Freedom, dignity and equality - the core values of the South African Constitution (1996) - provide the foundation for developing inclusive societies. "Inclusive education" is the term used to describe an education system in which all learners, including those with disabilities, are accepted and fully integrated not only educationally, but socially as well. Participation lies at the heart of inclusive education and cannot be restricted to one area of life. What is taught has to be reinforced in all the child's natural environments - the home, the school and the community. Believe that all can achieve explores how the incorporation of learning into real-life contexts forms the basis of meaningful education, and highlights the pivotal role of the teacher in this process. Believe that all can achieve pays specific attention to practical implementation. Photographs and line drawings are used to enhance understanding and application, and the narratives, case studies, screening checklists and examples of best practice in the home, the classroom and the community enable teachers to translate the theory into classroom practice. Believe that all can achieve looks at the child's participation patterns in terms of unique abilities, health status and environmental and personal factors, thus moving the focus from disability to ability; from the child in isolation to the child in the community; from the medical model of health care to the social model of health care. Believe that all can achieve is aimed at practising classroom-based teachers who want to improve their ability to support the increasingly diverse learners in their classrooms, schools and communities. Education students interested in special needs will also find this text particularly beneficial.

What does research tell us about the effects of school leadership on student achievement? What specific leadership practices make a real difference in school effectiveness? How should school leaders use these practices in their day-to-day management of schools and during the stressful times that accompany major change initiatives? Robert J. Marzano, Timothy Waters, and Brian A. McNulty provide answers to these and other questions in School Leadership That Works. Based on their analysis of 69 studies conducted since 1970 that met their selection criteria and a recent survey of more than 650 building principals, the authors have developed a list of 21 leadership responsibilities that have a significant effect on student achievement. Readers will learn: The specific behaviors associated with the 21 leadership responsibilities. The difference between first-order change and second-order change and the leadership responsibilities that are most important for each. How to work smart by choosing the right work to focus on to improve student achievement. The advantages and disadvantages of comprehensive school reform models for improving student achievement. How to develop a site-specific approach to improving student achievement, using a framework of 11 factors and 39 action steps. A five-step plan for effective school leadership. Combining rigorous research with practical advice, School Leadership That Works gives school administrators the guidance they need to provide strong leadership for better schools.

Today's teachers face a daunting challenge: how to ensure a positive school experience for their students, many of whom carry the burden of adverse childhood experiences, such as abuse, poverty, divorce, abandonment, and numerous other serious social issues. Spurred by her personal experience and extensive exploration of brain-based learning, author Marilee Sprenger explains how brain science-what we know about how the brain works-can be applied to social-emotional learning. Specifically, she addresses how to: Build strong, caring relationships with students to give them a sense of belonging. Teach and model empathy, so students feel understood and can better understand others. Awaken students' self-awareness, including the ability to name their own emotions, have accurate self-perceptions, and display self-confidence and self-efficacy. Help students manage their behavior through impulse control, stress management, and other positive skills. Improve students' social awareness and interaction with others. Teach students how to handle relationships, including with people whose backgrounds differ from their own. Guide students in making responsible decisions. Offering clear, easy-to-understand explanations of brain activity and dozens of specific strategies for all grade levels, Social-Emotional Learning and the Brain is an essential guide to creating supportive classroom environments and improving outcomes for all our students.nd dozens of specific strategies for all grade levels, Social-Emotional Learning and the Brain is an essential guide to creating supportive classroom environments and improving outcomes for all our students.

In K-12 education, your job title or place of work should not prevent you from offering unique insights and pathways for creating change. You have a voice. Working in education today is to continually be on the precipice of change. However, far too many educators don't recognize the power they have to control and shape that change into what's best for students. Individual contributions create collective change, and you are an integral part of the change inevitably happening around you. With that in mind, Ashley Lamb-Sinclair invites you to identify and examine your personal leadership style (or change archetype), which includes what motivates you, how you respond to adversity, how you position yourself in the larger story, how you help move that story forward, and how you deal with the unexpected. How do you create change? You might be a Diplomat if you build relationships and value fairness and integrity. Champion if you are passionate about a cause and advocate for people and ideals. Creative if you approach things through novelty and ingenuity. Storyteller if you are thoughtful, attentive to details, and a clear communicator. Inventor if you are a forward thinker who operates through free experimentation. Sage if you are perceptive, insightful, and persuasive. Investigator if you have an analytical curiosity, ask probing questions, and conduct thorough research. Guardian if you have compassion for and are drawn to nurture and protect others.Many schools tend to ignore or underestimate the powerful catalysts for change that exist in their buildings. Don't let the change story continue without its most vital character-you! Find the lightning bolts of lasting change only you can wield. Become unstoppable!

What motivates teachers to put forth their best efforts in the classroom How can principals understand what drives each teacher and use that information to encourage practices that lead to the best outcomes for students? If teachers are struggling, what can principals do to help them succeed? These questions and many more are thoroughly explored in The Teacher's Principal, an invaluable roadmap that all principals can use not only to support teachers who are doing good work, but also to help those who are faltering to get back on track. Taking a compassionate, holistic view of what drives teachers, veteran educator Jen Schwanke explains their three key motivators: Purpose, which reflects teachers' foundational values and reasons for teaching; Priorities, which reveal how committed teachers are to student learning; and Patterns, or the visible habits and routines that propel teachers' daily decisions. Understanding these "three Ps" will help principals ensure that teachers' practice aligns to what's best for students--and that teachers are happy, motivated, and effective at their jobs. Filled with real-life examples, practical suggestions, and hard-won lessons, this book walks principals of all grade levels through dozens of powerful strategies for supporting teachers in ways that benefit everyone in the school community.

A four-step process for effective equity practices in schools, with an array of professional development activities, leadership tips, and downloadable tools. Recent years have brought new calls to dismantle discriminatory policies and practices in U.S. schools. But adopting an equity focus doesn't guarantee the desired results. There's a risk that doing equity will be toothless-surface level and designed more to avoid tension and blame than to build a better educational system. In Leading Your School Toward Equity, veteran educator Dwayne Chism shows district, school, and teacher leaders a four-step process for taking equity work beyond talk and into effective action. You'll learn concrete ways to: Define and clarify equity. Guide even reluctant staff to a consensus understanding of what equity is, why it's necessary, and what it will look like. Create productive discomfort. Use intentional dialogue to lead staff to a place where they can talk frankly about privilege, bias, racial inequality, and how these affect students' experience of schooling. Build efficacy. Help staff develop higher levels of individual and shared professional efficacy-the number one factor influencing equitable educational outcomes-and create an empowered group of educational equity allies united for results. Normalize action. Support the day-to-day use of an equity lens, a mindset that empowers all teachers to counteract stereotypes and rectify conditions that negatively affect students of color. To make this complicated work a little easier, Chism provides an array of assessments, coaching guides, and activities to use with staff. If you're committed to creating a true equity-driven culture, if you're ready for courageous leadership, this book is for you.