Schools that Make the Grade: What Successful Schools Do to Improve Student Achievement. This item is unavailable.Schools that Make the Grade: What Successful Schools Do to Improve Student Achievement

What turns a good school into a great school? With today's schools under enormous pressure to make adequate yearly progress (AYP), the answers are more important than ever-and this essential guidebook gives K-12 administrators and educators scores of proven, concrete strategies to help their school succeed.

Authors Martin Ratcliffe and Melissa Harts are veteran educators who have who have collective in-the-trenches experience ranging from classroom teaching to district-level administration. Pooling their expertise and the invaluable insights of other frontline professionals, they help education teams work together on seven critical success factors that directly correlate with student achievement, from high expectations to frequent progress monitoring. For each success factor, readers will get

• dozens of proven, research-based strategies that are aligned to meet federal requirements for school improvement
• specific best practices tailored for teachers, principals, and district-level administrators, so all members of the education team can do their part to improve student achievement
• tips for working with diverse students, including students with special needs and English language learners
• key research studies demonstrating the importance of each factor
• personal stories and perspectives from successful teachers, supervisors, administrators, and principals

Throughout the book, readers will follow documented case studies of real schools. They'll investigate the diverse approaches these schools took to each of the seven success factors, discover what worked and didn't work, and take away valuable lessons they can implement in their own schools.

An indispensable survival guide to the era of accountability, this groundbreaking book gives schools real-world solutions to the challenges of today's educational climate-and helps teachers, principals, and administrators prepare all of their students for long-term academic success.

Put these seven success factors to work in your school:

• Foster positive home-school relations
• Keep students engaged and motivated to learn in the time given
• Create a climate of high expectations
• Develop a clear and focused mission
• Monitor student progress frequently
• Receive strong and effective instructional leadership from the principal
• Ensure a safe and orderly environment

Dr. Ratcliffe is Assistant Professor of Education at Southeastern University in Florida. He earned his certificate in education through the Teachers' Training College in Bulawayo, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), and then his bachelor's degree in education through the University of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and his master of arts degree in education and doctor of education degree through Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He gives glory to God for enabling him to complete the years of research that laid the foundation for this book. He also expresses a deep heart of gratitude to his beloved Lily of the Valley--his ever-loving and faithful wife Shirley, who has faithfully supported him through the late nights and early mornings; to his two awesome sons, Timothy and Thomas, who sacrificially gave up their dad so that others might benefit; and to their virtuous wives, Carissia and Jerrica, for their love and support. He credits his mother, Mary Ratcliffe, with giving him wings and his father, Brian Ratcliffe, for modeling servant leadership. He thanks his sister, Mary; his late brother, "Kiey"; his brother, Liam; and their families for their support.

Melissa L. Harts, Ed.D., is Director of Technology and Information Services for Hernando County Schools in Florida. She is a native of New York, where she attended Fordham University for her undergraduate studies. She later received her first master of science degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Following her passion for education and teaching young people, she then enrolled in Columbia University Teachers College, where she received a masterâ (TM)s degree in education and a doctorate in instructional technology. She credits her humble accomplishments to her faith and her supportive family, especially her mother, Leonidas Harts, who is the wind beneath her wings; her father, Preston Harts, who is her lighthouse in the storm; her brother Preston Harts, Jr., who is her best friend; and her daughter, Katieri, who is her sole inspiration.