Reading & Resources

School Administrator, January 2017


Book Reviews


Controls and Choices: The Educational Marketplace and the Failure of School Desegregation
by Carl L. Bankston III and Stephen J. Caldas, Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, Md., 2015, $32 softcover

In Controls and Choices, authors Carl Bankston III and Stephen Caldas document the failure of the school desegregation movement with compelling arguments.  Bankston, a professor of sociology at Tulane University who works extensively with immigrants, and Caldas, a professor of education policy at Manhattanville College who writes extensively on school desegregation, cover new ground on the illusions of success and the rise of the school choice movement.

The authors provide examples of the failures of desegration from 15 school districts in several states. Providing equal educational opportunity was the fundamental goal of the school desegregation movement, but data from current demographics and recent court decisions indicate that the movement has failed to deliver. Many schools are more segregated now than at the beginning of the movement and courts have backed away or ended orders after billions were spent to bring about equality from the civil rights perspective.

Bankston and Caldas argue that school choice and school vouchers came out of the long effort to desegregate schools. School choice was driven by the failure of desegregation to improve education for all students, especially minorities. Schools were a closed market during this time, so parents that could afford to move or send their children to private schools did so in large numbers, leaving the desegregation mandates behind.

Moving forward, the authors suggest that educators should concentrate on improving academic outcomes without trying to redesign our society. They point out the positive consequence of U.S. education policy that increasingly promotes school choice over governmental control and coercion. This book will enhance your knowledge of school desegregation and provide you with ideas for planning the future of your school to meet the social justice needs of your stakeholders.

Reviewed by Jim Hattabaugh, assistant professor, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Ga.


Crafting the Feedback Teachers Need and Deserve: A Guide for Leaders
by Thomas M. Van Soelen, Routledge, New York, N.Y., 2016, 214 pp. with index, $34.95 softcover

State and federal mandates have required that districts retool their teacher evaluation process, focusing on shorter, more frequent observations and yearly reviews. In response, districts have sought help to hone principals’ observation skills while writers and consultants have put out numerous guides on the subject.

Rather than providing yet another rubric or framework for what to look for in teacher observations, Thomas Van Soelen, a consultant and former school district leader, focuses on how to provide high quality written feedback in Crafting the Feedback Teachers Need and Deserve. His book is of value for anyone wishing to provide feedback that helps teachers do what Van Soelen refers to as “autosupervise” –- to reflect on their own practices to decide what to replicate and what to suspend.  

The author provides an “innovation configuration map,” similar to a rubric, that describes high-quality feedback in terms of description, conditional language, point of view, assumptions, co-teaching model and co-teaching equity, then details the desired outcomes in each chapter. Some of these desired outcomes may clash with previously held beliefs about quality written feedback, but readers should read on before making a rash judgment about the legitimacy of the recommendations offered.  The author provides rationale that is grounded in both research and reason.

Van Soelen prompts reflection on how the written feedback currently provided may affect school culture among the adults in our schools. A positive school culture is nurtured when such writing helps teachers to accept and consider feedback and think deeply about their practice, rather than to grow defensive or protective of the status quo.

The chapters are rich with references to protocols and each ends with “try it yourself” exercises that make the book useful for leadership teams or professional learning networks to read together while concurrently improving the quality of the feedback they offer to teachers. The text and protocols provide rich fodder for evaluators wishing to move beyond conducting observations as a task to be accomplished, an accountability measure or a rating system to observing and providing feedback as a conduit for adult learning and school improvement.

Reviewed by Judy Paolucci, superintendent, Leicester Public Schools, Leicester, Mass.


Education for Upward Mobility
edited by Michael J. Petrilli, Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, Md., 2016, 274 pp., $28 softcover

In Education for Upward Mobility, Michael Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, assembles a team of contributors to tackle how we can help children born into poverty to transcend their disadvantages. The data is compelling and would be discouraging, except for the obvious progress in real learning that has happened in the last two decades. Despite this progress, we learn that outcomes, such as college graduation rates, still are far below acceptable levels. What role should schools, practitioners and policy makers play to get the outcomes we desire?

The book is organized into three parts. Part one examines challenges post-high school and reviews the difficulties with completing college (particularly for those living in poverty). Part two focuses on challenges within the K-12 system focused primarily on high school completion. Part three examines the challenges presented by the early years. A central question binds them all together; if college success rates are so low and there is no economic advantage to having some college, why are we pushing all students to attend college?

For superintendents and prospective superintendents, this work reveals the challenges that keep children born into poverty remaining in poverty, despite free public education for all. While working to meet our moral imperative, we may not be providing the best guidance to all the young people in our system.  Fortunately, the contributors review real and workable strategies to overcome these challenges and barriers. You may not agree with all the proposed solutions or models examined in this book, but you will be inspired by the great work being done to address this challenge.

Reviewed by Kenneth E. Hoover, retired superintendent, Monroe, Wash.


The Leader’s Guide To Working With Underperforming Teachers: Overcoming Marginal Teaching and Getting Results
by Sally J. Zepeda, Routledge, New York, N.Y., 2016, 190 pp., $34.95 softcover

The Leader’s Guide To Working With Underperforming Teachers is a reference and accountability tool for new teacher leaders, principals and superintendents. Author Sally J. Zepeda, of the University of Georgia’s College of Education, takes a no nonsense approach to ensuring teacher effectiveness and dismissal in cases where it may be necessary. Her expertise in instructional supervision, professional development, teacher evaluation and school improvement is recognized throughout the well-written chapters.

Zepeda promotes the importance of teacher accountability and effectiveness to ensure student achievement. The book defines teacher effectiveness and teacher quality in order to help teacher leaders identify the behaviors to look for when observing instruction. Standards for evaluation are also defined to ensure consistency and unbiased measurements of effectiveness. The book provides real-life examples, rubrics and tools that can be used immediately.

The book provides confirmation of the need for accountability and efforts to improve teachers. The author provides in-depth details of ways to do so by providing communication strategies for effective feedback, a framework for plans of improvement and legal advice for situations when all else fails. Zepeda closes with a call to action, noting the ethical, moral, legal and financial effects of teacher ineffectiveness on not only the students, but also parents, communities and the nation as a whole.
    
Review by Xandra Brooks-Keys, superintendent, Coahoma County School District, Clarksdale, Mississippi


Striving for Equity: District Leadership for Narrowing Opportunity and Achievement Gaps
by Robert G. Smith and S. David Brazer, Harvard Education Press, Cambridge, Mass., 2016, 192 pp. with index, $30 softcover

Narrowing opportunity gaps takes time and persistence, say authors Robert G. Smith and S. Dave Brazer in Striving for Equity. The authors, associate professors of education at George Mason University and Stanford University, respectively, report on more than two decades of work by the Minority Student Achievement Network  in more than 20 school districts.

This book is a rare gift, directly quoting district leaders on successes and challenges in closing equity gaps. After interviewing dozens of leaders, the authors developed a framework for narrowing equity gaps. They propose four governing variables: high expectations for all students, high quality instruction, open access to advanced placement and parent/community involvement.

Smith and Brazer found that superintendents worked hard to create a shared vision of justice and equity, by working with school boards, colleagues, teachers and community. They used disaggregated data to daylight ‘undiscussables.’ And they put those aspirations into a written plan with action steps and measurable outcomes.

These districts were persistent over time – attracting and retaining superintendents dedicated to closing gaps. The authors report that pacing the work and learning from results helped strengthen outcomes and improve superintendent continuity. Even with multiple years of implementation, districts reported only limited progress in narrowing gaps – most in the area of increased AP participation, graduation and college-going.

This book focuses on specific strategies that will promote changes in beliefs while working on narrowing very specific gaps. The book will have value for district, school and community leaders who are dedicated to social justice and equity. Smith and Brazer fill a need by providing a menu of thoughtful gap closing strategies along with commentary from school leaders on why districts chose those approaches.

Reviewed by Larry Nyland, superintendent, Seattle Public Schools, Seattle, Wash.


Thinking and Acting Systemically: Improving School Districts Under Pressure
edited by Alan J. Daly and Kara S. Finnigan, AERA, Washington, D.C., 2016, 254 pp., $39.95 softcover

At first, Thinking and Acting Systemically appears to be a book of research studies focused on educational change at the district level. The book is far more than that! Reading the included studies as one text will provide superintendents with a handbook of strategies that can lead to effective change across a school district.

The book grew out of a scholars’ workshop on “district improvement under high-stakes accountability policies, with particular emphasis on linkages between organizational learning, district-wide learning communities, and underlying social networks.” Each topic addresses a change effort that was closely monitored for its success. The analysis of these efforts is dramatic. The authors probe and comment on the reasons for improvement or for the lack of progress. Each study ends with an autopsy of the enacted plan with commentary on its strengths and flaws.

These researchers do not shy away from issues like the impact of school politics or the inadequacy of measuring school success by only using test scores, or from the complexity of accounting for the impact of poverty and school cultures on programs imposed on schools. The importance of leaders at the school level who are qualified to implement change is emphasized. One interesting finding is that improvement plans are often most successful in schools already doing well and far less successful in schools that are struggling. When rewards are tied to the degree of improvement, the lower performing schools are shortchanged again.  

The book concludes with a reflective essay by the editors about promising directions that may make reform easier in the future if leaders in this country can develop a unified focus and provide the necessary resources. School districts that need immediate attention probably should not pin their hopes on these possibilities.

This text will appeal to large district superintendents and could support innovation ideas that would be proposed to board members and community leaders. Graduate students aspiring to be district superintendents will find this a useful supplementary text for a course in organizational dynamics. Perhaps the book will be read by a philanthropist who is looking for an effective way to invest in educational reform.

Reviewed by John C. Fagan, retired superintendent, Oak Park, Ill.


Why I Wrote this Book …

“I saw a shift happening in education with schools infusing creativity back into the classroom. As STEM transitions to STEAM and collides with the Maker Movement, school leaders need to consider how new innovative practices will play a part in the future of their schools. I wanted to provide insight at the classroom, school and district levels, including resources to support the hands-on work of STEAM Maker learning.”

Jacie Maslyk, assistant superintendent, Hopewell Area School District, Aliquippa Pa., and AASA member since 2015, on writing STEAM Makers: Fostering Creativity and Innovation in the Elementary Classroom (Corwin, 2016)




ABSTRACT

Cultivating Trust
How superintendents cultivate a culture of trust in their school districts was the focus of a recent Ed.D. dissertation at University of La Verne.

In his study, Jaime R. Anderson interviewed five current or former superintendents. He found three major themes for building trust: communication, honesty and listening. His study also investigated the extent to which superintendents are actively engaged in trust-building activities.

The superintendents indicated honesty as a factor throughout the development and perseverance of trust in relationships. The findings revealed that the superintendents connected authenticity with trust and considered listening an important aspect of building trust when interacting with others and understanding others’ points of view.

Copies of “A Qualitative Study on How School Superintendents Cultivate a Culture of Trust Within Their School Districts” are accessible from ProQuest at 800-521-0600 or disspub@proquest.com.


BITS & PIECES

Tech Trends
In partnership with the New Media Consortium, the Consortium for School Networking has produced the annual Horizon Report, which examines emerging technologies for their potential impact on and uses in K-12 education. The new edition analyzes trends in teachers’ roles and schoolwide impact.

You can download the free report at www.nmc.org/publication/nmc-cosn-horizon-report-2016-k-12-edition and toolkit at http://cosn.org/nmccosn-horizon-report-digital-toolkit-2016-k-12-edition.

Chronic Absences
Attendance Works and Johns Hopkins University’s Everyone Graduates Center partnered to examine national data on chronic absenteeism.

Their report found chronic absences highly concentrated in areas with concentrated poverty, whether rural, urban or suburban. Reductions can be made by addressing unreliable transportation, asthma and other health issues and ensuring schools are welcoming and safe environments.

Find the brief at http://bit.ly/reducing-chronic-absenteeism.

Kindergarten Absences
Early Childhood Research Quarterly has published a study of how the presence of a classmate with emotional and behavioral disabilities affects nondisabled students.

Researchers found more absences in kindergarten classrooms that included peers with disabilities, with girls more likely to be absent than boys.

Read the abstract at http://bit.ly/kindergarten-absences.

Math Content
An evaluation report by the Institute of Education Sciences examines the impact of content-intensive teacher professional development for elementary school math teachers.

They found professional development has a positive impact on teacher knowledge and aspects of instructional practice, but not on student achievement.

Download the report at http://bit.ly/math-teacher-development.

Outreach Ideas
A new toolkit from the Regional Educational Laboratory Pacific at McREL is designed to help districts improve outreach to families and community members. The toolkit has four parts, each including a series of engagement activities.

Find the guides at http://bit.ly/outreach-ideas.

Supporting Evidence
Mathematica’s Center for Improving Research Evidence has released a four-part video series, #EvidenceInsight, to help policymakers who need access to strong evidence. The series features four cutting-edge research methods.

Watch the videos at http://bit.ly/evidence-insight.

Noncognitive Skills
The Brookings Institution’s Hamilton Project calls for additional investment in noncognitive skills development.

The report makes the case that the development of these skills is critical for promoting success in the labor market.

Find the report at http://bit.ly/noncognitive-skills-development.

Manuscript Reviewers
AASA’s Journal of Scholarship & Practice seeks professors and researchers for peer reviews of submitted manuscripts. The online publication is a refereed, blind-reviewed, quarterly journal with a focus on research and evidence-based practice. Recent issues are housed at www.aasa.org/content.aspx?id=4478.

If interested, contact Ken Mitchell at School of Education, Manhattanville College, Purchase, N.Y., at Kenneth.Mitchell@mville.edu.

Candidate Details
Two candidates are running for AASA president-elect, a position that starts July 1. AASA members can visit www.aasa.org to read the candidates’ biographies and view brief videos about them.
Balloting takes place in March.

Transgender Webinars
AASA offers a webinar series about how school districts can serve transgender students and develop policies and practices that work for all. The three-part series addresses many issues, including policies for student athletes, responding to community concerns and developing gender-specific plans relating to student transitions.
The series is archived at www.aasa.org/webinars.aspx.

Women’s Conference
A second annual Women in School Leadership Conference will be held March 30-31 in Monroe Township, N.J. The conference provides women with opportunities to learn about and discuss emerging trends in leadership and to network.
Visit www.aasa.org for details about the event, cosponsored by AASA, the New Jersey Association of School Administrators and the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association’s Foundation for Education Administration.