Improving Schools from Within: Teachers, Parents, and Principals Can Make the Difference (Jossey-Bass Education Series) (Paperback)

by Roland S. Barth (Author) "A medieval curse, uttered as a final expression of pique and condemnation, resounds, "May you have to teach other people's children..." (more)
Key Phrases: writing about practice, higher educators, list logic, Ronald Edmonds, Run School Run (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Despite the subtitle, this is basically a handbook for principals. It is one of the first of the recent spate of books on improving schools to concentrate on the role of the principal in bringing about educational reform. Barth stresses the relationship between teacher and principal and the importance of collegiality in fostering an active community of teachers who then become leaders themselves. Barth believes this will create a better climate for student learning. By calling attention to the principal as a factor in the school situation, Barth makes a definite contribution to the literature on the subject. For educational administration collections.
- Shirley L. Hopkinson, California State Univ., San Jose
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"A humane blueprint for school reform that--instead of starting with a 'deficiency' model of what teachers can't do and giving them 'inservice' workshops ad infinitum--would build on the educational staff's existing strengths." (The New York Times Book Review)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass (September 3, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155542368X
• ISBN-13: 978-1555423681
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #35,617 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The guidebook to being a perfect principal, April 23, 2000

By	Mark Ureel (Dryden, Mi) - See all my reviews

I did a book report and presentation for my secondary education class at Oakland University on this book. The first few chapters are excellant. Barth has an excellant conception on schools and has brilliant ideas on what, we as teachers can do to improve our schools and make our communities a "community of learners". I love his ideas on how there is always room for learning on all levels of the education spectrum. He has exellent advice for principals who are having trouble with their jobs. This is an excellent book, but for every excellent book there are a few downfalls. While doing my presentation and discussing Barth's views, I received negative comments because my audience felt that his ideas could only work in a utopia community. But you will just have to read this book to find out. My other complaint is in the latter part of the book, where Barth discussed Principal Centers. In these last chapters he becomes an advertiser for these "principal centers" that he runs instead of conveying his own ideas on how to improve schools. I highly recommend this book for principals, but if you are a future teacher, then I would not recommend reading this book, because it is not directed to you.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A personal trainer for principals., March 15, 1997

By A Customer

The role of school principal can be very isolated (and isolating) and Roland Barth's book, 'Improving schools from within', is a personal trainer/ coach that all principals need. Barth (like Boyer in 'The Basic School') describes benchmarks of excellent practice and offers collegial advice on how to get there. The thing I liked about the book was that I could personally identify with the issues and the writer's point of view. The book is easy to read, relevant to today's education and it has an heuristic quality even though it was published in 1990. Neil MacNeill Principal March 1997

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The catalyst for change, June 11, 2002

By	Cindy Quintanilla (Oregon) - See all my reviews

Several of our Site Based Council members read this book a few years ago in planning for a staff-wide summer retreat. This book changed the way we looked at staff development and helped us bring everyone (well almost everyone) on board with whole school change. We continue to use quotes from this book during current staff development opportunities. We've shared this at numerous national conventions and at workshops that we put on in our own school. We now see many of the same excerpts (the bee story!)that we've shared at other conferences that we go to.