Category: Book Reviews

A Leadership Toolkit for Schoolwide Rigor

Williamson and Blackburn set out to provide strategies and resources for education leaders to use as they work to achieve more rigorous, supportive schools. The description of this book as a “toolkit” couldn’t be more accurate, says principal Bret Olson.

It’s Time to Retire Your Trusty Day Planner

Evernote is a 21st century day planner. In Part 4 of his productivity series for school leaders, organization consultant and former principal Frank Buck singles out Evernote as a must-have for collecting school and home information in an easily accessible way.

Writing Every Day in Every Content Area

Even before you view the lessons and become acquainted with the many cross-curricular strategies the authors of Smuggling Writing share, you’ll discover a matrix that unifies the strategies, literacy strands, samples, lessons, digital applications and CCSS.

The Gift of Failure Can Lead to Success

In The Gift of Failure, teacher/writer Jessica Lahey calls on parents to value failures along the way to help children build growth mindsets. She also effectively describes how educators can work with parents, reports retired principal Mary Langer Thompson.

How to Develop Deep Student Discussions

Reviewer Sherry Drake has already tried the questioning strategies suggested by Jackie Walsh and Beth Sattes to involve middle schoolers of varied abilities in a mini research project. The authors offered just what she needed to engage her students in deeper thinking.

A Hybrid Approach to Mobile Devices

Susan Brooks-Young offers a gateway to designing a Hybrid Mobile Technology Program in any unique school district setting. Her brief book features an abundance of resources, guidelines, and questions, says Joshua Zagorski, a K-12 STEM supervisor and instructional technologist.

Teach Your Student Writers How to Add Details

Each lesson in Rozlyn Linder’s “The Big Book of Details” can be quickly implemented by busy teachers as they grab a tool from this practical writing kit, says teacher Sandy Wisneski. Activities and real-world examples guide students as they enrich their prose.