Leading Learning

"Taylor shows how school leadership actions can turn almost any educational challenge into a positive. Her use of current school administrators as examples, the explanatory charts, and the guiding professional analysis make this book a necessary companion to implementing sustained school reform."
—Mary Ann Haas, Retired Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Flagler School District, FL

Practical strategies and real-world examples for improving learning for all students!

There is no single solution to improving learning and closing the gap for disadvantaged children. Rather, improvement is the result of a number of successful practices used together. This valuable resource shows school and district leaders how specific, consistent actions can result in dramatic change and increased student achievement.

From stimulating intellectual growth to making decisions based on data, this book provides leader actions and examples of schools where the gap in learning is closing through exceptional leadership, and includes:

• Numerous examples from real schools, offering descriptions and analysis of actions that increase achievement
• Interviews with successful school leaders that provide a realistic look at the issues involved
• A focus on second-order changes, where small improvements can create dramatic rethinking of the organization, the roles of individuals, and the approach to learning
• Ample forms, sample notes, templates, and other materials to get you started

Based on theory, but grounded in practice, this book shows leaders the specific actions they need to take to drive high levels of student achievement in their schools!

Rosemarye (Rose) Taylor has a rich background that includes middle and high teaching, school administration, and district administration. She was a reading, language arts, and Spanish teacher, and counselor, followed by service as a middle and high school administrator, and district level administrator in Georgia and Florida, USA. In private sector management she was Director of Professional Development for Scholastic, Inc., New York. Currently, she is Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. As Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Central Florida, her specialty is systematic leadership to improve student achievement Pk-20, which as lead to her interest and research in the professional practice doctorate. She has conducted research on leadership and change, particularly as it relates to accountability. Presentations on this topic have been given at University Council of Educational Administration, American Association of Educational Research, American Association of School Administrators, International Reading Association, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, National Association of Secondary School Principals, and National Middle School Association conferences. Her articles have been published in Kappan, Educational Leadership, Middle School Journal, Schools in the Middle, American Secondary Education, AASA Professor, The National Staff Development Journal, Principal Leadership, The School Administrator, Educational Research Service Spectrum, and International Journal of Education Management. Six books including Leading Learning: Improve Student Achievement Today! (2010), Improving Readers, Writers, and Content Learning for Students in Grades 4-12 (2007), Leadership Handbook for Literacy Coaching (2006),The K-12 Literacy Leadership Fieldbook (2005), Literacy Leadership for Grades 5-12, (2003), and Leading With Character to Improve Student Achievement (2003), reflect the commitment to all students learning more through leadership that creates ethical, fail-safe systems. She serves as consultant on literacy, learning communities, curriculum system development, and leadership to schools, districts and professional organizations.