Jim Knight

Data Rules provides much-needed clarity on how instructional leaders can effectively leverage data. It's no secret that using data can be a key driver of teacher growth and student achievement. The only real question is how. Coaching expert Jim Knight and professor Michael Faggella-Luby distill decades of research into an accessible, proven approach that explains- Why data is important for transforming teaching.- A framework of 10 easy-to-apply rules for effective data use.- Best practices to communicate and discuss data.- How to analyze data for student engagement and achievement.- How to analyze data for instructional practice. To help schools achieve sustained improvement, this book also connects its data rules to the Impact Cycle, Knight's field-tested model for coaching teachers based on research from the Instructional Coaching Group (ICG). Equipped with the right tools, any instructional leader or coach will be able to realize the full potential of data, move the needle on classroom instruction, and improve student outcomes. This book is a copublication of ASCD and One Fine Bird Press.

With the right plan, video observation and video coaching can be a high-impact lever for accelerating teacher growth. This playbook draws from researcher and practitioner advice to offer twelve video-based strategies that readers can implement in their own context for facilitating professional development: Classroom Tour Self-Interview Example Analysis Pre-Teach Self-Reflection Partner-Supported Reflection Skill Building Sequence Video Learning Community Virtual Walk-through Video Rounds Longer-Range Reflection Iterative Investigation Online Lesson Study Plus, read about putting video evidence at the center of professional learning, focusing techniques for analyzing video, and guidance about recording and sharing video, and a framework for facilitation of video-based discussion. Afterword by Jim Knight. Praise for Evidence of Practice "Educators will appreciate that the authors tackle the issue of trust building while at the same time providing best practice and practical examples that promote successful implementation. An important tool that belongs in every school's professional library." - Stephanie Hirsh, Executive Director at Learning Forward "This book fills a sorely needed gap in professional practice literature when it comes to best practices for video coaching, and it answers the important questions any educator might have when using video to improve teaching in the classroom. A nice balance between theory, practice and application." - Cary Goldweber, Executive Producer of Digital Products at ASCD "Evidence of Practice clearly shows how video in observation and coaching can further strengthen our teaching practice. It belongs on the shelf of all administrators, coaches, and leadership teams--no matter your current level of expertise in the use of video for professional development." - Elena Aguilar, Author of Art of Coaching and Art of Coaching Teams "We gain so much from being able to see on video what works and what doesn't in classrooms. It's absolutely critical to have a video component in any professional development we do, and this book provides a concrete set of strategies for video coaching that any school or district can act on." - Jaime Casap, Chief Education Evangelist, Google "The authors expertly identify and explain a set of concrete strategies to support the use of video to study and improve teaching practice. This is a resource that teachers, teacher educators, and district administrators should consider as they begin or expand their use of video analysis to support teachers' professional preparation and ongoing development." - Deborah Loewenberg Ball, William H. Payne Collegiate Professor and Director of TeachingWorks at University of Michigan

Refine the art and craft of instructional coaching. For more than 25 years, Jim Knight and his team at the Instructional Coaching Group have been studying what excellence in instructional coaching looks and sounds like. Their findings—organized around 7 Success Factors for instructional coaches and shared via books, articles, and workshops—have helped many instructional coaches around the world to increase teacher effectiveness and improve outcomes for students. Bringing together for the first time a wealth of resources and practical tools, The IC Toolkit is designed to guide instructional coaches—either individually or, preferably, collectively—through a 36-week journey of practice, reflection, and learning. For instructional coaches who want to improve and leaders who want to set up meaningful learning experiences, the book provides concrete tools—including activities, checklists, case studies, and videos—that you can use every week. Additional features include One-page descriptions of each success factorA needs assessment to gauge your instructional coaching proficiency in the 7 Success FactorsLearning paths to guide your use of the resources and enable meaningful exploration of each success factorEnd-of-chapter reflection questions The IC Toolkit makes it possible for every instructional coach to become highly proficient in the Success Factors. When instructional coaches become highly proficient in their craft, we can see students, teachers, and systems flourish.

Check out The Impact Cycle trailer: https://youtu.be/xX0OB7VBdGs Every decade or so a book comes along that has such a profound impact on professional practice that it launches a movement. Such was the case ten years ago with Jim Knight’s Instructional Coaching. Now, it’s about to happen again with The Impact Cycle and the accompanying Reflection Guide to The Impact Cycle, in which Jim shares his latest thinking, and advances an all-new instructional coaching cycle to help teachers and, in turn, their students improve in clear, measurable ways. Join the hundreds of thousands of educators who already have benefited from Jim’s ground-breaking work. Read The Impact Cycle, build upon your expertise with this companion Reflection Guide, and soon enough you, too, will experience the next "Jim Knight phenomenon." EARLY ACCOLADES "Coaching done well may be the most effective intervention designed for human performance. Jim Knight’s work has helped me understand the details of how effective coaching can and should be done." —Dr. Atul Gawande, Surgeon, Public Health Researcher, and Author of The Checklist Manifesto Brigham and Women’s Hospital "This is a book by the master coach in practice and theory; it sums up the core notions of coaching, and provides a richness for action and thought for all who want to bring the power of coaching into teaching. I am convinced." —John Hattie, Laureate Professor Deputy Dean of MGSE, Director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute Melbourne Graduate School of Education "Jim Knight is one of the wise men of coaching. His well is deep, and he draws from it the best tools from practitioners, the wisdom of experience, and research-based insights. And he never loses the bigger picture: the point of all this is to have more impact in this life we’re lucky enough to live." —Michael Bungay Stanier, Author of The Coaching Habit

The Definitive Guide to Instructional Coaching offers a clear philosophy, framework, and method for coaches to establish and deliver programs that make a powerfully positive impact on student learning and well-being. Drawing on more than 20 years at the forefront of Instructional Coaching, Jim Knight guides us through the current state of the field, giving us a detailed but accessible summary and synthesis brought to life with real-world anecdotes and examples. Building on this foundation - and the work of his team at the Instructional Coaching Group (ICG) - his research-based and field-tested approach identifies seven success factors: Partnership, Communication, Leadership, The Impact Cycle (structuring coaching conversations), Data (setting realistic goals), The Instructional Playbook (choosing strategies), and System Support. Taken together these are nothing less than a comprehensive framework for Instructional Coaching. Whether you are at the beginning of your coaching journey or an experienced coach yourself this is an essential guide to a rich and rewarding field.'Jim truly has delivered a definitive guide'. Tom Sherrington, Teaching WalkThrus

Rock Star Culture Starts with Mind-Searing Customer Experiences How do you turn customers into raving fans? You start by giving them experiences they will never forget. Whether you sell products or services, the only way to stand out is by treating your customers like rock'n'roll royalty-every single time they interact with your company. In Service That Rocks, author, speaker and service expert Jim Knight shows you how to begin by hiring people especially suited to your business, then giving them the training and permission they need to make your brand iconic. Part of Knight's Culture That Rocks series, Service That Rocks draws on examples from some of the world's most recognizable big businesses, along with lesser-known but equally potent single-location entities, to reveal how, when exemplary service permeates your organization's culture, it will transcend simply being transactional. With edu-training practical advice and actionable tips, Service That Rocks gives you the ultimate set list to avoid mediocrity and create service so memorable that it will transform your customers into devoted fans of the brand.

Even under ideal conditions, teaching is tough work. Facing unrelenting pressure from administrators and parents and caught in a race against time to improve student outcomes, educators can easily become discouraged (or worse, burn out completely) without a robust coaching system in place to support them. For more than 20 years, perfecting such a system has been the paramount objective of best-selling author and coaching guru Jim Knight and his team of researchers at the Instructional Coaching Group (ICG). In The Definitive Guide to Instructional Coaching, Knight offers a blueprint for establishing, administering, and assessing an instructional coaching program laser-focused on every educator's ultimate goal: the academic success of students. Organized around ICG's seven "Success Factors" for great instructional coaching, this book offers: An in-depth guide to the Impact Cycle, ICG's research-based and field-tested model for coaching teachers through issues that matter most to them; Detailed guidance on how to create a "playbook" of instructional strategies to share with collaborating teachers—and how to model those strategies under different conditions; Practical advice on preparing for and engaging in substantive, reflective, and teacher-centered coaching conversations; Best practices for gathering, analyzing, and responding to data for improved teaching and learning; and Real-life anecdotes and testimonies from educators and coaches who have reaped the benefits of the Impact Cycle in a diverse array of schools. In addition, each chapter of the book contains a learning map to help orient you and a list of valuable additional resources to complement the text. Whether you're new to coaching or well versed in the practice, The Definitive Guide to Instructional Coaching will no doubt prove a cornerstone of your coaching library for years to come.

A clear and comprehensive guide to evaluating and supporting instructional coaches and coaching programs, including how to recruit, hire, and retain effective coaches. With sound practices in place to evaluate coaching programs, instructional coaches will become better partners, teachers will become better mentors, and students will become better learners. Few evaluation systems are specifically geared toward coaching roles. Ensuring that school districts have accurate information about both coaches and coaching programs is crucial to guide improvement in supporting classrooms, as well as in ensuring accountability. With sound evaluation processes in place, districts can effectively evaluate instructional coaches and coaching programs and use data to set goals. A joint publication of ASCD and One Fine Bird Press.

A widely used, highly effective approach to student success, Student-Focused Coaching (SFC) helps instructional coaches and teachers work collaboratively to improve student outcomes using evidence-based practices. This is your one-stop, step-by-step guide to instructional coaching in K–12 schools using the field-tested, research-based SFC model. Featuring a foreword by Jim Knight, the leading voice on instructional coaching, this book was coauthored by the lead developer of the SFC model (Jan Hasbrouck) and an experienced instructional coach and trainer (Daryl Michel). These expert authors help you master the three key roles of coaching: Facilitator, Collaborative Problem-Solver, and Teacher/Learner. You’ll discover how to build respectful and mutually beneficial professional relationships with every teacher—from the most eager to the most reluctant—and work together to help all students learn and thrive in the classroom. To help you put the SFC model into action, the book offers practical activities and materials, including application exercises, reflection exercises, virtual coaching tips, and 20+ pages of ready-to-use downloadable forms. LEARN HOW TOPartner with teachers to tackle a range of classroom challenges—academic, behavioral, and social-emotionalDevelop collaborative communication skills to help you navigate even the most challenging conversationsWork with teachers to set and achieve goals by identifying, selecting, and implementing evidence-based interventionsHelp teachers support struggling students with goal-based, targeted, and intensive instructionImprove time management skills using a four-step, systematic problem-solving processCollect different types of data and use it to give helpful feedback to the teachers you work withDesign continuous professional learning opportunities that meet individual teacher needsDeliver support to administrators to make the most of the benefits coaches can providePRACTICAL DOWNLOADS: The book includes access to 20+ pages of downloadable materials for coaches, including worksheets, checklists, tracking sheets, and self-assessments.

Rock-Star Leaders Stand OutUp and coming leaders have a challenge: How do you enhance your company's culture in your current role? How do you establish yourself as a leader who takes your organization's brand to eleven? You may not be an executive, and you may or may not have direct reports, but author, speaker, and trainer Jim Knight would assert that, nonetheless, you have the power to be a major influencer of your organization's culture, lighting it up and making it rock, from the inside out. Part of Knight's Culture That Rocks series, Leadership That Rocks uses examples from some of the country's most recognizable figures to show you how to become culture-driven, a versatile manager, and a catalyst for change within your organization. You will learn how to develop your own leadership and to powerfully grow your brand's culture from within your sphere of influence. Full of practical advice and actionable tips, Leadership That Rocks gives you the goods to stand out as a rock-star leader who knows how to amp up business results.

In schools, every day is ""game day."" Every day, teachers need the best resources and forms of support because students deserve the best we as educators can offer. An instructional playbook aims to serve as that kind of support: a tool that coaches can use to help teachers match specific learning goals with the right research-based instructional strategies. Coaches have enormous potential to help teachers learn and implement new teaching practices, but coaches will be effective only if they deeply understand the strategies they describe and their explanations are clear. The Instructional Playbook: The Missing Link for Translating Research into Practice addresses both issues head on and offers a simple and clear explanation of how to create a playbook uniquely designed to meet teachers' instructional needs. The idea of an instructional playbook has caught fire since Jim Knight described it in The Impact Cycle (2017). This book helps instructional coaches create playbooks that produce a common language about high-impact teaching strategies, deepen everyone's understanding of what instructional coaches do, and, most important, support teachers and students in classrooms.

'Bursting with fresh ideas, packed with practical tips, filled with wise words, this is an inspiring guide for all teachers.' Lee Elliot Major, Professor of Social Mobility, University of Exeter and co-author of What Works?50 tried-and-tested practical ideas to help you tackle the top ten issues in your classroom. Ross Morrison McGill, bestselling author of Mark. Plan. Teach. and Teacher Toolkit, pinpoints the top ten key issues that schools in Great Britain are facing today, and provides strategies, ideas and techniques for how these issues can be tackled most effectively. We often talk about the challenges of teacher recruitment and retention, about new initiatives and political landscapes, but day in, day out, teachers and schools are delivering exceptional teaching and most of it is invisible. Ross uncovers, celebrates, and analyses best practice in teaching. Supported by case studies and research undertaken by Ross in ten primary and secondary schools across Britain, including a pupil referral unit and private, state and grammar schools, as well as explanations from influential educationalists as to why and how these ideas work, Ross explores the issues of marking and assessment, planning, teaching and learning, teacher wellbeing, student mental health, behaviour and exclusions, SEND, curriculum, research-led practice and CPD. With a foreword by Lord Jim Knight and contributions from Priya Lakhani, Andria Zafirakou, Mark Martin, Professor Andy Hargreaves and many more, this book inspires readers to open their eyes to how particular problems can be resolved and how other schools are already doing this effectively. It is packed with ideas and advice for all primary and secondary classroom teachers and school leaders keen to provide the best education they possibly can for our young people today.

Every worthwhile book has a deeply held belief, and for Jim Knight's Better Conversations and this worktext, The Reflection Guide to Better Conversations, here it is: "Effective communication is an essential skill for a fulfilled life, and we can't teach it to students if we don't know how to do it ourselves." Instructional coaches, administrators, teachers . . . really everyone: the royal we is you. In this Reflection Guide, Jim delivers a framework for improving professional dialogue that is so clearly signposted, you might as well call it a day planner. Here's how The Reflection Guide to Better Conversations works: In Part One, you and your peers engage in surveys, take stock, and record video in order to get real about your current beliefs and abilities. How do you measure up when it comes to empathy, asking better questions? Finding common ground? In Part Two, learn about the 10 habits of being an effective communicator, and put them into practice. Are your conversations focused on others 50 percent of the time? What things typically distract you from being fully present? In Better Conversations, Jim Knight reveals why true dialogue improves professional performance, job satisfaction, and classroom instruction. Together with this Reflection Guide, the two books provide a brilliant, scaffolded professional learning experience on a topic central to learning, central to life. This is the district-wide solution you need-are you ready?

High Impact Instruction is a response to the pressing need among school leaders for research-validated, high-leverage instructional practices that have a significant, positive impact on the way teachers teach and students learn. Author Jim Knight provides a simple but powerful framework and set of tools for improving classroom management, content planning, instruction, and assessment. In addition, the book addresses the most effective forms of professional learning that can be used to ensure that teachers learn the Big Four teaching practices: Instructional Coaching, Partnership Learning, and Intensive Learning Teams.

"Unmistakable Impact takes us deeper into the realm of grounded school improvement-a great contribution to the field."-Michael Fullan, Professor and AuthorUniversity of Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Centre for Teacher Development"This book 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."-Dennis Sparks, Former Executive DirectorLearning ForwardA focused approach to school improvement that hits the markA 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 includeA focused, clearly defined improvement plan that takes into account the complexity of teaching and learning relationshipsA school culture that encourages enrollment in ongoing professional developmentAlignment of purpose and actions among all staff membersHelpful 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.

Instructional coaching focuses on research-based instructional strategies that can have the biggest impact in improving a teacherAEs practice. Jim Knight has worked as a trainer, developer, and researcher in instructional coaching for many years and has broad experience not only training coaches but also collecting data about the effects of his coaching program. In this book, the author explains the essential coaching skills that instructional coaches need to develop, including listening, observing, modeling, and collaborating. Along with coaching skills and knowledge, this book provides guidance for leveraging instructional interventions that form the foundation of effective instructional practice. First person stories and quotes from coaches working in the trenches provide readers with a realistic picture of the responsibilities, challenges, and joys of coaching. This user- friendly resource also contains chapter organizers, resources for deeper learning, forms, worksheets, checklists, logs, reports, and all the other tools coaches and would-be coaches need. This book is perfect for coaches and aspiring coaches along with the staff developers, trainers, teacher leaders, principals, and other educators who work with coaches and oversee coaching programs.

Across the breadth of America today there is renewed fascination with all things Celtic--lore, traditions, beliefs, and customs. More than 40 percent of North Americans are of Celtic ancestry, and they often wish to reaffirm their ancestral roots and bring Celtic myth, legend, and modern practices to life. For others the Celtic traditions embody myth, mystery, and magic. Celtic Traditions satisfies the desires of all: it discusses everything from the ancient Druids and faery traditions, right up to the beliefs and practices of today's neo-Pagans. Tales of Celtic goddesses and gods, and the stories of their descendants, thrive in the pages of this fascinating book. Focusing upon Celtic roots, goddesses, gods, and the Druids, as well as the Underworld of the faeries, and modern Celtic Wicca, Celtic Traditions provides hands-on ways for making a positive difference in the world today, and for thousands of years to come.