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Generations at School
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Generations at School
Building an Age-Friendly Learning Community

Edited by:

Foreword by Roland S. Barth



April 2007 | 160 pages | Corwin
Suzette Lovely and Austin G. Buffum explore ways to create and sustain a productive and synergetic environment in schools. By examining the generational underpinnings that bind colleagues together or set them apart, their text offers a variety of approaches to establish collaborative team structures, build capacity and bring out the best in people. The goal is to find common ground and cultivate cross-age learning communities that are improvement-driven.

As educational leaders become cognizant of the work orientation, team assimilation, and supervisory style that motivates each generation, they can promote collective responsibility in a more sensitive, relaxed climate. By appreciating the uniqueness of each staff member and creating conditions that support learning, these high quality leaders and their school districts serve as magnets for excellence.

 
Foreword by Roland S. Barth
 
Preface: The Demographic Divide
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Authors
 
1. The Generations at Work in Schools
The Perfect Storm

 
Who's Who? A Snapshot of Four Living Generations

 
Roadmaps and Aspirations

 
Conclusion: A Cause Celebre

 
 
2. New Rules for the Sandbox
Coloring Within the Lines

 
From School to Work

 
The Birth of Organized Labor

 
Trailblazers, Pioneers, and Indiana Jones

 
The Neutral Zone

 
That Was Then, This Is Now

 
Conclusion: Let Go of the Quo

 
 
3. Cross Age Connections in a Learning Community
Intergenerational Chemistry in a PLC

 
Know Your Lineup

 
A Case in Point

 
Conclusion: Ageless Excellence

 
 
4. Recruitment Renaissance: Give It to 'Em Their Way
Generational Forecasting

 
Start Your Own Farm Team

 
Who's on First?

 
On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

 
Be All That You Can Be

 
Handle With Care

 
Conclusion: Become First-Rate

 
 
5. Creating Synergy in the Schoolhouse
The Demographic Gulch

 
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Work We Go

 
The Synergy Doctrine

 
Diplomacy: New Word of the Day

 
Connecting the Dots

 
Conclusion: Not Too Young, Not Too Old

 
 
6. Here Come the Millennials, Ready or Not!
Generational Recycling

 
Bye-Bye, Breakfast Club

 
A Special Lot

 
Safety First!

 
Oozing With Optimism

 
Teamwork: Here, There, Everywhere

 
Conventional Wisdom

 
Under Pressure

 
Achievers 'R' Us

 
When Theory Meets Practice

 
Conclusion: In Good Hands

 
 
7. Meet the Parents
Fly-Overs and Swoop-Ins

 
Lower the Drawbridge

 
Outwit, Outlast, Outplay

 
Mind Your Manners

 
Different Worlds

 
Does Your Complaint Policy Make the Grade?

 
Conclusion: Let's Make a Deal

 
 
Resource A: Attracting and Retaining High-Quality Leaders: District Inventory
 
Resource B: Snag the Best and Bypass the Rest: Behavioral-Based Interview Questions
 
Resource C: Partnership Teaching Contract Language
 
Resource D: Synergy Audit: How Generationally Friendly Is Your Workplace?
 
Resource E: Civility Board Policy
 
References

"An interesting, insightful, and uplifting read! Filled with practical suggestions and strategies to understand generational differences and build on shared interests and strengths while leveraging unique perspectives and motivations."

James Rickabaugh, Superintendent
Whitefish Bay School District, WI

"Baby boomer teachers are now the old guard. Generation X parents are demanding accountability and transparency. And a rising generation of Millennials is recasting the attitudes and behaviors of youth. The authors provide an excellent roadmap through this new landscape, drawing on concrete examples that will ring true with anyone who works in a school."

Neil Howe, Author, Generations and Millennials Rising
LifeCourse Associates

"Filled with creative ways to develop the capacity of a staff to work together as a professional learning community. The authors make a compelling case for recognizing the significant generational differences in play among most faculties and, more important, offer specific strategies for addressing those differences in ways that benefit teachers and students alike."

Richard P. DuFour, Educational Author and Consultant

"This is the essence of the book: understanding our generational differences, finding our generational commonalities, which ultimately will enable us to work together to make a difference for all students. The authors do an outstanding job of providing practical examples and strategies that can be easily implemented."

Middle Ground Magazine, February 2008, Vol. 11(3)
National Middle Schools Association

Sample Materials & Chapters

Foreword

Preface

Chapter 1


For instructors

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ISBN: 9781412927284
£30.99