Paula E. Egelson – författare

Extant literature on evidence-based instructional strategies mediated by elementary and secondary school leaders is surprisingly scant. Seeking to fill the gap, the editors of this book have curated the research and craft knowledge of eminent and emergent practitioner scholars who collectively provide a starting place for aspiring and practicing principals.Each author builds on research-based instructional practice in schools and districts in which they have worked, either as principals or as school-university or service-provider partners. They provide examples, action plans, frameworks, lessons learned, and strategies to successfully develop and implement research- based instruction and supporting structures in schools and classrooms.University principal-preparation program planners, public school district leaders, and alternative leadership- preparation providers will find this book eminently useful. Similarly, members of National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Middle School Association, National Association of Secondary School Principals, University Council of Educational Administration Leadership for School Improvement Special Interest Group, Learning and Teaching in Educational Leadership Special Interest Group, and American Education Researchers Association Division A will find relevance to their work.

Extant literature on evidence-based instructional strategies mediated by elementary and secondary school leaders is surprisingly scant. Seeking to fill the gap, the editors of this book have curated the research and craft knowledge of eminent and emergent practitioner scholars who collectively provide a starting place for aspiring and practicing principals.Each author builds on research-based instructional practice in schools and districts in which they have worked, either as principals or as school-university or service-provider partners. They provide examples, action plans, frameworks, lessons learned, and strategies to successfully develop and implement research- based instruction and supporting structures in schools and classrooms.University principal-preparation program planners, public school district leaders, and alternative leadership- preparation providers will find this book eminently useful. Similarly, members of National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Middle School Association, National Association of Secondary School Principals, University Council of Educational Administration Leadership for School Improvement Special Interest Group, Learning and Teaching in Educational Leadership Special Interest Group, and American Education Researchers Association Division A will find relevance to their work.

Unfinished Business: A Regional Education Laboratory Retrospective on School Improvement is authored by education professionals formerly employed at SERVE, one of the ten US federally funded education research and development laboratories. SERVE’S region included the following southeastern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The school improvement recollections found in this book are supported by contemporaneous data collected for research and evaluation as well as literature, interviews and evidence from former clients and collaborators. Each of the chapter authors wrote about a school improvement initiative in which they led or participated in developing.Compared to the other nine labs, SERVE was heavily field based. SERVE’s projects and publications focused on school improvement, research, policy, and professional development. The work was typically launched in a spirit best described as emergent design. Building on extant research and best practice, potential clients across the six-state region were approached with ideas for educational interventions and evidence to support theories of action.It is underscored that improving America’s public schools, teachers and school administrators is a continuous process involving difficult work. It is hoped that this book will offer suggestions to educators about how to implement school improvement, including what works and what doesn’t, and how initiatives can evolve positively over time.