenhouse Publishers, 2011)
Teachers have rarely been trained to teach speaking and listening skills. However, these vital skills should be taught in all grades and subjects. Not only are they needed for the Common Core and higher education, but employers are demanding better communication skills as well.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: http://www.stenhouse.com/html/mainidea.htm
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| Accessible Mathematics: 10 Instructional Shifts That Raise Student Achievement
By Steven Leinwand (Heinemann, 2009)
Math teachers leave too many students behind by continuing to teach math the way they’ve always taught it. Without having to buy new books or a new program, Leinwand shows how we can improve mathematical thinking and student achievement by making 10 key instructional changes.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: http://books.heinemann.com |
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| Active Literacy Across the Curriculum: Strategies for Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening
by Heidi Hayes Jacobs (Eye on Education, 2006)
Literacy achievement is essential to academic success. To improve literacy at your school, you must ensure that everyone is working toward this goal consistently. This acclaimed author provides 7 practical strategies for all teachers – in every grade and every subject — to integrate literacy instruction into their teaching.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.eyeoneducation.com |
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| By Joellen Killion and Patricia Roy (National Staff Development Council, 2009)
This book is a comprehensive resource for anyone who wants their teachers to work effectively in teams. Collaborative professional learning is a powerful way to improve schools. To help train staff in many different aspects of collaborative professional learning there is an accompanying CD-ROM with tons of tools.
To learn more or purchase the book go to: www.nsdc.org |
| Change Leader: Learning to Do What Matters Most
by Michael Fullan (Jossey-Bass, 2011)
This renowned expert in organizational change brings together insights from a wide variety of fields to help school leaders understand the seven core leadership practices needed for today’s world.
If you want discussion questions to go with the book, see the last page: Change Leader
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.josseybass.com
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| by Tony Wagner and Robert Kegan, with Lahey, Lemons, Garnier, Helsing, Howell,
and Rasmussen
(Jossey-Bass, 2006)
This book presents a powerful approach to creating real change in schools. Based on a five-year study, the
authors provide concrete tools and exercises to show leaders how to help both their schools, and the individuals within those schools, change. By focusing on changing these two crucial elements at the same time, the authors present an approach to change that is truly comprehensive and realistic.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.josseybass.com |
| Classroom Assessment for Student Learning
by Richard J. Stiggins, Judith A. Arter, and Jan and Stephen Chappuis
This book shows you how you can use formative assessment to actually improve learning and motivate students. They describe the different components of quality classroom assessments that create -- not just measure -- student achievement.
For 60-minute workshops on formative assessment to use with your teachers, email Jenn.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: http://www.assessmentinst.com/index.php |
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| By David T. Conley (Jossey-Bass, 2008)
High schools often prepare students to become college eligible (gain entrance into college), but not college ready (able to succeed once they’re there). Conley provides vital research-based recommendations to help this problem. He specifically outlines what students must know and be able to do in order to succeed in college and shows high schools how to better prepare students for college success.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.josseybass.com |
| Creating a Digital-Rich Classroom: Teaching & Learning in a Web 2.0 World
By Meg Ormiston (Solution Tree Press, 2011)
This book provides practical strategies to integrate technology into instruction in order to increase student engagement and achievement. See the technology PD workshop ideas from The Main Idea below.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.solution-tree.com |
| Designing & Teaching Learning Goals & Objectives
By Robert J. Marzano (Marzano Research Laboratory – Powered by Solution Tree, 2009)
Dr. Marzano is at the forefront of educational research on best instructional strategies. In this book he takes the research on learning goals and translates it into practical suggestions
for teachers to implement learning goals that actually improve student achievement.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.solution-tree.com |
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| by Jane A.G. Kise and Beth Russell (Corwin Press, 2008)
Learning about personality type theory can help you better understand yourself as a leader. Because this book helps leaders discover how they lead, collaborate, and communicate, it is an important tool for developing principals and school leadership teams.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.corwinpress.com |
| Differentiation and The Brain: How Neuroscience Supports the Learner-Friendly Classroom
By David A. Sousa & Carol Ann Tomlinson (Solution Tree Press, 2011)
How can teachers possibly address the great variety of learning needs in their classes? The top thinkers on differentiation and neuroscience show us how to create differentiated classrooms, backed by brain research, to address the wide variety of student needs in our classrooms.
To learn more or purchase the book go to: www.solution-tree.com |
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| Driven by Data: A Practical Guide to Improve Instruction
By Paul Bambrick-Santoyo (Jossey-Bass, 2010)
Bambrick-Santoyo shows how data-driven instruction, if implemented well, can significantly impact student performance. He clearly the describes the 4 essential components: assessment, analysis, action, and a data-driven culture. The second part of the book (over 50 pages!) contains workshops to train staff in effectove data-driven methods.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.josseybass.com |
| Elements of Grading: A Guide to Effective Practice
by Douglas Reeves (Solution Tree Press, 2011)
Reeves points out that many of our grading practices are not only inaccurate but harmful as well. This book shares simple strategies to improve grading methods so they can be more accurate, fair, specific, and timely.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.solution-tree.com
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| The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher
by Harry K. Wong and Rosemary T. Wong
(Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc., 2005)
If you want to read one book to help teachers start the year successfully with vital classroom management, organization, discipline, and other strategies, this is the book for you. The book has sold almost 3 million copies because the authors identify the 3 characteristics of an effective teacher, and show teachers, in detail, how to become one.
For 60-minute workshops on classroom management to use with your teachers, email Jenn.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.harrywong.com |
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| Five Easy Steps to a Balanced Math Program (Primary, Upper Elementary,
and Secondary School)
by Larry Ainsworth and Jan Christinson (Lead + Learn Press, 2007)
Rather than suggesting that your school abandon its current math program, the authors outline the five
essential components necessary for any successful math program, and show you how to fill in the gaps. These
five components are: computational skills, problem solving, conceptual understanding, mastery of math facts,
and common formative assessment.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.leadandlearn.com |
| The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need – And What We Can Do About It
By Tony Wagner (Basic Books, 2010)
Regardless of how good your school’s test scores are, you still have a lot of work to do to prepare your students for success in college and the world of work. Learn about the “Seven Survival Skills” Wagner claims even the best schools are not teaching. Use the accompanying book group questions below to engage your staff in the important discussion about preparing our students for the 21st century.
For questions to use with a Book Group, click here: Book Group Questions
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.basicbooks.com
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| Going with the Flow: How to Engage Boys (and Girls) in Their Literacy Learning
by Michael W. Smith and Jeffrey D. Wilhelm (Heinemann, 2006)
Smith and Wilhelm share a brilliant approach to help boys (and girls) become more involved in and achieve
more success in their literacy learning. By studying the conditions that led boys to feel passionate about their outside-of-school interests, the authors learned how to increase the boys’ engagement in school by recreating
those conditions. The book presents those five conditions and explains clearly how to implement them.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: http://books.heinemann.com/ |
| The Highly Engaged Classroom
By Robert J. Marzano and Debra J. Pickering with Tammy Heflebower
(Marzano Research Laboratory Powered by Solution Tree, 2011)
School leaders no longer have to rely on vague feedback like: “The students were not engaged.” Instead, using the book’s 4-part definition of engagement and the 40 strategies to increase engagement, school leaders can have a much richer toolbox to help teachers increase student engagement.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.solution-tree.com
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| Leaders of Learning: How School, District, and Classroom Leaders Improve Student Achievement
By Richard DuFour and Robert J. Marzano (Solution Tree Press, 2011)
By working collaboratively, leaders at all levels – from the classroom to the district – can work collaboratively to continually improve their practice and apply research-based practices to improve student achievement. These two renowned educational thinkers will show you how.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.solution-tree.com
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| Leading Lesson Study: A Practical Guide for Teachers and Facilitators
By Jennifer Stepanek, Gary Appel, Melinda Leong, Michelle Turner Mangan, and Mark Mitchell
(Learning Point Associates, NWREL, and Corwin Press, 2007)
Lesson study is a professional development practice in which teachers come together to collaboratively plan a lesson. Then one teacher teaches that lesson to students while the others observe. Afterwards, the teachers debrief, revise the lesson, and reteach it. It is an opportunity to bring teachers collaboratively through the processes of unit planning, lesson goal creation, and lesson planning – three important processes that teachers often rush through.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: http://www.corwinpress.com/booksProdDesc.nav?prodId=Book228390& |
| Leading School Turnaround: How Successful Leaders Transform Low-Performing Schools
By Kenneth Leithwood, Alma Harris, and Tiiu Strauss (Jossey-Bass, 2010)
This book describes how to substantially improve an underperforming school and sustain those gains. It outlines the practices and behaviors exercised by leaders of successful turnaround schools.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.josseybass.com |
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| Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work
by Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker and Thomas Many
(Solution Tree, 2006)
This is the book to read to learn how to set up collaborative teams of teachers that work relentlessly to improve student learning. These distinguished authors have argued for years that the best way to increase achievement is
by carefully crafting effective professional learning communities and equipping them with specific strategies and structures, all of which are clearly explained in the book.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.solution-tree.com |
| Lost at School: Why Our Kids with Behavioral Challenges Are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help Them
By Dr. Ross Greene (Scribner, 2008)
Kids with challenging behavior act that way because they don’t have the skills necessary to stay in control. We’re losing these kids because our schools don’t teach those skills they’re lacking. This book shows you how to identify and address these skill deficits. With its compelling narratives, this book is a great read and would be perfect for a teacher study group.
To learn more or purchase the book go to: www.simonandschuster.com
If you want to do a book study group, click here to see The Main Idea's discussion questions. |
| Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
By Carol Dweck (Ballantine Books, 2008)
This acclaimed psychologist describes how your mindset – your belief about yourself – has a powerful impact on your life. By helping students develop a growth mindset we can actually improve their experiences in school.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.randomhouse.com/book/44330/mindset-by-carol-dweck
For questions to use with a book group click here: Book Group Questions
For PD ideas for Mindset click here: PD Ideas |
| Organization Made Easy! Tools for Today’s Teachers
By Frank Buck (Eye on Education, 2010)
A lack of strong organizational skills seriously threatens our ability to address the needs of students. This book provides strategies to help us improve the organization of our paperwork, tasks, appointments, computer and email use. It is aimed at teachers but much of it is applicable to the school leader.
To learn more or purchase the book go to: eyeoneducation.com |
| Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating Achievement
By Lucy Calkins, Mary Ehrenworth, and Christopher Lehman (Heinemann, 2012)
Without a doubt, the Common Core State Standards are challenging. However, this very helpful resource helps to carefully unpack what the literacy standards really mean, what is most important about them, what they might look like in a classroom, and it provides some suggestions for implementing them.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: http://books.heinemann.com/
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| Readicide: How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It
by Kelly Gallagher (Stenhouse Publishers, 2009)
Ironically, many of the practices teachers employ to improve reading are actually contributing to the death of reading among our students. This short and humorous read will help educators consider the types of strategies that will reverse this trend.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.stenhouse.com/mainidea
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| Ready for Anything: Supporting New Teachers for Success
by Lynn F. Howard (Advanced Learning Press, 2006)
This book contains 11 easy-to-implement monthly seminars so you can help your new teachers thrive. Rather
than simply providing tips, this book offers an entire program, adaptable to any school, with an organized monthly professional development calendar.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.makingstandardswork.com |
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| Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word
By Barbara R. Blackburn (Eye On Education, Inc., 2008)
By providing a clear and workable definition of rigor along with 25 practical strategies to increase rigor, this book can help educators boost the rigor in their classrooms.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.eyeoneducation.com
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| A School Leader’s Guide to Excellence
By Carmen Fariña and Laura Kotch (Heinemann, 2008)
These two seasoned and warm school leaders from NYC show educational leaders how to raise student performance in a refreshingly humane and respectful way. This book is both inspirational and down-to-the-smallest-detail practical.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: http://books.heinemann.com/
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| Schools for All Kinds of Minds: Boosting Student Success by Embracing Student Variation
By Mary-Dean Barringer, Craig Pohlman, and Michele Robinson (Jossey-Bass, 2010)
Based on the work of the organization All Kinds of Minds, this book shows that schools can be more effective in addressing students’ chronic learning struggles by focusing on students’ strengths. Neuroscience has a lot to teach educators about the way students learn, and we can use this knowledge to address the behavioral and learning needs of all our students.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.josseybass.com
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| Skillful Leader II: Confronting Conditions That Undermine Learning
by Alexander D. Platt, Caroline E. Tripp, Robert G. Fraser, and James R. Warnock
(Ready About Press, 2008)
Mediocre instruction undermines learning in schools. This book looks at the causes of mediocre instruction and shows the skillful leader how to confront these conditions. To improve instruction across an entire school requires leaders to build accountable professional communities -- and this book shows you how.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: http://www.ready-about.com/ |
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The Strategic School: Making the Most of People, Time, and Money
By Karen Hawley Miles and Stephen Frank (Corwin Press, AASA, & NASSP, 2008)
The authors studied high-performing schools and found that they share a similar approach to allocating resources. They focus their resources in three areas: teacher quality, meeting individual student needs, and emphasizing core academics. The authors help you develop a strategic resource plan to maximize your own school resources that includes: a staff and student grouping plan, a master schedule, and a plan to continuously improve teacher quality.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: http://www.corwinpress.com/booksProdDesc.nav?prodId=Book226439& |
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Strategies That Work: Teaching Comprehension for Understanding and Engagement
By Stephanie Harvey & Anne Goudvis (Stenhouse Publishers, 2007)
This book shows teachers in all content areas how to explicitly teach reading comprehension. If they use these strategies not only will teachers improve their students’ understanding of texts, but they will help their students with reading test scores and increase their engagement and interest as well!
To learn more or purchase the book go to: www.stenhouse.com/mainidea |
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Student-Centered Leadership
by Viviane Robinson (Jossey-Bass, 2011)
This book will help school leaders reflect on their practice and the changes, even small ones, that will improve student outcomes. The five research-based leadership practices discussed in the book will help leaders have a bigger impact on the achievement of their students.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.josseybass.com
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Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques That Put Students on the Path to College
By Doug Lemov (Jossey Bass, 2010)
Lemov carefully observed teachers whose inner-city students perform at dramatically high levels. Then he broke down what they do into carefully described techniques that all teachers can put into practice. The accompanying DVD also helps to clearly illustrate what these techniques look like – a resource sorely needed by the teaching profession.
To learn more or purchase the book go to: www.josseybass.com |
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Teaching Adolescent Writers
By Kelly Gallagher (Stenhouse Publishers, 2006)
We are simply NOT preparing students for one of the most important 21st century skills - writing! The majority of our students lack proficient writing skills and yet many schools do not do an effective job of teaching writing. Gallagher introduces six key writing principles to get schools on track. These can be used with any writing program or approach you currently use.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: http://www.stenhouse.com/html/mainidea.htm?=mi0903 |
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Teaching the iGeneration: 5 Easy Ways to Introduce Essential Skills with Web 2.0 Tools
By William M. Ferriter and Adam Garry (Solution Tree Press, 2010)
This book shows how to use digital tools not just for the sake of including technology, but in order to teach important 21st century skills -- information fluency, persuasion, communication, collaboration, and problem solving. See the technology PD workshop ideas from The Main Idea below.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.solution-tree.com |
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The Three-Minute Classroom Walk-Through:
Changing School Supervisory Practice One Teacher at a Time
by Carolyn J. Downey, Betty E. Steffy, Fenwick W. English, Larry E. Frase, and William K. Poston, Jr. (Corwin Press, 2004)
By conducting shorter classroom visits, principals will be able to see more classrooms more frequently and will know more than they ever have about their teachers’ practices. The walk-through process has tremendous potential to help principals strengthen their skills as instructional leaders,
increase their visibility, add to their repertoire of instructional strategies, improve their ability to
identify areas for staff development, and alert them to teachers who might become marginal.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: http://www.corwinpress.com/booksProdDesc.nav?prodId=Book225980& |
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Tools for Teaching: Discipline, Instruction, Motivation
By Fred Jones (Fredric H. Jones & Associates, Inc., 2007)
Jones describes the skills exceptional teachers use to manage their classrooms effectively. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to help teachers with the common foibles they face in dealing with pesky students.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.fredjones.com |
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When Kids Can’t Read: What Teachers Can Do
By Kylene Beers (Heinemann, 2003)
Teachers often have no idea what to do when students at the secondary level (grades 6-12) struggle with reading. Beers argues that teachers can make a difference and shows them how to diagnose and address reading problems with practical strategies. This book is essential for middle and high school teachers who want to help their struggling readers.
To learn more or purchase the book go to: www.heinemann.com |
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Why School Communication Matters: Strategies from PR Professionals
By Kitty Porterfield and Meg Carnes (Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2008)
School leaders have so many pressing issues that they don’t think enough about communication. However, communication is the key to whether all of your efforts sink or swim. The authors show school leaders how to think more strategically about communicating more effectively with all of their constituents.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: http://www.rowmanlittlefield.com/ |
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Working with Difficult & Resistant Staff
by John F. Eller & Sheila A. Eller (Solution Tree Press, 2011)
Principals often lose countless hours working with difficult staff members only to find that nothing has changed. This book describes eight different types of difficult staff behaviors and how school leaders can learn to address these issues in more productive ways.
To learn more or purchase the book, go to: www.solution-tree.com
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| Additional Workshops Provided by THE MAIN IDEA |
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Classroom Management Workshop
Two 60-minute workshops based on the ideas in the Wong book (above) to help newer teachers with classroom management.
Links:
The Facilitator’s Agenda
A Classroom Scenario
A 4-page Resource Packet for Teachers |
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Formative Assessment Workshop
A 90-minute workshop on formative assessment based on the ideas in the book Classroom Assessment for Student Learning (above).
Links:
The Facilitator’s Agenda
A 3-page Resource Packet for Teachers |
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10-Minute “Book Talk Video”
This video is a simple “book talk” in which I introduce 5 books that teachers can read over the summer for their own professional development. There is a wide enough variety of topics that every teacher (K-12) can find one to read. Topics include: literacy, classroom management, teaching math, dealing with challenging students, and teaching writing.
Click on this link to see the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xymFUI8eccI |
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3 Simple Steps to Create Staff Book Study Groups
Teachers, principals, or other administrators can come together to study a book on their own with these three simple steps. The overview of books from The Main Idea will help the group know where to start.
Links:
3 Simple Steps to Create a Staff Book Study Group |
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Technology PD and Workshop Ideas
The first section is for the less tech-savvy principal. There are suggestions for your own professional development to help you better understand some technology tools (blogs, wikis, online surveys) and how to use them. It will also help you prepare for the legal and ethical issues around technology. The second part has workshop ideas to introduce technology to teachers. |
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Workshop to Create a Year-Long Professional Development Plan
Conduct a workshop with your leadership team to help create a year-long PD plan. Assess your school’s top academic needs, create a PD plan, and then plan to evaluate and sustain that plan.
Links: The Facilitator’s Agenda
What Some Experts Say About PD
Leadership Team Agenda |
| In addition to the book SUMMARIES above, Jenn also has written some book REVIEWS. If you are a CURRENT SUBSCRIBER and would like any of the following book REVIEWS, please send an email to Jenn at J.David-Lang@TheMainIdea.net
Book REVIEWS from The Main Idea
Effective Supervision: Supporting the Art and Science of Teaching
By Robert J. Marzano, Tony Frontier, and David Livingston (2011)
Focus: Elevating the Essentials to Radically Improve Student Learning
By Mike Schmoker (2011)
How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character
By Paul Tough (2012)
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To suggest other outstanding books that education leaders should read, please email
Jenn David-Lang at J.David-Lang@TheMainIdea.net |
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