From Systems Thinking to Systemic Action
48 Key Questions to Guide the Journey
by Dr. Lee Jenkins

Systems thinking is a powerful tool that helps school system leaders guide and sustain school improvement. Use this practical guide to implement systems thinking in your school system today!

The first section of this book is a concise description of systems thinking. The second section examines 48 key questions to guide leaders as they transform their school systems, including:

• Do the board, superintendent and employees accept that 94% to 97% of the school system's problems are caused by the system?
• Have your school system's staff members agreed upon the elements of powerful instruction?
• Do all the employees know how their jobs contribute to the success of the system?
• Is there a systemic, structured and measurable process for recruiting, interviewing and hiring employees in your district?

Discover how to guide your school system in continuous improvement, data-driven decision making, strategic planning and more.

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Permission to Forget
and Nine Other Root Causes of America's Frustration
by Dr. Lee Jenkins

April 13, 2004: ASQ Quality Press, publisher of practical reference books for educators and other professionals, has released Lee Jenkins' Permission to Forget (H1225). It is now available to order from ASQ at 800-248-1946.

"Permission to Forget" is a $100 billion problem. The current cost of America's public schools is approximately $2 billion per day. On the average teachers spend 50 to 60 days a year reviewing prior year's content for a cost of $100 billion a year.

Current educators did not invent the cram, get a grade, forget cycle; they inherited it from past generations. However, today's educators can do something about the problem by stopping the "permission to forget."

How do students learn they don't really have to learn course content? When does this first come to their mind? It is in first grade with spelling. Every American knows the process: new spelling words on Monday, practice on Tuesday, Wednesday, cram on Thursday night, test on Friday and forget on Saturday.

This same practice continues on through K-12 education and into college. It is not necessary.

It addition to exposing "permission to forget," the upcoming book delineates nine other root causes of America's frustration with education. This book is not about criticizing educators, but providing a deep understanding into why reform after reform seems to not bring about the anticipated improvements.

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Lee:

Hope all is well with you and Sandy. On my last trip I was able to read "Permission to Forget." I must tell you it is one of the finest Education books I have ever read. Thank you for sending me a copy. Your insights are BRILLIANT. (And you can quote me on that.) I hope sales are going well. It deserves to be read and reread.

You and Sandy should be very proud.

Sincerely,
Franklin

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Boot camp? What experienced, well-educated leader would want a book with the title Boot Camp for Leaders to be visible in his or her office? Such a title must indicate the intended audience is aspiring leaders, right?

Not so! This book's intended audience is all school leaders: those in the classroom and those whose professional life’s mission is assisting those in the classroom. Then why the title? It is because most of us are novices at leading schools where continuous improvement is the cultural norm. A culture where all-time-bests are continually strived for, achieved, and celebrated is rare indeed.

Leaders will learn how to create a culture of continuous improvement with administrators, teachers, support staff, parents, and students.

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Since 1996, Lee Jenkins’ Improving Student Learning has led the way in teaching educators how to improve performance through the use of quality principles. Now Jenkins has updated his best-seller, adding more examples and simplifying the content to make it easier for anyone to implement the concepts. Teachers and administrators alike will find the information in this book invaluable, as they use the concepts to improve performance and productivity in their schools.

Through his previous work as a school administrator and his current role as a consultant, Jenkins has seen first hand what it takes to make these techniques work in schools. The second edition draws from his experience with many more examples for every level, from pre-school through graduate school, covering a wide variety of subjects. Teachers will find many examples of how other teachers have successfully used these concepts in their classrooms, and administrators will see how school-wide and district-wide implementations are being conducted.

About the Author: Lee Jenkins, one of America’s most provocative educators, is founder of From LtoJ Consulting Group, Inc., which provides seminars and on-going assistance to educators. He has addressed both international audiences and U.S. educators in school districts and at conferences held by the National School Boards Association, American Association of School Administrators, and National Quality and Education. Previously, Jenkins served as a California superintendent, principal, curriculum developer, and teacher. He taught part-time at numerous universities and full-time at Oregon State University. He holds a Ph.D. in school leadership/curriculum from The Claremont Graduate University.

To order, click here

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For other products from Quality Press: http://qualitypress.asq.org/

Phone: 800-248-1946

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