Teaching Practices from America's Best Urban Schools

Joseph F. Johnson, Jr., Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the National Center for Urban School Transformation and the Qualcomm Professor of Urban Education within the Department of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University. He has previously served as a teacher, school and district administrator, state education agency administrator in Texas and Ohio, researcher and technical assistance provider, and U.S. Department of Education official. His research focuses upon schools that achieve remarkable academic results for diverse populations of students. His work has appeared in journals such as Education and Urban Society, Educational Administration Quarterly, Educational Leadership, International Journal of Leadership in Education, Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, Phi Delta Kappan, and Theory into Practice. Lynne G. Perez, Ph.D., is the Associate Director of the National Center for Urban School Transformation at San Diego State University. She also serves as a part-time lecturer with San Diego State’s Department of Educational Leadership. She serves as an executive coach in the center’s Advancing Principal Leadership in Urban Schools Program. Her work on school leadership issues has appeared in journals such as Educational Administration Quarterly, Educational Leadership, Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, Journal of Educational Leadership, Journal of School Leadership, and Teacher College Record. Cynthia L. Uline, Ph.D., is a professor of educational leadership at San Diego State University and executive director of San Diego State’s National Center for the 21st Century Schoolhouse: coe .sdsu .edu/ edl/ schoolhouse/ index .php. She also served as an assistant and associate professor of educational administration at The Ohio State University from 1995 to 2005. Her research explores the influence of built learning environments on students’ learning, as well as the roles educational leaders, teachers, and the community play in shaping these learning spaces. Other areas of research include school leadership for learning and school reform and improvement. Her work has appeared in journals such as Educational Administration Quarterly, Journal of Educational Administration, Teachers College Record, Journal of School Leadership, Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, and The Journal of Research and Development in Education.

Introduction

1. Understanding and Using This Book

2. Focusing on Mastery

3. Introducing Content Logically, Clearly, and Concisely

4. Acquiring and Responding to Evidence of Understanding

5. Connecting with Student Interests, Backgrounds, Cultures, and Prior Knowledge

6. Building Student Vocabulary

7. Promoting Successful Practice

8. Making Students Feel Valued and Capable

9. Leading Students to Love Learning

10. Developing Best Practices Throughout a School

Conclusion