Teaching As Leadership    by Steven Farr Order:  USA  Can John Wiley & Sons, 2010 (2010) Softcover, e-Book Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Bob Walch This guidebook for K-12 educators and its companion website are based on Teach For America's 20 years of studying effective teachers. Sharing hundreds of success stories from the classroom, this book demystifies how the most effective teachers in underserved schools lead their students to dramatic academic progress despite the many challenges they face. At the core of this guide are six strategies common to highly effective teachers. These strategies or principles include: set big goals, invest students and their families, plan purposefully, execute effectively, continuously increase effectiveness, and work relentlessly. Steven Farr, Teach for America Chief Knowledge Officer, expands on these ideas and explains not only why they are important but how they can be applied in any teaching situation. The book's accompanying website demonstrates these strategies in action with videos, step-by-step guidance, advice on common pitfalls, and other tools. 'The fact that a child's race and socio-economic status are still the most reliable predictors of whether he or she will attend college is a national travesty. The achievement gap has profound economic implications and is an affront to our ideals as a nation,' says Farr. 'We simply must solve this problem. The teachers we have studied are solving this problem and we can all learn from their leadership.' Educators, parents, and anyone who would like to learn more about what constitutes effective teaching will find this book well worth reading. There is a need for change and improvement in many of our schools and Farr points the way towards making this happen. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews