Policymaking is of its very nature a people-centered business-a good reason why highly effective policy analysts display not only superb technical expertise but excellent people skills as well. Those "people skills" include the ability to manage professional relationships, to learn from others about policy issues, to give presentations, to work in teams, to resolve conflict, to write for multiple audiences, and to engage in professional networking. Training programs for policy analysts oft...

This timely book refocuses the debate about school choice programs with a nonpartisan assessment of the nation’s largest and longest-running private school voucher program-the high profile Milwaukee experiment-and finds that the system undercuts the promise of school choice.The authors argue that the Milwaukee experiment has not resulted in the one element necessary for school choice to be effective: an accountability system in which good schools thrive and poor schools close. ...

This book is an invaluable desk reference for facilitators, leaders, coaches and anyone who wants to engage in more effective learning and decision-making conversations. It offers over 1700 rich questions that you can borrow or adapt to improve your inquiry skills, and provides clear frameworks that point to when, where, and why particular questions are most useful.

An urgent case for protecting public education, from one of America's best-known education expertsIn this landmark book, Diane Ravitch - former assistant secretary of education and a leader in the drive to create a national curriculum - examines her career in education reform and repudiates positions that she once staunchly advocated. Drawing on over forty years of research and experience, Ravitch critiques today's most popular ideas for restructuring schools, incl...

Two of the most respected voices in education and a team of young education scholars identify 50 myths and lies that threaten America's public schools. With hard-hitting information and a touch of comic relief, Berliner, Glass, and their Associates separate fact from fiction in this comprehensive look at modern education reform. They explain how the mythical failure of public education has been created and perpetuated in large part by political and economic interests that stand to gain fro...

This book provides college students with all the information and advice they need to apply successfully to graduate school. In chapters 1 – 4 several misconceptions about graduate school are revealed and dispelled, including the most common myth – that one must have excellent grades to get in, and that excellent grades are all that one needs. Certain factors that can play an even bigger role than GPA in determining the fate of an application are discussed, and the reader discovers how the ...

Today's economy is fueled by knowledge. Every leader knows this to be true, yet few have systematic methods for converting organizational knowledge into economic value. This book argues that communities of practice--groups of individuals formed around common interests and expertise--provide the ideal vehicle for driving knowledge-management strategies and building lasting competitive advantage. Written by leading experts in the field, Cultivating Communities of Practice is the first book t...

A practical, step-by-step guide to leading change efforts for sustainable resultsLeading Change Step-by-Step offers a comprehensive and tactical guide for change leaders. Spiro's approach has been field-tested for more than a decade and proven effective in a wide variety of public sector organizations including K-12 schools, universities, international agencies and non-profits. The book is filled with proven tactics for implementing change successfully, wi...

"Corporate reform" is not reform at all. Instead, it is the systematic destruction of the foundational American institution of public education. The primary motivation behind this destruction is greed. Public education in America is worth almost a trillion dollars a year.Whereas American public education is a democratic institution, its destruction is being choreographed by a few wealthy, well-positioned individuals and organizations. This book investigates and exposes the handful ...

In a ground-breaking departure from existing works, almost all of which are how-to manuals based on anecdotal evidence, this is the first academic textbook on fund raising. By integrating practical knowledge with social science theory and research, it presents a comprehensive approach to the function, from its legal and ethical principles to the managerial process by which gifts are raised. Territory previously uncharted in the literature is explored, such as the historical and organizatio...

The completely revised and expanded edition of a fundraising classicStrategic Fund Development became an instant classic the day the first edition was released. Now in this expanded third edition, it has been revised cover-to-cover with relevant new information and useful new tools and resources.The book addresses the needs for fundraisers of every level of expertise. Experienced development officers find this an invaluable reference tool for educa...

The New CEOs looks at the women and people of color leading Fortune 500 companies, exploring the factors that have helped them achieve success and their impact on the business world and society more broadly. As recently as fifteen years ago, there had only been three women CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, and no African Americans. By now there have been more than 100 women, African American, Latino, and Asian-American CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.Richard L. Zweigenhaft and G. Willia...