Five Big Ideas: Leading Total Instructional Alignment

This book presents Five Big Ideas (beginning with the principles and practices defined in Total Instructional Alignment) that will help readers transform their school into a powerful teaching and learning organization. Focusing on these ideas can help eliminate many of the petty day-to-day distractions that do little to promote effective teaching and learning. However, just knowing these ideas is not enough. Educators must work hard to create conditions to support the ideas and implement them effectively if they are to bring about meaningful change in their schools and school systems. The book presents a concise overview of the three interconnected steps of the Total Instructional Alignment (TIA) process and how they impact student learning: 1) alignment of the system, 2) alignment of standards, curriculum, and assessment, and 3) alignment of instructional practices in the classroom. It also presents ways to take the TIA process from being a good idea to becoming established practice within the school and within every classroom.