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TrustED: The Bridge to School Improvement
This award-winning book for educational leaders reached #1 on Amazon's Educational Leadership category book downloads in April 2023, has been featured in Forbes, CEOWorld Magazine, Authority Magazine, The Knowledge Review, eSchool News, on NPR, as well as numerous podcasts - and was named "Book of The Month" (November 2021) and nominated for "Book of The Year" (2021) by The Magic Pen."Trust is the single greatest indicator of successful leadership." This research-based observation is a definitive and shared conclusion within various industry sectors (e.g., manufacturing, retail, technology, government, and non-profit organizations). Studies also reveal that when high levels of trust mark school leadership, positive and significant influences on schoolwide improvement occur and are sustainable.Toby Travis utilizes a suspension bridge analogy to explain the roles and functions of trusted leadership, which are critical to school improvement initiatives. Dr. Travis outlines the six trusted leadership components that must be in place for leaders to ensure school improvement positively. If any components are not securely in place, successful transit over the bridge to school improvement can be hazardous or catastrophic. Learn how to assess, develop, repair, and ensure that all six leadership components are properly in place so that your school or district is TrustED®.
235 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 8, 2021
11 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 13, 2021
Dr. Toby A. Travis’ book is far more than extended promotion for his TrustED methodology. His prescription for improving schools places enormous importance on leadership development and "TrustED – The Bridge to School Improvement" is, likewise, a testament of faith. Few, regardless of their political stance, would argue that American schools are more fractious than ever before but where Travis and others may differ is the former hasn’t abandoned all hope. In the end, whatever you may think of his ideas, Travis communicates his passionate concern for our educational experiences throughout "TrustED".
The same systematic approach fueling Travis’ program informs the book’s structure. He develops his ideas over nine chapters revealing his detailed path toward school improvement. Mixing objective and subjective observations are a key component of the book’s success – Travis can give you well-reasoned and academically supported reasons for pursuing the TrustED program, but they are supported, as well, by his application of personal experience. He breaks his examination of the subject up into individual sections within each chapter that transition well from one topic to the next.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: www.trustedschool.org
It is far from a choppy and/or disjointed reading experience. Even a brief examination of his TrustED program shows Travis has worked hard establishing a working language for the program, concepts, and how to use it for many years before composing this text. "TrustED", consequently, has a sleek and focused presentation. You’ll find little evidence of the stereotypical from this author. Anyone expecting Travis’ writing to suffer from academic excesses like colorless prose or ornate language will be relieved. His ease with the material is obvious early and his conversational tone will appeal to many readers.
The book has a minimalist look. If you are expecting an assortment of visual aids accompanying the prose, look elsewhere. His writing carries the day for "TrustED" and his only concession to “eye candy” opens each chapter. The book is, perhaps, longer than some readers might expect, but Travis' relaxed writing should mitigate any issues readers may have with its page count. There’s no bloat weighing down "TrustED".
AMAZON: https://na01.safelinks.protection.out...
It is, instead, a complete work attempting to cover all relevant bases. It isn't exhaustive. Travis, without question, makes a convincing case for how his program provides modern education with one of its most promising regimens for improvement in decades. We need it more than ever, no matter what side of the ideological fence you fall on, and Travis likewise conveys a sincere and non-dogmatic passion for improving this key part of our society. Sympathetic readers will likely fall into the category who, like myself, believe our school years, along with our parental relationships, form the bedrock of our lives. It is crucial we support them thoughtfully and enthusiastically.
It’s never a strident nor preachy volume. Travis has missionary zeal, there’s no doubt of that, but it’s conspiratorial rather than adversarial – he wants to enlist you in this movement rather than belaboring why you are wrong for not yet swearing allegiance. Dr. Toby A. Travis’ "TrustED – The Bridge to School Improvement" is the definitive roadmap for his program and will remain relevant for many years to come.
The same systematic approach fueling Travis’ program informs the book’s structure. He develops his ideas over nine chapters revealing his detailed path toward school improvement. Mixing objective and subjective observations are a key component of the book’s success – Travis can give you well-reasoned and academically supported reasons for pursuing the TrustED program, but they are supported, as well, by his application of personal experience. He breaks his examination of the subject up into individual sections within each chapter that transition well from one topic to the next.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: www.trustedschool.org
It is far from a choppy and/or disjointed reading experience. Even a brief examination of his TrustED program shows Travis has worked hard establishing a working language for the program, concepts, and how to use it for many years before composing this text. "TrustED", consequently, has a sleek and focused presentation. You’ll find little evidence of the stereotypical from this author. Anyone expecting Travis’ writing to suffer from academic excesses like colorless prose or ornate language will be relieved. His ease with the material is obvious early and his conversational tone will appeal to many readers.
The book has a minimalist look. If you are expecting an assortment of visual aids accompanying the prose, look elsewhere. His writing carries the day for "TrustED" and his only concession to “eye candy” opens each chapter. The book is, perhaps, longer than some readers might expect, but Travis' relaxed writing should mitigate any issues readers may have with its page count. There’s no bloat weighing down "TrustED".
AMAZON: https://na01.safelinks.protection.out...
It is, instead, a complete work attempting to cover all relevant bases. It isn't exhaustive. Travis, without question, makes a convincing case for how his program provides modern education with one of its most promising regimens for improvement in decades. We need it more than ever, no matter what side of the ideological fence you fall on, and Travis likewise conveys a sincere and non-dogmatic passion for improving this key part of our society. Sympathetic readers will likely fall into the category who, like myself, believe our school years, along with our parental relationships, form the bedrock of our lives. It is crucial we support them thoughtfully and enthusiastically.
It’s never a strident nor preachy volume. Travis has missionary zeal, there’s no doubt of that, but it’s conspiratorial rather than adversarial – he wants to enlist you in this movement rather than belaboring why you are wrong for not yet swearing allegiance. Dr. Toby A. Travis’ "TrustED – The Bridge to School Improvement" is the definitive roadmap for his program and will remain relevant for many years to come.
October 12, 2021
Toby A. Travis, Ed.D.’s credentials automatically give him a sort of literary insurance that he knows of what he speaks. While one would expect nothing less of an author wishing to be taken seriously in this nonfiction subcategory, these days words like credentials, experience, and informed have a special value. Travis doesn’t spare the rod with his audience, he expects the hypothetical reader to fully comprehend educated terms and worldly statistical analyses and presentations. But the ultimate crux of what he is advocating for within the read is something universal, and that requires no educational or certain literary certification. The word and concept itself is - Trust. Something has broken down in the system between modern-day school leaders, and the employee base and community with which said leader has been elected to represent. In times as difficult as the one we are facing today, there’s something refreshing about the simplicity of Travis’s core, philosophical belief. From that spawns an entire lecture, arguably, in his distinctive and concise language choice that illustrates how such a rapport between the education systems and the community can be reestablished, not just to former glories - but on a platform that can be stronger than ever.
“School leaders establish the Foundation for the bridge to school improvement when communicating and operating from strong ideals and beliefs about education and learning. Abraham Lincoln is quoted as saying that ‘Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing’ (Epstein, 2008),” Travis writes in the aforementioned vein. “A school leader’s public reputation is based on their integrity and moral fiber. Likewise, a school’s reputation is based on the character and quality of the totality of individuals who make up the school…When leadership decisions are public, positive, and grounded in the core values of the school’s mission, reputation is enhanced. Conversely, when decisions and actions are made behind closed doors, negative, and motivated by priorities other than those born out of the school’s primary focus (e.g., mission fulfillment), reputation is diminished. A stable, positive, healthy, and progressive reputation is essential to sustained school success and fulfilling the mission and vision of the school (Moore, 2009).”
It’s through painting an actual, evocative picture with his words, simultaneous to keeping things concise and wandering away from the tangential that Travis drives home his point. There’s never a sense the book doesn’t have a feeling of clarity and confidence on the subject upon which Travis writes. A lot of times, even distinguished and definitive authors, auteurs, and informed speakers possess a certain note of desperation in the way they communicate to their perceived audiences. While such a feeling of urgency can have the intended effect, it often proves a distracting flaw in spite of their qualifications. Travis never suffers from this, and as a result the crystallized topicality of his book TrustED: The Bridge to School Improvement never wavers in its power either. It’s solid messaging, but more importantly - it’s a solid read.
“School leaders establish the Foundation for the bridge to school improvement when communicating and operating from strong ideals and beliefs about education and learning. Abraham Lincoln is quoted as saying that ‘Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing’ (Epstein, 2008),” Travis writes in the aforementioned vein. “A school leader’s public reputation is based on their integrity and moral fiber. Likewise, a school’s reputation is based on the character and quality of the totality of individuals who make up the school…When leadership decisions are public, positive, and grounded in the core values of the school’s mission, reputation is enhanced. Conversely, when decisions and actions are made behind closed doors, negative, and motivated by priorities other than those born out of the school’s primary focus (e.g., mission fulfillment), reputation is diminished. A stable, positive, healthy, and progressive reputation is essential to sustained school success and fulfilling the mission and vision of the school (Moore, 2009).”
It’s through painting an actual, evocative picture with his words, simultaneous to keeping things concise and wandering away from the tangential that Travis drives home his point. There’s never a sense the book doesn’t have a feeling of clarity and confidence on the subject upon which Travis writes. A lot of times, even distinguished and definitive authors, auteurs, and informed speakers possess a certain note of desperation in the way they communicate to their perceived audiences. While such a feeling of urgency can have the intended effect, it often proves a distracting flaw in spite of their qualifications. Travis never suffers from this, and as a result the crystallized topicality of his book TrustED: The Bridge to School Improvement never wavers in its power either. It’s solid messaging, but more importantly - it’s a solid read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews