This book focuses on what school leaders need to know and understand about leadership for learning, and for learning to read in particular. It brings together theory, research and practice on leadership for literacy. The book reports on the findings from six studies that followed school principals from their involvement in a professional learning program consisting of five modules on leadership and the teaching of reading, to implementation action in their schools. It describes how they applied a range of strategies to create leadership partnerships with their teachers, pursuing eight related dimensions from a Leadership for Learning framework or blueprint. The early chapters of the book feature the use of practical tools as a focus for leadership activity. These chapters consider, for example, how principals and teachers can develop deeper understandings of their schools' contexts; how professional discussions can be conducted with a process called 'disciplined dialogue'; and how principals might encourage approaches to shared leadership with their teachers. The overall findings presented in this book emphasise five positive positions on leadership for learning to read: the importance of an agreed moral purpose; sharing leadership for improvement; understanding what learning to read involves; implementing and evaluating reading interventions; and recognising the need for support for leaders' learning on-the-job.

This book focuses on what school leaders need to know and understand about leadership for learning, and for learning to read in particular. It brings together theory, research and practice on leadership for literacy. The book reports on the findings from six studies that followed school principals from their involvement in a professional learning program consisting of five modules on leadership and the teaching of reading, to implementation action in their schools. It describes how they applied a range of strategies to create leadership partnerships with their teachers, pursuing eight related dimensions from a Leadership for Learning framework or blueprint. The early chapters of the book feature the use of practical tools as a focus for leadership activity. These chapters consider, for example, how principals and teachers can develop deeper understandings of their schools' contexts; how professional discussions can be conducted with a process called 'disciplined dialogue'; and how principals might encourage approaches to shared leadership with their teachers. The overall findings presented in this book emphasise five positive positions on leadership for learning to read: the importance of an agreed moral purpose; sharing leadership for improvement; understanding what learning to read involves; implementing and evaluating reading interventions; and recognising the need for support for leaders' learning on-the-job.

An inspirational, empowering and entertaining picture book for the whole family about overcoming doubts and fears. Eight year old Julie is getting ready to test for her Black Belt in Martial Arts, but her lack of self-confidence is holding her back - until her Aunt Mary reveals the secret of Mister D. Who is Mister D and what is the secret?

When emotionally blindsided by a man from her past, Travel Intrigue magazine editor, Sydney Barrington, is forced to begin a soul-searching journey that takes her back to a hellish nightmare and moves her forward to uncharted emotional terrain. From Manhattan to Tokyo and back, Sidney's strengths and weaknesses guide her on a personal journey she never anticipated, finding the daughter she gave up at birth. Surprise and anger, shock and disappointment, color the lives of Sydney, Kiyomi and the families involved. The search to find Kiyomi is merely the beginning of a labyrinth of circumstances involving friends and enemies.

RAGBAG is the twelfth book and fourth collection of poetry by prize-winning fiction writer/artist/critic Elisabeth Goss Stevens. RAGBAG focuses intensely, and often humorously, on the mundane but powerful things that dominate our everyday lives. Old clothes, zippers, an elastic sock, an empty refrigerator and even dust assume unexpected, sometimes threatening importance and underlying meanings. "Anyone reading Elisabeth Stevens' poetry will be drawn in by the depth of its emotion and simultaneous control: the perception is wonderfully acute." Josephine Jacobsen, 21st poet laureate of the United States "Comic irony is the lens through which Elisabeth Stevens views her world of spare romance and failed expectations as well as fulfilling moments of daily joy. Beneath the wry comedy is a terror at what has not been seen and which may yet reappear more boldly. The combination makes her poems teasing and quirky, and quietly but powerfully provocative." Martin Tucker, poet, critic and editor of Confrontation