PRODUCTS

Do you have the desire to build relationships with the special education teachers in your school or district but constantly feel weighed down by compliance issues? Special education teachers are leaving the field at alarming rates, and positive change through transformational leadership practices can help administrators build confidence and self-efficacy as leaders of special education programs and strengthen special education teachers’ commitment to remain in the field.

In a book that guides an affective journey using John C. Maxwell’s teachings, Natasha Veale, a former special education teacher, professor of special education, and certified Maxwell Leadership consultant, demonstrates how to address administrators’ belief in their ability to become influential special education leaders and connect with their special education teachers, even without a background in special education. This book is ideal for pre-service and in-service assistant principals and principals, special education administrators, and general and special education teachers. Embedded school administrators’ anecdotes reveal experiences, challenges, and desires to build an emotionally supportive environment for their special education teachers. Practical advice and tips are offered to help administrators positively influence, individually consider, intellectually stimulate, and inspirationally motivate their special education teachers.

In How to Retain Special Education Teachers: A Transformational Leadership Guide for School Administrators, you learn how to:

• Support special education teacher workload
• Build self-efficacy as a leader of special education
• Build relationships with special education teachers
• Strengthen Principal Preparation Programs

In Transforming Teaching Through the Cycle of Care: A Comprehensive Guide to Empowering Education Through Relationships, Listening, Thinking, and Responding, author Mona Beth Zignego introduces a groundbreaking model that reshapes the way educators approach their profession. Drawing from decades of experience as a teacher, mentor, and researcher, Zignego offers a unique perspective on the vital role of care in the classroom. Through her "Cycle of Care" model, she breaks down the process of care into four critical elements: relationships, listening, thinking, and responding. This powerful framework is designed to help teachers not only support their students academically but also foster environments of trust, empathy, and social justice.

Zignego dives deeply into real-life examples from her own experience and research, illustrating both the profound impact of care on student outcomes and the devastating effects of its absence. From stories of students like Emily, who struggled under an uncaring teacher’s response, to educators like Mr. Price, who embodied the very essence of care in his practice, Transforming Teaching Through the Cycle of Care illuminates the path toward transformative education. A key focus of the book is the concept of self-directed care for teachers—a practice Zignego argues is essential for preventing burnout and for sustaining a healthy, effective teaching career. She acknowledges the emotional, physical, and professional challenges teachers face and provides practical tools to help them navigate these challenges while maintaining a caring, student-centered approach. With exercises like the "Emotionater Tool" and the "Teaching Identity Map," she guides teachers in reflecting on their own needs, biases, and emotional well-being, ensuring that care is directed not only at students but also at themselves.

This book is an invaluable resource for teachers, administrators, and anyone involved in education who wants to cultivate a nurturing and inclusive learning environment. Zignego’s insights remind us that care is the foundation upon which all meaningful education is built, and that by embracing care in teaching, we can create classrooms where every student feels seen, valued, and capable of success. Whether you are a new teacher seeking guidance or an experienced educator looking to deepen your practice, Transforming Teaching Through the Cycle of Care offers the inspiration and tools you need to transform your teaching through the power of care.

As a genre, science fiction is uniquely suited for highlighting and modeling the basic tenets of critical pedagogy, that branch of educational philosophy and theory devoted equally to 1) exposing the hidden power structures embedded in educational practice and 2) articulating equitable and sustainable alternatives. The science fiction novum – that is, the technological or scientific newness found within the text – serves as a catalyst not only within the textual universe but also, potentially, within the universe of the reader. New questions arise. Previously hidden beliefs come to light. Tacit assumptions are exposed. The unfamiliar nova of science-fiction can lead to new interrogations of our own all-too familiar surroundings, causing us to see our previously unquestioned worlds in a new way.

These new understandings are at the heart of critical pedagogy. The learning spaces within science fiction texts can expose the fault lines within the educational structures of the real world. Questions about what it means to be human, about the proper limits of technological power, or about the relationships and obligations of one species to another have profound implications for 21st century educators and learners, particularly those who are interested in creating just and equitable learning spaces.

Learning Space: Exploring Critical Pedagogy through Science Fiction draws on popular science fiction stories to provide current and future educators with the language, concepts, vocabulary, and practices to cast a critical lens upon their own learning spaces and their own pedagogical practices. For example, a critical examination of the way that Yoda trains Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back reveals a great deal about the insidious nature of deficit thinking, assuming that students learn best when they “empty their minds” and remain “passive.” The assumed hierarchical power structure between teacher and student, and the assumed relationship between learners and the knowledge with which they are supposed to be filled – all of these are called into question when viewed through a critical lens. The more we recognize the injustice in Yoda’s pedagogy, the more we might begin to see it in our own. 

Similarly, Isaac Asimov’s classic Foundation trilogy imagines a world in which mathematical modeling and statistical computation are used not only to predict what people might do but instead to determine what they should do. This kind of algorithmic determinism is unfortunately common in contemporary education, and yet far too few educators and learners recognize just how much of their own agency has been given over to the machines. By highlighting the algorithmic inequities in the world of Asimov’s text, we begin to recognize similar inequities at play in our own world. Ultimately, this book uses science fiction to highlight educational inequities in such wide-ranging topics as standard English, literary canons, machine learning, notions of academic dishonesty, epistemicide, inequitable school discipline, and more. More importantly, however, it provides a framework for moving forward, giving current and future educators the critical knowledge and skills both to recognize pedagogical injustice and to create viable, just, and sustainable alternatives.

Over the past three decades, the landscape of educator preparation has changed so that more people can enter the teaching profession than ever before. This welcome expansion of access to the teaching profession has been accomplished both through the creation of new entities bringing new models of preparation online and, even more so, through the multiplication of new program tracks and pathways in the institutions of higher education (IHEs) that have long been and continue to be responsible for preparing the largest proportion of teachers and other professional educators. The preparation landscape has also become more dynamic and more responsive to needs at local and regional levels. In this era of teacher shortage, expanded access is good news, but are all pathways equal with regard to quality of preparation?

Locating Quality in the Dynamic Educator Preparation Landscape centers on the experiences of a variety of preparation programs—all accredited by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP), each unique in its approach to addressing the needs of its prospective teachers and its local school partners. The featured programs include public and private preparation providers from across the nation, some based in longstanding institutions of higher education, some operating in newer organizational models. They share a common claim to quality through having met the same accreditation standards, yet each excels in its own right in addressing specific needs.

The book shows that while qualities can be shared, quality is fundamentally a divergent rather than a convergent characteristic, and that program evaluation and accreditation regimes be framed accordingly. It argues that educational policy needs to be based on an appreciation of the many dimensions of quality program practice that are needed to address the varied and particular needs of schools, communities, and populations that are entering the educator preparation pipeline. So long as we are able to ensure that all pathways into teaching result in the preparation of effective educators who are able to serve students, schools, families, and communities well by promoting student learning and thriving, we will reap the benefits of this new, varied, and dynamic landscape of educator preparation.

Perfect for courses such as: Educational Program Evaluation; Teacher Education; Education Policy; Teacher Education Policy; and Human Resources in Education

Case studies serve as powerful tools because they bridge theory and practice, enhance decision-making skills, and prepare individuals for real-world challenges. There is a shortage of case study resources specifically focused on the ongoing development of leaders for positions in higher education. Sticky Cases in Higher Education Leadership provides invaluable insights and lessons to help aspiring higher education leaders and experienced administrators navigate the complex landscape of academic leadership.

Authored by faculty and administrators in various roles, the cases represent real-world incidents and situations that are faced by higher education leaders. Each case discusses a real-world conflict or challenge presented in an open-ended format to encourage thoughtful, independent, or collaborative analysis. Readers, individually or collaboratively, consider the situation or incident and propose solutions or alternative approaches.

The primary purpose of the book is to serve as a valuable teaching tool for universities offering programs in higher education leadership development. It can be used in doctoral and master's degree programs focused on higher education leadership and management. It will also benefit colleges and universities that have or are planning to initiate leadership development programs to prepare faculty for advancement into administrative roles. Additionally, the book will have utility for institutions engaged in succession planning. The cases enrich the experience of program participants and are easily aligned with desired learning outcomes. With a focus on planning and institutional renewal by national accreditors, such as the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, this book fills a critical need for case-based resources to support the development of higher education leaders.

Perfect for courses such as: Leading Across Cultures; Leadership in Educational Contexts and Systems; Contemporary Issues in Higher Education; Leadership, Management, and Supervision in Higher Education; Leading Change; and Education Policy and Planning

In recent years, the field of education has been fraught with a variety of different challenges. A multi-year pandemic, book banning, and legislative efforts seeking to ban Critical Race Theory and LGBTQ positive curriculum have had negative effects on K-12 education, leaving many educators feeling the progress made in several states and communities before and during the 2018 teacher walkouts and strikes was now gone. Teacher morale is sitting at a historic low point, with teachers leaving the profession in droves. Education as an institution is at a crucial tipping point, and changes focused on equity and reducing the neoliberal hold on reform need to be implemented in order to keep schools as democratic spaces. The way this vision can be realized is through activism and existing social movement organizations that use both traditional and netroots practices. The purpose of Activists, Advocates, and Agitators is to provide readers with a history and analysis of 21st century teacher activism in K-12 schools to better understand the effectiveness of organizing and activism. Additionally, the text will introduce readers to present-day activist groups whose work is positively changing education and schools and the ways in which some teachers are working within their communities to assist in their specific needs.

Activists, Advocates, and Agitators is the perfect book to instruct preservice teachers about the conditions that they will face in their classrooms, arming them with valuable strategies to help them to achieve their academic goals.

Perfect for courses such as: Social Foundations of Education; Foundations of Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Teacher Leadership; Sociology of Education; Politics of Education; and Democratic Education

The central claim of this volume is that higher education institutions that seek to educate their students for freedom and liberation—the idea behind the liberal arts—must be prepared to embrace the truths they pursue and to lean into the reconciliation demanded by those truths. In other words, they must journey through truth to freedom, but only by way of reconciliation.

For Augsburg University, the truths interrogated delve deep into the heart of its faith tradition, academic mission, and commitment to social justice. Through appreciative and critical inquiry, the truths discovered demand reconciliation with the past so as to be freed for the work they are called to do as “informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders”—Augsburg’s mission! These essays offer a compelling example to other institutions about the important work of connecting past, present, and future—of seeking truth through freedom by way of reconciliation—work that is foundational to an institution’s mission, identity, and future planning.

Perfect for courses such as: Place Matters: Colleges and Universities as Anchors in their Communities; Introduction to Interfaith Learning, Leadership, and Living; History of Higher Education in America; Foundations of Democratic Engagement and Higher Education; Introduction to Experiential Education; Foundations of Higher Education Leadership

What Do We Mean by That?: Interrogating Familiar Expressions in Education is a collection of essays that opens a space for all educational workers—teachers, teacher educators, administrators, politicians, and others—to unpack commonly used educational phrases and ideas.

The idea is to carefully examine what we say to one another when we talk about schools, curriculum, students, and other educational problems or issues—when we say things like “We have to meet students where they are,” and “All children can learn,” or “What does the data say?” What Do We Mean by That? challenges and clarifies such phrases and the how, and why, that they shape educational policies and practices.

The influential curricular theorist Dwayne Huebner charged us to always be aware of our “man-made tools,” such as language, and said that since “all educators attempt to shape the world; theorists should call attention to the tools used for the shaping in order that the world being shaped can be more beautiful and just.”

Language is a tool in educational practice in myriad ways: between administrators and teachers, teachers and students, teachers and parents, and students and students, as examples. A scripted curriculum is a tool intended to provide fixed language to teachers. It is normal for phrases to make their way into our everyday practices and get lodged there. But we need opportunities to interrupt ourselves and study our language tools to ensure they help create beauty and justice.

This collection of thoughtful essays seeks to be this interruption. It is an invaluable tool for improving the educational experience of students and schools.

Perfect for courses such as: Foundations of Education; Curriculum Studies; Diversity in Education; Educational Rhetoric and Policy

The Importance of the Dissertation in Practice (DiP): A Resource Guide for EdD Students, Their Committee Members and Advisors, and Departmental and University Leaders Involved with EdD Programs is the first book-length study that looks at the elements of high-quality Dissertations in Practice (DiPs). It serves as a resource for EdD students, their committee members, their advisors, and departmental or university leaders involved with EdD programs. The book can be used to improve support from key stakeholders within EdD programs for the implementation of the DiP in the development of practitioner-scholars.

The first section of the book discusses the difference between the DiP and traditional dissertations, the history of the DiP, and how the practitioner-scholar is developed through the DiP process. Next, the book describes the elements that are reflective of a high-quality DiP. Finally, it addresses a few of the unique formats that are sometimes used with the DiP, some of the practical issues with implementing the DiP, and issues of the future including the use of artificial intelligence.

The ultimate goal of The Importance of the Dissertation in Practice is to serve as a practical guide for all those involved with the DiP, reflecting the editors’ and authors’ experiences working with students within a variety of higher education institutions.

Perfect for courses such as: Introduction to Research Methods (doctoral level); Improvement Science; Applied Research Methods; Advanced Research Methods; Introduction to the Dissertation; Educational Evaluation; Theory of Change in Education; Educational Policy

Using Data for Continuous Improvement in Educator Preparation provides case studies that illuminate and contextualize the ways in which educator preparation programs determine the data they need to improve, collect data, analyze data, share data with stakeholders, and close the loop by making focused improvements based on the data.

Educator preparation programs operate in a wide range of contexts that have different requirements (e.g., state-mandated measures), different affordances, and different needs. This text focuses on not only the stories of how data is collected, analyzed, and used for improvement, but also on how stakeholders are impacted by the continuous improvement process.

In the editors’ work with accreditation and educator preparation program evaluation, they noticed a variety of approaches to collecting, analyzing, and using data for program improvement. Often this intense work with data goes unnoticed and unappreciated because it is done in the service of accreditation that, once completed, does not reach an audience outside of the institution and the accreditation agency. Using Data for Continuous Improvement in Educator Preparation solves this problem by shedding light on this important work. This volume inaugurates the AAQEP Program Evaluation in Education Series.

Perfect for courses such as: Methods of Program Evaluation; Teacher Education; Improvement Science