Valerie Hill-Jackson – författare

Extracts from the text:"Why are fifteen million children and youth in poverty not achieving when we know that low-income students excel in the classrooms of “star” teachers (who comprise approximately 8 percent of the teaching force)?" "Whose needs or interests are being met in education reform today?" “In my own institution, there has not been a systematic assessment of the effectiveness of the basic teacher education program since the institution was founded over a century ago as a teachers college. Imagine, not one ever!”"Teachers who empathize with students and the life challenges they face soon realize that the dysfunctional bureaucracies will not permit them to meet the needs of their students. Half of the starry-eyed beginners are gone in five years or less." "Why does teacher education focus on the managerial, instrumental or delivery system aspects of the profession?""The expert advice dispensed by schools of education regarding what future teachers should do is not connected to any theory of learning, or to any reality of life in school classrooms." "Why has the recruitment process resulted in a cohort of teachers who are unable to connect with their students?""Does a qualified teacher equate to a quality teacher?""The best hope of getting more effective teachers from university teacher preparation programs is to base their budgets on the number of their graduates who serve in challenging schools and their effectiveness with children and youth. At the district level, the salaries of hiring officials should be based on how well these officials identify and retain quality teachers."In this book, 12 distinguished scholars provide a hard-hitting, thoroughly researched, historical and theoretical critique of our schools of education, and offer clear recommendations on what must be done to ensure all children can achieve their potential, and contribute to a vibrant, democratic society.

Extracts from the text:"Why are fifteen million children and youth in poverty not achieving when we know that low-income students excel in the classrooms of “star” teachers (who comprise approximately 8 percent of the teaching force)?" "Whose needs or interests are being met in education reform today?" “In my own institution, there has not been a systematic assessment of the effectiveness of the basic teacher education program since the institution was founded over a century ago as a teachers college. Imagine, not one ever!”"Teachers who empathize with students and the life challenges they face soon realize that the dysfunctional bureaucracies will not permit them to meet the needs of their students. Half of the starry-eyed beginners are gone in five years or less." "Why does teacher education focus on the managerial, instrumental or delivery system aspects of the profession?""The expert advice dispensed by schools of education regarding what future teachers should do is not connected to any theory of learning, or to any reality of life in school classrooms." "Why has the recruitment process resulted in a cohort of teachers who are unable to connect with their students?""Does a qualified teacher equate to a quality teacher?""The best hope of getting more effective teachers from university teacher preparation programs is to base their budgets on the number of their graduates who serve in challenging schools and their effectiveness with children and youth. At the district level, the salaries of hiring officials should be based on how well these officials identify and retain quality teachers."In this book, 12 distinguished scholars provide a hard-hitting, thoroughly researched, historical and theoretical critique of our schools of education, and offer clear recommendations on what must be done to ensure all children can achieve their potential, and contribute to a vibrant, democratic society.

''A school is only as good as its principal''. This quip forms the thesis of Better Principals as it provides a bird’s eye view on the enactment of Haberman’s eleven core functions of a star principal.

Better Principals is imperative for two main reasons.

First, the achievement gap between 20 million children in poverty and their mainstream counterparts is continuing to become even wider. Many students are constantly subjected to inequality of educational opportunity, which limits their future opportunities.

Second, Haberman is one of the most prolific producers of administrators of the twentieth century (and into the twenty-first century).

He reminds us that quality school systems, with quality leaders, benefit our society. Haberman explained that there is often selection blindness when it comes to identifying school leaders, and this deficiency has many negative consequences for education in general, and learners in particular. Haberman has generated theories, training programs and tools to engender substantive changes needed to produce better schools.

Each chapter in this volume contains reflection questions for discussion to remind us all why selecting quality principals must be paramount when hiring school leaders. These illustrative book chapters emphasize the execution of Haberman''s star principal ideology.