Books about Marzano from Amazon.com

What works in education? How do we know? How can teachers find out? How can educational research find its way into the classroom? How can we apply it to help our individual students? Questions like these arise in most schools, and busy educators often don't have time to find the answers Robert J. Marzano, Debra J. Pickering, and Jane E. Pollock have examined decades of research findings to distill the results into nine broad teaching strategies that have positive effects on student learning:

* Identifying similarities and differences.
* Summarizing and note taking.
* Reinforcing effort and providing recognition.
* Homework and practice.
* Nonlinguistic representations.
* Cooperative learning.
* Setting objectives and providing feedback.
* Generating and testing hypotheses.
* Questions, cues, and advance organizers.

This list is not new. But what is surprising is finding out what a big difference it makes, for example, when students learn how to take good notes, work in groups, and use graphic organizers. The authors provide statistical effect sizes and show how these translate into percentile gains for students, for each strategy. And each chapter presents extended classroom examples of teachers and students in action; models of successful instruction; and many "frames," rubrics, organizers, and charts to help teachers plan and implement the strategies..
Price: $9.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]

What does research tell us about the effects of school leadership on student achievement? What specific leadership practices make a real difference in school effectiveness? How should school leaders use these practices in their day-to-day management of schools and during the stressful times that accompany major change initiatives? Robert J. Marzano, Timothy Waters, and Brian A. McNulty provide answers to these and other questions in School Leadership That Works.

Based on their analysis of 69 studies conducted since 1970 that met their selection criteria and a recent survey of more than 650 building principals, the authors have developed a list of 21 leadership responsibilities that have a significant effect on student achievement. Readers will learn
* the specific behaviors associated with the 21 leadership responsibilities;
* the difference between first-order change and second-order change and the leadership responsibilities that are most important for each;
* how to work smart by choosing the right work that improves student achievement;
* the advantages and disadvantages of comprehensive school reform models for improving student achievement;
* how to develop a site-specific approach to improving student achievement, using a framework of 11 factors and 39 action steps; and
* a 5-step plan for effective school leadership.

Combining rigorous research with practical advice, School Leadership That Works gives school administrators the guidance they need to provide strong leadership for better schools..
Price: $15.85 [Notify me when price goes down.]

What Works in Schools: Translating Research into Action

Any school in the United States can operate at advanced levels of effectiveness-if it is willing to implement what is known about effective schooling. "If we follow the guidance offered from 35 years of research," says author Robert J. Marzano, "we can enter an era of unprecedented effectiveness for the public practice of education." In What Works in Schools: Translating Research into Action, Marzano synthesizes that research to provide clear and unequalled insight into the nature of schooling.

Marzano defines the factors affecting student achievement and offers compelling answers to once-elusive questions:

* How can schools set academic goals that do not underestimate student potential? * How critical are staff collegiality and professional development? * Do all students have equal opportunity to learn given current curriculum requirements? * Supplemental versus required content-is there room for redefinition? * What types of parental and community involvement make a real difference? * What instructional strategies really work? * What influence can an individual teacher have on students? * How can teachers manage classrooms that promote positive student-and-teacher relationships? * How can teachers structure their curricula to better sequence and pace content? * Can teachers really overcome a student's negative home environment? * How does an understanding of motivation theories help students and teachers overcome learning obstacles? * What specific learning strategies can enhance learned intelligence and background knowledge?

In each chapter, Marzano recommends specific-and attainable-action steps to implement successful strategies culled from the wealth of research data.

Schools can and do affect student achievement. In his latest work, Marzano leads the way in establishing positive approaches that can make the long-held dream of effective public education a reality..
Price: $9.74 [Notify me when price goes down.]

What types of instructional strategies work best to improve student achievement? Where can I learn about those strategies? How can I use them in my classroom? Whether you address these issues alone or as part of a study group, you'll find the answers in this book. These strategies can be applied to all content, in all grades, with all students.

After briefly reviewing the research base for these instructional strategies, the authors advise you to choose among strategies presented for those that interest you and fit your classroom needs. They guide you through each strategy, showing how to reflect on your current beliefs and practices and recommending how to use the strategy. Exercises help you check your understanding; rubrics help you to assess the effectiveness of the strategy with your students.

Worksheets, blackline masters, and other materials are supplied to help you envision how to use the strategies in your classroom. Also included is a section on instructional strategies for specific types of knowledge, such as learning vocabulary terms, organizing ideas, and developing processes. To improve effectiveness in planning units, the authors describe a framework for using the strategies.

This handbook is designed to help you begin using effective instruction strategies immediately. If you are interested in a synthesized account of the research that undergirds these practical, proven strategies, refer to Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement by Marzano, Pickering, and Pollack (ASCD, 2001)..
Price: $9.97 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In Classroom Assessment and Grading That Work, Robert J. Marzano provides an in-depth exploration of what he calls "one of the most powerful weapons in a teacher's arsenal " An effective standards-based, formative assessment program can help to dramatically enhance student achievement throughout the K-12 system, Marzano says. Drawing from his own and others' extensive research, the author provides comprehensive answers to questions such as these:
*What are the characteristics of an effective assessment program?
* How can educators use national and state standards documents as a basis for creating a comprehensive, topic-based assessment system?
* What types of assessment items and tasks are best suited to measuring student progress in mastering information, mental procedures, and psychomotor procedures?
* Why does the traditional point system used for scoring often lead to incorrect conclusions about a student's actual knowledge?
* What types of scoring and final grading systems provide the most accurate portrayal of a student's progress along a continuum of learning?

In addition to providing teachers with all the tools they need to create a better assessment system, Classroom Assessment and Grading That Work makes a compelling case for the potential of such a system to transform the culture of schools and districts, and to propel K-12 education to new levels of effectiveness and efficiency..
Price: $18.50 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement, Robert J. Marzano shows how a carefully structured combination of two approaches--sustained silent reading and instruction in subject-specific vocabulary terms--can help overcome the deficiencies in background knowledge that hamper the achievement of many children.

Readers will learn
* The principles that underlie an effective sustained silent reading program
* A five-step process for using sustained silent reading to enhance background knowledge
* The defining characteristics of effective vocabulary instruction
* A six-step process for direct instruction in vocabulary in each discipline
* The vocabulary terms critical to students' success in every academic subject

Vignettes suggest how the recommended reading and vocabulary instruction programs might be implemented in elementary schools, middle and junior high schools, and high schools. The book also includes a list of 7,923 vocabulary terms culled from the national standards documents and other publications, organized into 11 subject areas and 4 grade-level categories.

With its research-based recommendations and step-by-step approach, Building Background Knowledge equips educators with the tools they need to help close the achievement gap and enable all students to succeed..
Price: $18.25 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Ahead of the Curve is the second book in the Leading Edge series. The Leading Edge is the undefined space where leaders venture to impact change it is the place where transformation begins. The Leading Edge series unites education authorities from around the globe and asks them to confront the important issues that affect teachers and administrators the issues that profoundly impact student success. The experts contributing to this anthology do not prescribe one method to transact change. They embrace the mission, trusting that teachers and administrators the true change leaders will venture to the Leading Edge to embrace the challenges and opportunities that will guarantee the success of their students. Ahead of the Curve provides a comprehensive view of the challenges of assessment from a classroom, system, and leadership standpoint and examines the many perspectives of effective assessment design and implementation. The distinguished contributors to this volume support the premise that the fundamental purpose of assessment is not to rate, rank, and sort students, but rather to provide meaningful feedback that leads to improved performance. The authors believe that assessment is most productive when its purpose is for learning rather than for simply measuring it. Section 1 explores the issues of classroom assessment. Section 2 considers the challenges of system-level assessment. Section 3 considers specific assessment challenges for English language learners and special needs students. Section 4 addresses the issues of assessment leadership. And the epilogue presents a powerful example of assessment excellence in action..
Price: $21.67 [Notify me when price goes down.]