Nathan Levenson

An accessible guide to creating schedules that amplify school and district priorities, support best practices in teaching and learning, heighten student engagement, and enhance equity.A school's schedule can be as important to education outcomes as its budget or strategic plan. The secret to making the schedule a tool for school improvement is to approach schedule design not as a technical task, centered on making everything fit like Tetris blocks, but as a strategic one. In this book, informed by research and their work with hundreds of schools, scheduling experts Nathan Levenson and David James explore how strategic scheduling can turn a "good enough" schedule into one that supercharges learning and engagement without additional costs or more FTEs.If you are ready toFigure out which schedule type is best for your students and staff;Disrupt harmful tracking and ensure every student has access to highly skilled teachers and rigorous curriculum;Deliver optimum hours of core instruction while expanding electives and providing opportunities for student voice and choice;Precisely match staffing to course enrollment to free up personnel and funds for other purposesFind time for critical intervention and enrichment blocks; andCommunicate scheduling decisions more effectively to parents, families, and district leaders… then it's time for strategic scheduling. Offering targeted advice for best-practice scheduling at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, this book will help school and district leaders—and the teachers and students they serve—make the most of every school day and every school year.

In the updated edition of Smarter Budgets, Smarter Schools, Nathan Levenson proposes fresh strategies for more efficient, equitable resource allocation within school districts.Budgets, according to Levenson, can be a surprisingly powerful lever for improved student achievement outcomes and equity. Readers of this revised edition will find practical advice for funding equity initiatives and social-emotional services, among other student needs. Levenson also discusses how to accommodate common, necessary school expenses and district improvement measures such as capital purchases, personnel costs, and campus renovations within tight funding models. The key is creativity: Levenson invites readers to shift their mindsets and embrace innovative ideas for using limited resources strategically.An indispensable guide, Smarter Budgets, Smarter Schools delivers proven, successful practices for school leaders—superintendents, central office leaders, building principals, and school board members—who hope to make smarter, better informed financial decisions and stretch declining district budgets. It outlines budget management tactics for working around financial constraints brought on by shrinking tax revenues, rising health care and pension costs, and increased special education needs. The book also addresses how to manage declining or increasing enrollment numbers.Throughout this useful and timely work, Levenson provides real-world examples, critical worksheets, and actionable suggestions to help decision-makers apply these concepts and realize a greater academic return on their investments.

Six Shifts to Improve Special Education and Other Interventions offers a set of bold, new ideas for dramatically raising the achievement of students with mild to moderate disabilities and students experiencing serious academic, social and emotional, and behavioral difficulties. Despite much effort and caring on the part of educators, a new approach to supporting struggling students is critically needed so they can master grade-level skills and complete college, argues author Nathan Levenson. Combining research with evidence from his own implementation work in more than a hundred districts, Levenson makes the case for a wholesale rethinking of how interventions are delivered summarized by six essential 'shifts.' Designed to be practical and draw on the talents of existing staff, Levenson's shifts are paired with concrete advice and lessons learned from the field to improve special education and general education interventions such as Response to Intervention and Multi-Tiered Student Supports.Six Shifts to Improve Special Education and Other Interventions serves as both a call to action and a critical guide for administrators looking for more effective, affordable ways to close the achievement gap.

Six Shifts to Improve Special Education and Other Interventions offers a set of bold, new ideas for dramatically raising the achievement of students with mild to moderate disabilities and students experiencing serious academic, social and emotional, and behavioral difficulties. Despite much effort and caring on the part of educators, a new approach to supporting struggling students is critically needed so they can master grade-level skills and complete college, argues author Nathan Levenson. Combining research with evidence from his own implementation work in more than a hundred districts, Levenson makes the case for a wholesale rethinking of how interventions are delivered summarized by six essential 'shifts.' Designed to be practical and draw on the talents of existing staff, Levenson's shifts are paired with concrete advice and lessons learned from the field to improve special education and general education interventions such as Response to Intervention and Multi-Tiered Student Supports.Six Shifts to Improve Special Education and Other Interventions serves as both a call to action and a critical guide for administrators looking for more effective, affordable ways to close the achievement gap.

A Better Way to Budget provides practical, innovative advice on how to overcome the political and social pushback that often prevents district and school leaders from shifting scarce resources to the most student-centered uses. Nathan Levenson shows how school leaders can uncover the sources of potential conflicts and create a budgeting process that normalizes change, minimizes pushback, and builds public buy-in for needed reforms.A Better Way to Budget:focuses on a strategic and process-oriented approach that anticipates roadblocks and challengesintroduces eight effective strategies for shifting funds and winning supportprovides real-life examples of mistakes and successesincludes joint fact-finding, simulations, and other exercises to help stakeholders agree on goals and identify the budgetary changes needed to reach those objectives.Filled with advice gathered over decades of work in schools, A Better Way to Budget provides timely insights and tools for leaders who are exploring ways to make their districts more inclusive and student-centered.

A Better Way to Budget provides practical, innovative advice on how to overcome the political and social pushback that often prevents district and school leaders from shifting scarce resources to the most student-centered uses. Nathan Levenson shows how school leaders can uncover the sources of potential conflicts and create a budgeting process that normalizes change, minimizes pushback, and builds public buy-in for needed reforms.A Better Way to Budget:focuses on a strategic and process-oriented approach that anticipates roadblocks and challengesintroduces eight effective strategies for shifting funds and winning supportprovides real-life examples of mistakes and successesincludes joint fact-finding, simulations, and other exercises to help stakeholders agree on goals and identify the budgetary changes needed to reach those objectives.Filled with advice gathered over decades of work in schools, A Better Way to Budget provides timely insights and tools for leaders who are exploring ways to make their districts more inclusive and student-centered.

Armed with real-world examples and out-of-the-box ideas, Levenson challenges conventional thinking about school budgeting and offers a compelling way forward for school superintendents, central office leaders, building principals, and school board members. Virtually every school district in the nation is experiencing an extended period of financial constraints. Shrinking tax revenue due to the Great Recession, decreasing federal stimulus funds, rising health care and pension costs, and fast-growing high-need student populations will continue to test superintendents and school boards as they seek to prepare students for a globally competitive environment with fewer resources.

Armed with real-world examples and out-of-the-box ideas, Levenson challenges conventional thinking about school budgeting and offers a compelling way forward for school superintendents, central office leaders, building principals, and school board members. Virtually every school district in the nation is experiencing an extended period of financial constraints. Shrinking tax revenue due to the Great Recession, decreasing federal stimulus funds, rising health care and pension costs, and fast-growing high-need student populations will continue to test superintendents and school boards as they seek to prepare students for a globally competitive environment with fewer resources.