Teaching Matters Most

Foreword by Deborah Meier Preface: Lessons Learned From Experience A "New" Take in School Improvement Central Theme Organization of the Book What Makes This Book Distinctive Acknowledgments About the Authors 1. What are common practices in schools? What We Found in Classrooms Truths Hidden in Plain View Transforming Accountability New Direction Are There "Best Practices" in Teaching? Bringing Best Practices to Scale Are Some Practices Better Than Others? The Poverty of Prescribing Best Practices 2. What distinguishes quality teaching? Three Classrooms, Three Practitioners A Simple Truth Hidden in Plain View Disjointed Teaching Why Teachers Are Frustrated What Is Quality Teaching? Observing High-Quality Teaching Instructional Systems The Road Less Traveled 3. How do we learn about the quality of our teaching? How to Make the Case for an Emphasis on Teacher Quality Three Leadership Requirements Defining Quality Teaching How to Engage School Personnel in Devising a Vision of Quality Instruction Some Rudiments of Quality Teaching The Importance of Curriculum Coherence Learning From Students The Current State of Teaching in Your School How to Evaluate the Quality of Teaching in Your School 4. What should induction and mentoring look like? Basic Components of a Teacher Mentor Program Facing Critical Junctures Together Planning for New Teachers' Success 5. What should professional development look like? What We Know About Professional Development The Disregarded Truths of Professional Development The Components of a Professional Learning Culture Building Blocks of Professional Learning Leading Professional Learning Communities 6. How can teacher evaluaiton become more meaningful? "Drive-By" Teacher Evaluation "Absentee Landords" Lists and Rubrics Abound 7. How can we sustain a culture of exceptional instruction? Ten Actions to Sustain High-Quality Teaching Systems in Place Sanctity of the Classroom Envisioning Quality Teaching Right People in Right Places Balanced Leadership Clear and Timely Communication Standards for Professional Conduct Collaboration Reflection and Continuous Improvement Ongoing Professional Dialogues 8. How do we face our leadership challenges? Suppressing Distraction Building Principal's Knowledge Building Trust Influencing Resistant Teachers Coping With the Pace Final Thoughts Resources A. How Can You Spot a Really Good Teacher? B. Framework for Observing Classes C. Student Forum Questions D. Teacher Interview Questions References Index

Thomas M. McCann is an associate professor of English at Northern Illinois University, where he contributes to the teacher certification program. He taught high school for 25 years, including seven years working in an alternative high school. He has been a high school English department chair, an assistant principal, and an assistant superintendent. His published work has appeared in Educational Leadership, Research in the Teaching of English, the English Journal, and the Illinois English Bulletin. His co-authored books include Explorations: Introductory Activities for Literature and Composition, 7-12 (National Council of Teachers of English, 1987), In Case You Teach English: An Interactive Casebook for Preservice and Prospective Teachers (Merrill/Prentice Hall, 2002), Supporting Beginning English Teachers (NCTE, 2005), and Talking in Class (NCTE, 2006). He edited and contributed a chapter to Reflective Teaching, Reflective Learning (Heinemann, 2005). He is the co-author of The Dynamics of Writing Instruction (Heinemann, 2010). The National Council of Teachers of English awarded him the Richard A. Meade Award for research about the concerns of beginning teachers. He also received the Paul and Kate Farmer Award from NCTE for his writing for the English Journal. Dr. Alan C. Jones is an Associate Professor of Educational Administration for Saint Xavier University, Chicago, Illinois. His teaching career includes teaching English at DuSable Upper Grade Center in Chicago, Illinois, and social studies at Thornton Township High School, in Harvey, Illinois. He began his administrative career as an Activities Director at Thornton Township High School and went on to become an Assistant Principal at Bremen Township High School and served as Principal of Community High School District 94, in West Chicago, Illinois for seventeen years. Under his leadership, Community High School was awarded the Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 1993 and was recognized as a 1995 School of Excellence by HISPANIC Magazine. His publications include articles in educational journals on instructional leadership and school reform, and two books: Students! Do Not Push Your Teacher Down the Stairs on Friday: A Teacher's Notebook (Quadrangle Books, 1972) and Becoming A Strong Instructional Leader: Breaking the Cycle of Reform Failure (Teachers College Press, 2012). Mrs. Gail Aronoff is an educational consultant who worked for 37 years in several schools, both as teacher and administrator. She has worked with students with special needs in elementary, middle school, and high school, and served as a liaison between schools and the families of struggling learners. At the high school level, she taught struggling learners for fourteen years and held the position of Assistant Principal for Student Services for twelve years. She served a highly diverse population with many ESL students as well as those from low income families. She has mentored and supervised teachers and administrators, creating and implementing model programs to address the needs of reluctant learners and those with special needs. Mrs. Aronoff currently serves as a consultant to schools for school improvement and reform.