Educators and policymakers need to add to their toolbox for implementing reform this outstanding new book by Kilgore and Reynolds. It is rare to find such a well-written volume that explains how to reorganize schools into more effective enterprises using clear examples grounded in rich scientific studies. For those faced with how to make things happen and work smarter, this excellent book delivers on both.”

—Barbara Schneider

John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor, Michigan State University

Transform your school's culture from the inside out

You're stunned by the increase in student absenteeism this year and wonder what is causing it. There may be multiple factors, but few administrators have the luxury of investigating them all. From Silos to Systems provides specific application steps for engaging all staff in a systematic approach to dealing with the various causes of schoolwide problems. School leaders who have used this approach find numerous benefits:

Teachers have a way for their voices to be heard; Principals spend less time trying to integrate all the concerns of various advisory groups; Strong cross-cutting ties that spur collaboration emerge among teachers; Educators realize more dramatic results from their efforts.

The book also includes current research on developing a positive school climate, improving professional learning opportunities, utilizing data analysis to identify and resolve instructional and behavior issues, and the effective use of technology in schools.

Sally Kilgore talks about using the book:

Data Analysis

Data analysis

“Water, water everywhere, but nary a drop to drink”—the complaint of The Ancient Mariner echoes today among educators: data, data everywhere, but nary a drop to inform. How can it be that so much data appears to be of such little use?

A recent report from the U.S. Department of Education (2009) estimates that the proportion of teachers able to access an electronic student data system grew from 48 percent in 2005 to 78 percent in 2007. Even with that striking change, the teachers surveyed report that the data they can access are of minimal use in their instructional decisions.

For teachers to find data useful to instructional decisions that they make in specific classrooms, teachers need either (1) individual student level data within ...

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