Introduction—A Handbook for High Reliability Schools

Introduction—A Handbook for High Reliability Schools

Read the introduction to Dr. Marzano’s optimistic view of the future and his recommendations for reaching the highest levels of school effectiveness. A Handbook for High Reliability Schools: The Next Step in School Reform integrates four decades of Dr. Marzano’s work into one comprehensive school improvement framework.

This is not a new program. Rather, this framework organizes existing findings on a wide variety of issues such as teacher and school leader development, instructional strategies, assessment and reporting, and more within one model. It identifies and explains five levels of performance that define a high reliability school:

1. Safe and Collaborative Culture
2. Effective Teaching in Every Classroom
3. Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum
4. Standards-Referenced Reporting
5. Competency-Based Education

Leading and lagging indicators are provided to give school leaders clear guidance about specific steps to achieve each level. Throughout, Dr. Marzano reviews the research for each recommendation and translates that research into concrete strategies and systems that you can immediately use to increase your school’s reliability and effectiveness.

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