Todd Whitaker

Being a cheerleader for innovation or change is great. Implementing specific strategies to increase the likelihood of success is essential. In this key book from bestselling author and speaker Todd Whitaker, you’ll discover clear ways to lead and manage school change by setting realistic goals, planning your approach, and tracking your progress. You’ll also find out how to work effectively with others, overcome resistance, and gain widespread acceptance. Whether you are a district leader, building leader, instructional coach, or teacher-leader, you’ll come away from this book with all the tools and inspiration you need to make a positive, immediate, results-oriented change with the support of your staff. Bonus: This enhanced second edition includes a special Action Plan and Implementation Guide. The Action Plan will help you apply the ideas, step by step, to your own situation. The Implementation Guide can be used for independent reflection or as a study guide with book groups or professional learning communities.

Being a cheerleader for innovation or change is great. Implementing specific strategies to increase the likelihood of success is essential. In this key book from bestselling author and speaker Todd Whitaker, you’ll discover clear ways to lead and manage school change by setting realistic goals, planning your approach, and tracking your progress. You’ll also find out how to work effectively with others, overcome resistance, and gain widespread acceptance. Whether you are a district leader, building leader, instructional coach, or teacher-leader, you’ll come away from this book with all the tools and inspiration you need to make a positive, immediate, results-oriented change with the support of your staff. Bonus: This enhanced second edition includes a special Action Plan and Implementation Guide. The Action Plan will help you apply the ideas, step by step, to your own situation. The Implementation Guide can be used for independent reflection or as a study guide with book groups or professional learning communities.

What is the secret to school leadership? The Secret Solution follows the journey of Roger Rookie, a new principal, in his quest to become a fair and effective leader. Through the ups and downs of his first few years, Roger learns what works and what doesn't when it comes to leading people well. This engaging parable also brings to light many of the real-life characters in schools today--from naysayers and bullies to superstars and newbies--and reveals the best (and worst) ways to work with them. By using a narrative to explore four common leadership styles, the authors provide an effective, non-threatening way to discuss problematic attitudes and approaches with colleagues. This updated edition of The Secret Solution includes a reader's guide that delves into each of the four leadership personality styles to help you identify habits and traits that can help you and your team succeed. Authors and experienced leaders Todd Whitaker, Sam Miller, and Ryan Donlan serve as the guides to help you find your path to leadership success. "The Secret Solution is a great read that perfectly blends What Great Principals Do Differently and an enjoyable fiction novel. This book is a must-read for any aspiring new or veteran principals."--Jessica Johnson, principal/district assessment coordinator, Dodgeland Elementary School, Dodgeland, Wisconsin and coauthor ofThe Coach Approach to School Leadership and Breaking Out of Isolation "Anyone who is venturing down a path of campus management will benefit from the mistakes and lessons learned from The Secret Solution."--Amber Teamann, principal, Whitt Elementary, Wylie, Texas "Whitaker, Miller, and Donlan hit a home run with The Secret Solution. The parables within depict mistakes and lessons learned in a quick and easy, weekend-reading format." --Matt Townsley, director of instruction, Solon Community Schools, Solon, Iowa "With its amusing dialogue and thought-provoking graphics, The Secret Solution is a must-have for anyone entering into or new to the principalship. For veteran administrators, this book offers a valuable reflection on roads traveled, pitfalls to avoid, and practices to cultivate for continued success."--Mike Pinto, principal, James Cole Elementary School, Lafayette, Indiana

Are You Ready to Take the First Step Toward Excellence? What does it take to be the very best teacher--or the very best leader? What sets excellent educators apart from their peers? And how can you join their ranks? In their work leading up to Start. Right. Now. Todd Whitaker, Jeff Zoul, and Jimmy Casas studied educators from across the nation and discovered four key behaviors of excellence: Excellent Leaders and Teachers... Know the Way From their content to best practices, these educators know their stuff. Show the Way Casting a bright vision for the future, these educators see possibilities where others see problems. Go the Way Leading by example is a way of life for the very best. and Grow Each Day A focus on personal and professional development helps these educators succeed. Wherever you are on your journey as an educator, choose to become even greater still--our kids are worth it. Start. Right. Now.

Todd Whitaker, Jeffrey Zoul, and Jimmy Casas are widely acclaimed experts on teaching and leading and are pioneers in the education twitterverse, and now they are sharing their best practices! In What Connected Educators Do Differently, they show how being a connected educator-by using social media to connect with peers across the country and even across the globe-will greatly enhance your own learning and your success in a school or classroom. You'll find out how to create a personal and professional learning network to share resources and ideas, gain support, and make an impact on others. By customizing your professional development in this way, you'll be able to learn what you want, how you want, when you want. Best of all, you'll become energized and inspired by all the great ideas out there and how you can contribute, benefiting both you and your students. Whether you are a teacher or school leader, you will come away from this book with step-by-step advice and fresh ideas to try immediately. Being a connected educator has never been easier or more important than it is right now!

This book clarifies the core values which all great educators have in common and contribute to school success. For all those who want to create better schools, these factors are at the center of behaviors which lead to results. The 4 CORE Factors are Communication, Observation, Relationships, and Expectations.

This book helps you sharpen your ability to hire better teachers for your school, improve the ones who are already there, and keep your best and brightest on board.

Educator's spend so much time taking care of others that we sometimes forget to take care of ourselves! This book will help teachers, principals, professors, and all educators find time in our busy schedules to focus on our physical self. You will learn how to: - Make time for exercise in your hectic daily schedule - Learn how to feel your best every day - Eat right even when on the go - Keep your fitness momentum going all year - Turn your daily routines into healthy habits.

Over 600 insightful, witty nuggets to motivate and inspire you... and everyone else at your school. Teachers--display these quotes in your classrooms! Administrators--insert them into your faculty memos and share them at staff meetings! Why is this book unique?- it includes over 100 original quotes from internationally acclaimed speaker and educator Todd Whitaker- it features real quotes from real students which echo wit and wisdom for educators- each quote has a direct connection to your life as an educatorExample quote from this book . . ." Great teachers have high expectations for their students, but higher expectations for themselves."

This new supplement to the bestselling Dealing with Difficult Parents, 2nd Edition is designed to help you with the specific challenges you face as a school leader when dealing with parents. The main book, Dealing with Difficult Parents, 2nd Edition, shows how your teachers and other educators can communicate with parents more effectively. With this new supplement, you‘ll learn how you, as a leader, can--and must--support and coach teachers along the way. Topics covered include how to Make sure your teachers understand the families they re dealing with; Help your teachers communicate effectively with parents by being positive and proactive, so problems don‘t escalate to the main office; Establish expectations for dealing with parents, so teachers understand how to be appropriate even when a parent is not; Ensure your teachers feel supported by you when they re dealing with difficult parents; and Help teachers become more confident and empowered in challenging situations. With these practical books, you‘ll be able to get parents on your side so they can become a positive force in your school‘s success.

This Study Guide provides a variety of thought-provoking questions and activities to help you implement the concepts in the bestselling book, Dealing with Difficult Parents, 2nd Edition. For each chapter of the book, the Study Guide offers discussion questions, journal prompts, and group activities. You can work on these sections independently, in book studies, in professional learning communities (PLCs), in mentor sessions, and in professional development sessions. As you work through this Study Guide, you‘ll learn how to make the book‘s strategies work for you, so that you can more effectively deal with parents in all kinds of challenging situations and help them get on your side to ensure students success.

Communicating with parents is one of the most challenging and potentially stressful tasks that teachers face on a daily basis. Whether trying to resolve a heated argument or delivering bad news, it is essential to know how to handle difficult situations and establish positive relationships with your students parents. In this updated second edition of the bestselling Dealing with Difficult Parents, award-winning educators Todd Whitaker and Douglas J. Fiore help you develop a repertoire of tools and skills for comfortable and effective interaction with parents. The book‘s features include: Tools to help you understand parents motivations and how to work with them rather than against them; Detailed scripts for dealing with even the most stubborn and volatile parents; New strategies for increasing parent involvement to foster student success; An all-new chapter on the role that social media can play in interacting with parents; and A new chapter on initiating contact with parents to build positive credibility. This must-read book will equip you with the skills you need to expertly navigate even the most challenging encounters with parents, and walk away feeling that you have made a positive and meaningful impact.

Learn how to turn your school board members into heroes by helping them make smart, worthwhile decisions that they will deserve to brag about. In this much-needed book, Ryan Donlan and Todd Whitaker offer practical strategies to help superintendents develop better working relationships with their boards. You‘ll discover how to: reconnect board members to the real purpose of education, despite their agendas work with your board more effectively during meetings and at times in between guide board members into more productive roles when they overreach beyond policymaking connect and communicate with board members regardless of personality encourage board members to play to their strengths start each school year undefeated and know when it is time to move on. Each chapter contains hero-making tips to help you get started. The book also includes a special feature on board personalities and the Process Communication Model (PCM), a method that will make it easier to avoid miscommunication with board members. With this practical book, you'll be able to overcome the challenges of the superintendent board relationship so that your board can make better decisions for those who matter most the students.

Why do some schools succeed while others struggle? Why do policies and programs often fail to deliver what they promise? In this follow-up to their insightful School Culture Rewired: How to Define, Assess, and Transform It, authors Steve Gruenert and Todd Whitaker offer practical advice and strategies that help you build positive energy to reinvigorate your school's culture and staff. Written as a standalone guide, School Culture Recharged clarifies the difference between culture and climate and zeroes in on key school improvement efforts, including:Moving from the culture you have to the culture you want. Using the school's culture to improve teaching, job satisfaction, and morale. Maximizing the intentions of professional learning communities. Developing organizational habits—rules and rituals—that can contribute to positive change. For education leaders at all levels, this book delivers a compelling message: Understanding and harnessing the transformative power of school culture can propel your school into the kind of place where teachers want to work, administrators can focus on what matters most, and students can thrive.

Learn how to turn your school board members into heroes by helping them make smart, worthwhile decisions that they will deserve to brag about. In this much-needed book, Ryan Donlan and Todd Whitaker offer practical strategies to help superintendents develop better working relationships with their boards. You’ll discover how to:reconnect board members to the real purpose of education, despite their agendaswork with your board more effectively during meetings and at times in betweenguide board members into more productive roles when they overreach beyond policymakingconnect and communicate with board members regardless of personalityencourage board members to play to their strengthsstart each school year undefeated and know when it is time to move on. Each chapter contains hero-making tips to help you get started. The book also includes a special feature on board personalities and the Process Communication Model® (PCM), a method that will make it easier to avoid miscommunication with board members. With this practical book, you'll be able to overcome the challenges of the superintendent–board relationship so that your board can make better decisions for those who matter most—the students.

Written to accompany the second edition DVD of Todd Whitaker’s best-selling title, What Great Teachers Do Differently, this facilitator’s guide is a practical resource for teacher workshops, study groups, PLCs, and school improvement teams. It features thoughtful discussion questions to help educators reflect on and apply the concepts from the DVD to their own schools or classrooms.

This book describes the beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes of great athletic coaches. Where do they focus their attention? How do they spend their time and energy? And how can others gain the same advantages? Here, Rob Haworth and Todd Whitaker describe the qualities of champion athletes, coaches, and parents. Applying and extending the concepts presented in Whitaker's What Great Teachers Do Differently and What Great Principals Do Differently, this book demonstrates how effective coaching calls for "people skills" that the best coaches practice every day. Perfect for the coaches of your favorite school sports teams! "Plenty of real sports examples! The authors present a positive approach to understanding what great coaches do differently." -- Gene Shelkett, Principal, Eisenhower High School, Lawton, OK

This Study Guide provides thought-provoking questions and easy-to-implement activities to help you apply the concepts in the bestselling book, Seven Simple Secrets, 2nd Edition. Step by step, it walks you through considering what you’ve read, taking action to implement the secrets and strategies of highly-effective teachers, and sharing your learning with others—all leading to improved teaching and learning! You can work on the guide independently, in book studies, in professional learning communities (PLCs), and in professional development sessions. This guide will help you to take full advantage of the seven secrets and implement them immediately in your own classroom!

This Study Guide provides a variety of thought-provoking questions and activities to help you implement the concepts in the bestselling book, Dealing with Difficult Parents, 2nd Edition. For each chapter of the book, the Study Guide offers discussion questions, journal prompts, and group activities. You can work on these sections independently, in book studies, in professional learning communities (PLCs), in mentor sessions, and in professional development sessions. As you work through this Study Guide, you’ll learn how to make the book’s strategies work for you, so that you can more effectively deal with parents in all kinds of challenging situations and help them get on your side to ensure students’ success.