John R. Wink

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About John R. Wink
John Wink currently serves as the Director of School Success for the Longview Independent School District in Longview, TX. As a renowned superintendent, assistant superintendent and principal at elementary, middle and high schools, John's work in school improvement has transformed schools by transforming teachers and leaders. As superintendent of Carthage ISD in Carthage, Texas, his schools saw tremendous gains in student achievement. As superintendent of Blue Ridge ISD (2016 - 2019), John's work from his books elevated district performance from a C rated district to an A rated district in just 2 years. Prior to that, John served as the assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction, and assessment for the Tatum Independent School District in Tatum, Texas where distinctions rose from 2 to 10 in 1 year. As principal of Gilmer Elementary School (2011-2014), he led the school through school-improvement status to earn two out of three state academic distinctions. When he was principal of Hallsville Middle School (2002–2008), HMS moved from acceptable to exemplary status (the top status) in four years. As principal of Hallsville High School (2008–2011), he led the school to become one of the top academic high schools in Texas and an exemplary campus in only two years. During his tenure at Hallsville, the district was named as a Solution Tree Model PLC District in 2011.
John has presented on the topics of Excellence in Every Classroom, Transformational Leadership, Creating Excellence Support Systems for all teachers and leaders, PLCs at Work, and RTI. He has been a featured speaker for numerous years for the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals, Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association,TEKS Resource System State Conference, and CCOSA (OK), and numerous state organizations, and he has presented to numerous regional education service centers, districts, leaders and teachers around Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and South Carolina for many years.
John’s first book, A Leader's Guide to Excellence in Every Classroom, was published by Solution Tree in August 2016. His second book, "A Teacher's Guide to Excellence in Every Classroom", was published by Solution Tree in November 2019. His strategies to strengthen Tier 1 interventions were featured in Mike Mattos and Austin Buffum’s anthology, It's about Time: Planning Interventions and Extensions in the Elementary Classroom in 2015.
In all schools under John's leadership, student success improved dramatically due to the focused leadership structures, outstanding teachers, and a collaborative philosophy that collectively empowered all educators to create a positive school culture, design instructional structures to support students, and eliminate ineffective and inefficient practices. The result of these actions led teachers to focus on learning by focusing on the adult learning first. Every campus achieved greatness in its own unique way because the strategies capitalized on the staff's strengths, the campus traditions, and the campus’ commitment to its mission of guaranteeing excellence for all.
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Titles By John R. Wink
Teachers play a significant role in their students' lives. To support this important work, A Teacher's Guide to Excellence in Every Classroom details how K-12 educators can use the Hierarchy of Instructional Excellence and the Student Excellence Support System to maximize their impact and increase student success. Discover how to build relationships for learning, increase engagement, differentiate instruction, foster student leadership, promote a growth mindset in students, and more.
Use this resource to unlock your students' full potential and increase their academic achievement:
- Study the powerful impact educators have on the lives of their students through influential teaching strategies and building relationships.
- Examine the connections between teacher effectiveness and widespread student excellence.
- Consult schoolwide, team, and individualized support systems and interventions, which strengthen instruction at every level of need and experience.
- Gain numerous strategies for classroom management and pathways toward increasing your effectiveness through the Student Excellence Support System.
- Learn how the author’s Hierarchy of Instructional Excellence relates to Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in order to address specific areas for student improvement and growth, including self-actualization.
Contents:
About the Authors
Introduction
Chapter 1: Teachers--Our Most Powerful Resource
Chapter 2: Teaching for Excellence--Learning Resources
Chapter 3: Teaching for Excellence--Classroom Routines and Procedures
Chapter 4: Teaching for Excellence--Relationships for Learning
Chapter 5: Teaching for Excellence--Student Engagement
Chapter 6: Teaching for Excellence--Rigor and Mastery
Chapter 7: Teaching for Excellence--Creative Strategies for Individual Students
Chapter 8: Teaching for Excellence--Student Leadership
References and Resources
Index
To ensure learning for all students, schools must first build support systems that guarantee excellence for all teachers. This resource examines the Hierarchy of Instructional Excellence, which prioritizes the order of teacher development for ultimate success. Each chapter begins with a teacher narrative and ends with a reflection tool, which challenges readers to apply chapter content to their work as education leaders.
Benefits
- Learn why teachers need to know their students as deeply as they know the lessons they share with these students if they want to maximize learning.
- Study research that proves we need excellent teachers for students to experience significant growth in learning.
- Consult schoolwide, team, and individualized support systems and interventions, which strengthen teachers at every level of need and experience.
- Learn how the author’s Hierarchy of Instructional Excellence relates to Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in order to address specific areas for teacher improvement and growth.
Contents
Introduction
1 Every Teacher Counts
2 Leading for Excellence—Learning Resources
3 Leading for Excellence—Classroom Routines and Procedures
4 Leading for Excellence—Relationships for Learning
5 Leading for Excellence—Student Engagement
6 Leading for Excellence—Rigor and Mastery
7 Leading for Excellence—Creative Strategies for Individual Students
8 Leading for Excellence—Teacher Leadership
References and Resources
Index