Expecting Excellence

Creating Order Out of Chaos in a School District

How can you take your school district from middle-of-the-road to magnificent? How do you significantly raise the standards for student achievement in reading, math, and writing? Can your drop-out rate be cut in half? Find the answers in this account of the Kenmore-Tonawanda (Ken-Ton) school district and its dedicated team of educators who did all that--and more! Learn how to * Determine if your district is ready for change * Create the right environment for change * Prepare your principals and administrators * Decentralize power through the use of school planning teams * Revitalize teams while they're in progress to keep their momentum going Over a thirteen-year period, Ken-Ton changed in size, structure, leadership, and skills. The changes were so successful that Ken-Ton became the first school district in the U.S. to receive the Excelsior Award, presented to organizations that have implemented Total Quality Management in an exemplary manner. Told from the perspectives of the educators who lived the changes, this book gives you hands-on guidance along with insights you'll never find in research. The authors share important details that can make the difference between successful school change and failure. Develop and apply the principles demonstrated here to create dramatic, lasting differences in your school district. Become the kind of educational leader who can bring together teachers, parents, students, and other educators to create a teaching and learning community for the 21st century. Let Shipengrover and Conway be your guides in the process of transforming a school district--from average to one in which excellence is expected, power is widely shared, and teaching and learning come first.