Chapter 9: Effective Schools:

Abstract: This chapter was all about Effective Schools and the qualities and traits effective schools have. Effective schools make a difference in the lives of children and the community. Schools which do not make a different are not effective schools. There are 7 important correlates that help make Effective schools. These are; instructional leadership,a clear and focused mission, a safe and orderly environment, climate with high expectations for success, frequent monitoring of student progress, positive home school relations, and opportunity to learn and time spent on task. Schools that have these qualities can definitely make a difference. Many schools need to change to become effective schools. School change requires three things. First, it requires that the people who work in their schools change their behavior to some degree. Second, each organization and operating system within the school would need to change. Third, in order to initiate change there need to be specific process characteristics to spark this change. Two important process characteristics are involvement: by teachers administrators and support staff, and collaboration. Within collaboration there are three different types of powers which exist. These are "stick power", the power of threat, "carrot power" the power of incentive, and "hug power" the power if a shared vision and beliefs. Effective schools need to have a leadership group, who has 6 core beliefs. The first belief is that school improvement is a one school at a time process. We shouldn't try to reform every school at once. The second is the belief that there are only two kinds of schools, the declining and the improving ones. Thirty, is that every adult in the school is important. Forth, is that schools have the capacity to improve themselves already, colleagues are already doing the best they can with the knowledge they have. Six, all children can learn and the school can assure all students WILL learn.

Reflection: There were a couple things that I particularly liked about the core beliefs. I think it was really important that they make a point that schools have the capacity to improve themselves already,, and that they make a pint that teachers are already doing the best they can with the knowledge they have. The good thing about this is that they weren't putting the blame on teachers for the schools not improving. It was more like they were saying that each school has the ability to improve and they can if teachers are given the knowledge, than making the teachers feel bad or incompetent about themselves and their teaching. Another important thing was that schools should be improved one at a time and not all at once. I feel like a problem with effective schools is that the whole district will start trying to revamp everything and each and every one of their school's. This process of change would just be completely overwhelming for schools. We can't try to do too much at once, or change will not sustain or be effective.