Developing Successful K-8 Schools

Jon Wiles is a highly experienced educator who has provided curriculum leadership to schools and educational agencies for over thirty years. His specialty is the creation and implementation of curriculum plans. Wiles’s work as an educational consultant has taken him to hundreds of agencies in more than forty states and a dozen foreign nations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.Wiles is the author or coauthor of twelve widely used books addressing curriculum and educational leadership. His text, Curriculum Development: A Guide to Practice (Seventh Edition), has been used for nearly thirty years in colleges and universities throughout the world to train curriculum leaders. Other areas of publication by Wiles include teacher training, administration, school supervision, theory of change, politics of education, middle grades education, and technology.

• List of FiguresPrefaceAcknowledgmentsAbout the Author1. Here Comes the K-8 SchoolOrigins of the New K-8 SchoolRationale for Changing the School DesignBedrock Beliefs About Educating ChildrenAn Initial Look at the New K-8 Program We NeedSome Issues Associated With K-8 EducationQuestions for Study GroupsSummaryNotes2. Using Standards to Define K-8 ProgramsOrigin of StandardsNational Standards for K-8 EducationSubject Matter Standards in K-8 SchoolsExtending Standards in K-8 SchoolsLearning Targets for Standards-Based SchoolManaging Standards-Based ProgramsNurturing Intellectual CompetenceTransfer of KnowledgeQuestions for Study GroupsSummaryNotes3. Using Skills to Create the Seamless CurriculumTwo Conceptions of EndsThe Curriculum Design TasksWhat Kind of Skills Should be Taught?Sample Tasks for Each LearnerCollaborative EmphasisA Final Word About the SubjectsQuestions for Study GroupsSummary Notes4. New Instructional Patterns for the K-8 SchoolGeneral DesignOrganization PatternsModifying Standards-Based CurriculumNew Uses of School BuildingsNew Deployment of TeachersNew Ways of Assessing StudentsNew Patterns for Involving ParentsQuestions for Study GroupsSummaryNotes5. A Return on InvestmentParentsStudentsTeachersAdministratorsQuestions for Study GroupsSummaryNotes6. Implementing the K-8 ProgramThe Unfolding ProcessPrerequisite ConditionsAcquiring ResourcesAssessmentPutting It All TogetherQuestions for Study GroupsSummaryNotes7. Validating ProgressConcept DevelopmentMission StatementsCurriculum DesignInstructional FeaturesTeachersParentsFacilities and TransportationTechnologyResource A. Summary of K-8 Research FindingsResource B. Standards OrganizationsResource C. Instructional Resource Sites on the InternetResource D. Teaching Through the InternetResource E. GlossaryReferencesIndex

“This book provides a clear and concise road map for turning the current trend towards K-8 schools to the advantage of children. The return to K-8 schools is an opportunity to step back, be purposeful and thoughtful, and plan for what we want for young persons in our schools. This book provides the vision and the tools we need to plan and build something better in Grades K-8.”