Closing the Teaching Gap
Coaching for Instructional Leaders
- Donald B. Bartalo - UNITY Instructional Leadership Development and Coaching
Foreword by Grant Wiggins
Instructional leadership begins in the classroom
Donald B. Bartalo reveals the experiences of school leaders and teachers who have discovered that meaningful school improvement does not necessarily come from the top—it comes from effective teaching and leaders who support it. Based on eight fundamental tenets, the text features a clear how-to process, success stories, and methods for bridging the teaching gap between the kinds of teaching needed for the 21st century and that which is found in most schools. Special features include:
- An interactive writing style that "coaches" educators
- Powerful "what to do" and "how to do it" tools
- Case illustrations and success stories
- Protocols for leading collaborative inquiry
- Journal reflections
- Leadership team activities
This practical guide's step-by-step approach is easy to follow, research-based, and steeped in common sense. Closing the Teaching Gap is the next best thing to having a seasoned coach give you the playbook for becoming a successful instructional leader.
"Donald Bartalo has a real gift for helping teachers recognize and improve their instructional potency. Drawing on his considerable experience and research as a teacher, administrator and coach, he creates a practical and sustainable method that will help educators become self reflective, focused practitioners."
”Don Bartalo understands the essence of second order change. He is focused on how to enable school leaders to work within a new pedagogical paradigm. This is a 'how to' book for any school leader wanting to move a school beyond incremental improvement.”