As a technology driven Principal, I found Preparing to Lead a Digital Learning Environment to be an amazing read. Aspiring leaders will appreciate the real-life examples from practitioners throughout the book. From the very first chapter, the book does a great job setting the stage with the changing landscape of today's Educational system. The nationwide schools closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic forced school districts all over the country to develop an emergency digital learning plan to continue to teach all students. This book will be an essential resource for any aspiring school leader to prepare them for this new educational realm post COVID-19.
The book also goes into great detail on how to support an all-inclusive digital environment and ensure you are reaching your most struggling learners. Currently, as students are learning from home and coming into the brick and mortar buildings, many school districts are problem solving this very issue. How do we reach our highest need students if they are not on campus?
As a school leader I have a passion for professional development, and I found the last two chapters on PD and Technology Coaches to be very powerful. I say with 100% confidence that this book would have been a great asset during my postgrad coursework and better prepared me to lead schools in these changing times.
-- Mike Lastra, principal, Brooksville Elementary
The current pandemic underscores longstanding inequalities that exist in the educational system and serve as a barrier to student achievement. The authors who contributed to this book intertwine the research underscoring best practices and the application of those practices in real-world classrooms and contexts, providing a relevant and significant account of the challenges and possibilities present in educating amidst an ongoing pandemic. Readers will gain guidance, strategies, and direction, and will likely see their own teaching experiences reflected back to them in the pages. This book will invite us to do better and be better in the service of students.
-- Rachel Hatten, director, professional development, David C. Anchin Center for the Advancement of Teaching
