Books

CASTLE faculty have published five books to date. All of our books are aimed at practitioner audiences and are intended to provide practical, helpful resources for school leaders, instructional / technology coaches, and classroom educators.

Leadership for Deeper Learning

Leadership for Deeper Learning (2021)
Jayson W. Richardson, Justin Bathon, & Scott McLeod

Richardson, J. W., Bathon, J. M., & McLeod, S. (2021). Leadership for deeper learning: Facilitating school innovation and transformation. New York, NY: Routledge.

Across the United States and around the world, the concept of a school is growing more action-oriented, performance-focused, digitally-relevant, and democratically-infused. In this book, you’ll hear from real schools and leaders about practices that are changing schools and leading to deeper learning experiences across seven categories of innovative practice – including vision, agency in learning, trust in teachers, openness to new ideas, over-communicating change, equity-mindedness, and courage to live outside norms.

Leadership for Deeper Learning looks at how school leaders change the status quo and create different learning environments for students and teachers. Rich in stories and strategies, this book will provide you with the ideas and tools to rethink and reignite learning for the future.

Bringing Innovative Practices to Your School- Lessons from International Schools

Bringing Innovative Practices to Your School (2020)
Jayson W. Richardson (Editor)

Richardson, J. W. (2020). Bringing innovative practices to your school: Lessons from international schools. New York, NY: Routledge.

Exploring issues of student agency, equity, assessment, teaching, management, teacher leadership, and use of technology, this book provides strategies, tips, and guidance for enacting innovative change in today‘s schools. Drawing from unique and creative approaches at international schools, real practitioners share their stories and best practices. Chapters contain engaging snapshots of the innovative practices currently happening in international schools, translate those practices into leadership actions, and show how those innovations are played out in localized contexts. This exciting book is for every school and district leader keen to think outside the box, reassess their schools’ strengths, and improve the purposes and means by which they educate students.

Harnessing Technology for Deeper Learning

Harnessing Technology for Deeper Learning (2019)
Scott McLeod & Julie Graber

McLeod, S., & Graber, J. (2019). Harnessing technology for deeper learning. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.

Reshape educational technology integration in classrooms to build truly transformative learning spaces. This concise, reader-friendly guide outlines a clear approach for properly and skillfully using digital learning tools to promote deeper, personalized learning across subjects and grade levels. The authors impart tips and strategies for avoiding common missteps, overcoming implementation challenges, and redesigning instruction that is both meaningful and engaging.

Different Schools For a Different World

Different Schools for a Different World (2018)
Scott McLeod & Dean Shareski

McLeod, S., & Shareski, D. (2018). Different schools for a different world. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.

This resource details six key arguments for why educators must approach school improvement differently in the 21st century: (1) information literacy, (2) the economy, (3) learning, (4) boredom, (5) innovation, and (6) equity. Learn how schools are tackling these six arguments head-on in order to help students grow into global citizens, critical thinkers, innovators, and literate content consumers.

What School Leaders Need to Know About Digital Technologies and Social Media

What School Leaders Need to Know About Digital Technologies and Social Media (2012)
Scott McLeod & Chris Lehmann (Editors)

McLeod, S., & Lehmann, C. (Eds.). (2012). What school leaders need to know about digital technologies and social media. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Facebook, Twitter, Google … today’s tech-savvy students are always plugged in. However, all too often their teachers and administrators aren’t experienced in the use of these familiar digital tools. If schools are to prepare students for the future, administrators and educators must harness the power of digital technologies and social media.

With contributions from authorities on the topic of educational technology, What School Leaders Need to Know About Digital Technologies and Social Media is a compendium of the most useful tools for any education setting. Throughout the book, experts including Will Richardson, Vicki Davis, Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, Richard Byrne, Joyce Valenza, and many others explain how administrators and teachers can best integrate technology into schools, helping to make sense of the often-confusing world of social media and digital tools. They offer the most current information for the educational use of blogs, wikis and podcasts, online learning, open-source courseware, educational gaming, social networking, online mind mapping, mobile phones, and more, and include examples of these methods currently at work in schools. As the book clearly illustrates, when these tools are combined with thoughtful and deliberate pedagogical practice, it can create a transformative experience for students, educators, and administrators alike.

What School Leaders Need to Know About Digital Technologies and Social Media reveals the power of information technology and social networks in the classroom and throughout the education community.