The Power of Focus.The Power of Focus By Jeff Nelsen Jeff Nelsen (December 1969 - ) is a Canadian French horn player. He has played with the Canadian Brass, with whom he made several recordings, and has toured extensively in Canada, the US, Asia and Europe. , Joe Palumbo Joe Palumbo (born August 1, 1929) was an American football player. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999. , Amalia Cudeiro and Jan Leight, Focus on Results, Huntington Beach Huntington Beach, city (1990 pop. 181,519), Orange co., S Calif., on the Pacific coast, across from Santa Catalina Island, in an oil-producing area; inc. 1909. It manufactures aerospace vehicles, aircraft parts, optical instruments, and heat transfer equipment. , Calif., 2005, 226 pp., $24.50 softcover soft·cov·er adj. Not bound between hard covers: softcover books; a softcover edition. Is there a way to improve the learning of all students regardless of race, gender and socioeconomic background? Jeff Nelsen and three colleagues who are founding members of the Focus on Results consulting group, believe there is. In their book, The Power of Focus: Lessons Learned in District and School Improvement, they propose a framework and strategies that can be applied in schools and districts that are aimed at the measureable improvement of instruction. Their framework consists of seven focus areas derived from research on school improvement and the authors' experiences as educational administrators. The book provides extensive details for each focus area starting with a section called "Foundations." Strategies for getting started are provided, followed by suggestions for district support and a section called "Tools for Leaders," containing activities to help with implementation. Short vignettes called "Stories From the Field" illustrate how the strategies have been applied in school districts. The authors contend that schools that have shown dramatic improvement enjoyed leadership that was transformational, instructional, reflective and intentional. They give evidence suggesting that central offices should change their traditional operations and become more of a central service agency providing as-needed support to the schools. For improvements to be lasting, they must start with systemic improvement at the district level. The Power of Focus ends with a commercial on how the consulting group can help, followed by appendices ap·pen·di·ces n. A plural of appendix. , applicable research and a bibliography. Reviewed by Leonard H. Elovitz, associate professor of educational leadership, Kean University Kean University (Pronounced KĀN or "cane") formerly Kean College of New Jersey, and previously Newark State Teachers College is a state university located in Union Township, Union County, New Jersey. , Union, NJ. |
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