Curing Student Underachievement

Phil Esbrandt has served in all line positions in public education from teacher through superintendent in very challenging schools and districts. He has been known as a "performance turnaround" specialist long before it became fashionable to talk about such a position.Bruce Hayes has been involved in the study and application of educational reform strategies on five continents. He has served as a teacher, coach, superintendent of schools, and graduate adjunct professor.

This book provides penetrating views into the workings of districts and schools. From the superintendent’s cabinet level to the principal and classrooms, clinical practice in education encourages the use of a common vocabulary and problem solving practice that support performance improvement. Vital sign performance indicators (VSPI) have been developed for education and they report current performance levels that quickly generate an understanding of performance health. Clusters of related vital signs can be read to make sense of complex problems and help narrow the diagnostic options used to improve performance. New superintendents and principals will find the use of health diagnostic inventories very helpful. They assist in the discovery of organization strengths and needs; the formation of prescriptions that improve school and district performance; and they provide valuable lessons in how staff members can address persistent problems. This process forms the foundation of organizational renewal. The diagnostic process not only confirms the wisdom of leaders that know when districts and schools are not performing up to expectations, but it also provides the process and training that help educators build a body of professional knowledge of what works well and what needs further research.A note of caution should be used in reading and using this book. Consistently high performance in grades PK-12 schools is difficult and very time consuming. Trying to introduce all of the clinical practice tools and strategies presented here is almost impossible. Just like the steps in the diagnostic process that narrow the recommended courses of action to the few most effective ones, educators should pick clinical practice strategies that are most likely to lead towards desired levels of performance. With thorough preparation in graduate school, ongoing training in clinical practice while on the job, and increasing numbers of clinical practice experiences shared among colleagues, a more comprehensive use of clinical practice in education becomes feasible.

• Chapter 1 PrefaceChapter 2 AcknowledgementsChapter 3 Introduction: Clinical Practice in EducationChapter 4 Chapter One: The Clinical Practice Cycle for Performance ImprovementChapter 5 Chapter Two: Understanding the Anatomy and Physiology of Districts and SchoolsChapter 6 Chapter Three: Research is Everyoneís Responsibility and It Starts with DataChapter 7 Chapter Four: Identifying the Vital Signs of Performance HealthChapter 8 Chapter Five: Using VSPI Clusters to Determine a Course of ActionChapter 9 Chapter Six: Diagnostic Options for the District, Schools, Employees, and StudentsChapter 10 Chapter Seven: Prescriptions and Prognoses: Prioritizing Solutions to EducationalChapter 11 Chapter Eight: Professional Development and Training to Increase Commitment andChapter 12 Chapter Nine: Using Protocols and Milestones to Promote Consistency and ThoroughnessChapter 13 Chapter Ten: Monitoring and Measuring Improvement Progress through Indicators, Contraindicators, and Side-EffectsChapter 14 Chapter Eleven: Managing Performance Improvement ProcessesChapter 15 Chapter Twelve: Leadership for More Effective OrganizationsChapter 16 Chapter Thirteen: Leadership in the Flow of Organizational ChangeChapter 17 Chapter Fourteen: Leaders as Performance Improvement Health SpecialistsChapter 18 Chapter Fifteen: Development of a National Network for Performance Improvement