Rigorous Schools and Classrooms Leading the Way

Turn your school into a student-centered learning environment, where rigor is at the heart of instruction in every classroom. From the bestselling author of Rigor is Not a Four-Letter Word, Barbara Blackburn, and award-winning educator Ronald Williamson, this comprehensive guide to establishing a schoolwide culture of rigor is for principals and other administrators who want to create the conditions in which rigorous classrooms flourish. School leaders will learn to: Manage a movement toward increased schoolwide rigor Engage teachers in conversations about improving instruction Build support for rigor among families and community members Learn methods for gathering meaningful data on student learning And much more! With practical, ready-to-apply strategies, this book outlines and simplifies the steps toward achieving rigor at the school level. It represents a successful program that principals and administrators can use to put student learning first!

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1. Leadership for Rigor: More Than a Mandate 2. A Rationale for Rigor 3. Recognizing Rigor 4. The BASE Planning Model 5. Culture 6. Ownership and Shared Vision 7. Managing Data 8. Professional Development 9. Advocacy 10. Shared Accountability 11. Structures to Support Rigor 12. Challenges and Opportunities 13. References

Williamson, Ronald; Blackburn, Barbara