Creating and sustaining small learning communities
Subtitle: strategies and tools for transforming high schools
By: Grace Sammon.
Edition: 2nd ed.
Publisher: Corwin Press
Published: 2007
Place of publication: Thousand Oaks, Calif
Language: eng
Number of pages: 227
ISBN-13: 9781412937894; 9781412937900
Subjects: School improvement programs; Career academies; Individualized instruction
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: The journey begins; title: Background; title: The mandate for school reform; title: Benefits of small learning communities; title: Who makes it happen? The practitioner's role; title: Key elements of effective redesign efforts; title: Looking at design options; title: At a glance: summing it up and next steps; title: Formation, study and awareness: the sum of the parts; title: Understanding the process of change; title: What do we want a graduate to look like?; title: What does the ideal teacher look like?; title: Are we producing that now? The data discussion begins; title: What real might look like; title: Building a "commitment framework"? Agreements needed for success; title: Building your local definition: establishing structures; title: At a glance: summing it up and next steps; title: Leading an improvement process: changes in practice is inevitable; title: Develop an understanding: a need for coherent change practices; title: Creating a theory of change; title: Where to begin with building capacity; title: Establish relationships; title: At a glance: summing it up and next steps; title: The plan's the thing: establishing structures; title: Initiative alignment and partnership audit; title: Creating working teams; title: The punch list: 100+ things for teams to think about and work through; title: How much will SLC implementation cost?; title: Reality check: strengths and deficit mapping; title: The planning stage; title: Determining themes and numbers of SLC; title: The ninth grade experience; title: How fast do we have to go?; title: At a glance: summing it up and next steps; title: Establishing SLC teams: developing the mission, culture and schedule; title: SlC teams; title: Creating SLC specific teams; title: Building the team; title: The team sets the agenda; title: Mission; title: Commitment to students and families; title: Scheduling; title: School practices; title: At a glance: summing it up and next steps; title: Curriculum for college and careers; title: Curriculum defined; title: Understanding and addressing academic and industry skills standards; title: From goals 2000 to scans: what work requires of schools!; title: Knowledge, skills and abilities; title: Identifying and honing the SLC curriculum: pathways, courses and integration; title: "Quick wins" curriculum tools; title: At a glance: summing it up and next steps; title: Professional practice; title: Moving into data-driven discussions; title: A culture of literacy; title: Data, data everywhere; title: Use of time; title: Professional development; title: Will this impact student achievement?; title: Pulling the pieces together; title: At a glance: summing it up and next steps; title: Powerful partnerships; title: Partnership defined; title: Partnership possibilities; title: Business basics; title: Key ingredients in creating and sustaining partnerships; title: Structures and strategies; title: Work-based learning; title: "The why" of employability skills; title: "The when" of employability skills; title: At a glance: summing it up and next steps; title: The student experience: making it personal; title: School-based structures; title: Facility design and SLC identity; title: Selecting students; title: A transfer strategy; title: Personalizing the learning experience; title: Welcome; title: Putting the home in homeroom; title: Student led conferences; title: Student organizations and after-school activities; title: Community service and service learning; title: The senior experience; title: Student voice; title: More about work-based learning; title: A word about placements; title: Brief, perform, and debrief everything; title: Job shadowing; title: Mentorships; title: Placement check list; title: At a glance: summing it up and next steps; title: Sustaining: the experts are amongst us; title: Revisiting the practitioner's role; title: What will it take to succeed?; title: What does success and sustainability look like?; title: Taking stock: study process and peer review; title: Study tools to get you started; title: At a glance: summing it up and next steps; title: The journey continues; title: Resources; title: References.