New Title Reveals an Action Plan for Schools Determined to Improve

BLOOMINGTON, IN--(Marketwired - June 21, 2017) - Solution Tree, an educational publisher and professional development provider, has announced the release of School Improvement for All: A How-To Guide for Doing the Right Work by Sharon V. Kramer and Sarah Schuhl.

In this new resource, Kramer and Schuhl urge school staff to implement professional learning community (PLC) practices to help students of all skill levels meet academic expectations.

"Real school improvement occurs when a school harnesses the power within and focuses its efforts on higher levels of learning for all students," explain Kramer and Schuhl. "No amount of outside pressure will make schools improve; they only do so when the adults who work directly with the students decide it is their job to ensure all students learn at high levels."

Throughout "School Improvement for All," readers have access to templates, protocols, and rubrics for assessing the reality of their school situation and determining where they are on the path to continual school improvement. At the end of each chapter, teacher teams have space to ponder what next actions will best address their students' learning, and then answer questions that can help bring greater focus to their improvement efforts.

Speaking to the urgent need for improvement, Kramer and Schuhl explain, "If a patient comes into the emergency room with difficulty breathing, the nurses and doctors do not take the patient's temperature; they perform immediate triage to save the patient's life. Failing schools need a triage plan -- an immediate course of action to put a halt to the continual failure cycle."

"This book is a perfect tool to support school leaders and teachers during PLC transformation," said Mona Toncheff, an educational consultant based in Arizona. "It provides reflection tools and guidance for any school or system that would like to break the status quo, focus on the right work, and move forward to improve student learning."

Jeanne Spiller, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning at Kildeer Countryside Community Consolidated School District 96 in Illinois, also offered high praise for the title, stating, "A principal or district leader can use this step-by-step guide immediately. This book addresses in a very practical way important PLC ideas and concepts with many how-to strategies."

"School Improvement for All" is now available to order at SolutionTree.com.

About the Authors

Sharon V. Kramer, PhD, knows firsthand the demands and rewards of working in a professional learning community. As a leader in the field, she emphasizes the importance of creating and using quality assessments as a continual part of the learning process. Dr. Kramer served as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction of Kildeer Countryside School District 96 in Illinois.

Sarah Schuhl is a consultant specializing in professional learning communities, common formative and summative assessment, school improvement, and mathematics. She has been a secondary mathematics teacher, high school instructional coach, and K-12 mathematics specialist for more than 20 years.

About Solution Tree

For nearly 20 years, Solution Tree has worked to transform education worldwide, empowering educators to raise student achievement. Every year we help teachers and administrators confront essential challenges, with more than 30,000 educators attending our events and more than 3,000 on-site professional development days in schools. Solution Tree has a catalog of over 400 books, videos and online courses and is the creator of Global PD, an online tool that facilitates the work of professional learning communities.