E d u c a t i o n / S c h o o l I m p r o v e m e n t / Te a m s
Goals “Very well organized and easy to read. [The authors] have taken the best information that is available and synthesized it in a way that is immensely practical. I found myself wishing that our entire school district staff would read it—it is so clear, direct, and useful.” — Arlene Geres, Principal, Beaver Creek Elementary, Surrey, BC, Canada
“This book will persuade you that goals . . . are the glue that holds teams and their efforts together against the incessant distractions that bombard us at every turn. This book helps us to understand and implement the goal-oriented principles and practices that will help schools to be . . . vastly better than they ever thought they could be.” — Mike Schmoker, Author and Consultant
Many schools have improvement goals, but they are all too often written into a mandated school improvement plan and then soon forgotten. Although most of us acknowledge the power of goals in our own lives, they remain the single most underestimated and underutilized means of improving student learning—particularly in the classroom—in education today. This comprehensive yet easy-to-read book by the authors of The Handbook for SMART School Teams shows readers how to transform their schools into places where each and every student is meeting and exceeding standards by shifting thinking to a focus on results. The authors begin by presenting several frameworks for adult and student goal-setting and then discuss: • The barriers to goal-setting and monitoring • How to “keep goals alive” through supportive systems, policies, structures, and skill-building • The role of assessment in goal-setting • The power of goals to improve curriculum, instruction, and assessment
• The role of professional development practices in goal-setting and improvement • How to build capacity for goal-oriented thinking • Case studies from real schools that are turning challenges into opportunities for learning and improvement
Jan O’Neill, M.S., is a former teacher who became one of the pioneers in applying quality principles system-wide in municipal and state governments and health care. Anne Conzemius, M.S., is a former school psychologist and executive assistant to the Wisconsin State Superintendent and has spent many years working in quality improvement in the public and private sectors.
“[This book] supports the reader in making connections to previous learning while taking it a step deeper into how to implement SMART goals at the school, team, and student levels to support student learning.”
Both authors are cofounders of Quality Leadership by Design, LLC, based in Madison, Wisconsin, and coauthors of Building Shared Responsibility for Student Learning (ASCD, 2001) and The Handbook for SMART School Teams (Solution Tree, 2002).
solution-tree.com Cover art and design by Grannan Design Ltd.
— Ellen S. Perconti, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Independent School District #1, Lewiston, ID