Unmistakable Impact
A Partnership Approach for Dramatically Improving Instruction
- Jim Knight - University of Kansas, USA
Foreword by Michael Fullan
A focused approach to school improvement that hits the mark
A staggering amount of evidence shows that our schools are not as effective as they should be, and they are working toward improvement. This book simplifies the process for becoming an Impact School through targeted, consistent professional learning that is done with teachers, not to teachers. Award-winning author Jim Knight describes how to translate staff members’ joy of learning into high-leverage practices that achieve dramatic student outcomes. Characteristics of Impact Schools include
- A focused, clearly defined improvement plan that takes into account the complexity of teaching and learning relationships
- A school culture that encourages enrollment in ongoing professional development
- Alignment of purpose and actions among all staff members
Helpful resources include tangible tools and reproducibles for use by principals, workshop leaders, professional learning communities, and instructional coaches. When everyone learns, every student receives excellent instruction every day in every class. Unmistakable Impact provides the roadmap to remarkable results.
"Unmistakable Impact exemplifies everything Jim Knight advocates: a clear focus, respect for educators’ significant contributions, and the value that well-designed professional learning contributes to school improvement efforts."
"A must read for anyone who cares about learning, this book is from the heart. Knight uses his own experiences to describe processes and strategies for impacting student and adult learning in today’s schools."
“Jim Knight's work has had a tremendous impact on the quality of our professional development practices that that are job-embedded and meet the REAL needs of our teachers. He is a consummate relationship builder who models how to establish the types of relationships necessary for second-order change to occur."
"Jim Knight outlines a clear path to success for educators to make sense out of the complex nature of external mandates, competing initiatives and prevailing traditional models found within many schools and districts around the nation."
"Unmistakable Impact takes us deeper into the realm of grounded school improvement—a great contribution to the field."
“Jim Knight helps us to understand how learning can be infectious, energizing, and humanizing as he eloquently delineates the steps involved in creating an impact school. I suggest buying this book for all principals who want to strengthen their schools. I believe that Unmistakable Impact will be a resource they return to time and again."
"The book introduces the reader to the theoretical framework, strategies, structure and findings from qualitative studies on instructional coaching to explain how partnership learning supports effective instruction and student achivement."
