Applied Critical Leadership In Education

Educational leaders are seeing the increasing need for practical transformative models and theories to address academic, cultural, and socio-economic gaps separating learners at all levels of the educational system. Applied Critical Leadership in Education explores a leadership model arising from critical theory and critical pedagogy traditions that transforms status quo educational practices. Providing a range of diverse voices of practicing leaders from prekindergarten through higher education, explicit ties to theory and practice are drawn, making leadership for social justice accessible, feasible, and more practical for aspiring and practicing leaders alike. Features Included: Case Studies provide examples of applied critical leadership across early childhood education, elementary school, middle school, high school, district, and higher education levels. Theory to Research Applications offer frameworks and key research complementary to cases. Checking In presents questions to the reader to respond and further engage with the chapter content. Opportunity Recognition and Critical Conversations offer strategies to challenge assumptions of common practices and begin conversations around issues of social justice. Backpack includes online or print resources to supplement the material in each chapter. Appendix provides a comprehensive example of qualitative case study research from design, to data collection, and analysis. Applied Critical Leadership in Education provides an innovative way for aspiring and practicing educational leaders to think about and apply leadership practice suited for the educational challenges of today that are necessary for change.

"Educational researchers, leaders, and practitioners are seeing the increasing need for practical transformative models and theories to address academic, cultural, and socio-economic gaps separating learners at all levels of the educational system. Applied Critical Leadership in Education proposes a shift in leadership and a need to transform status quo educational practices. This book explores a leadership model arising from critical theory and critical pedagogy traditions, and provides examples of applied critical leadership, ultimately expanding ways to think about current leadership models. The authors examine qualitative case studies featuring critical leaders in early childhood education, elementary school, middle school, high school, district level, and higher education, and follow with analysis, discussion, and application questions for readers to address. The cases are followed by critical questions for readers, suggestions for readers to begin conversations around issues of social justice and equity, and brief profiles of other critical leaders engaged in leadership for change around the country. This timely book explores an exciting new leadership model in a time of urgency for critical leadership and sustainable change"--

"In this edited volume, contributors draw on the work of Andrade and Morrell (2008) in articulating critical leadership praxis, as well as critical race theory and critical education leadership scholarship, in order to "offer new and generative theories of change; they make explicit power dynamics, social inequities, and taken-for-granted forms of stratification in educational organizations with the primary purpose of offering specific and useful frames, concepts, and practices to educational leaders that they can adopt in their own work. The goal is for educational leaders to develop their sense of agency and and their knowledge and professional competencies for taking an equity and inquiry stance in their work of transforming the organizations and people around them." The work is intended to provide a counter narrative to a broad literature in educational leadership that "reinscribe white middle-class male leadership styles, values, and priorities as an assumed and normative backdrop, both in terms of the frames used and the values and epistemologies promoted." The work is organized into four sections: Transforming Self; Transforming Educators; Transforming Organizations; and Transforming Systems. Contributors include practicing leaders, doctoral students with leadership experience, and leadership faculty and researchers"--

Rapidly changing global demographics demand visionary, collaborative, and culturally appropriate leadership practices on university campuses. In the face of widening gaps in academic achievement and socio-economic roadblocks, Culturally Responsive Leadership in Higher Education offers a new vision of leadership, where diversity is transformed from challenge into opportunity. This book offers a range of perspectives from culturally, racially, linguistically, ability, and gender-diverse contributors who demonstrate that effective leadership springs from those who engage, link theory to practice, and promote access, equity, and educational improvement for underserved students. Each chapter explores a critical higher educational leadership issue with feasible strategies and solutions. In this exciting book, theory and research-based chapters unpack culturally responsive leadership, revealing how higher education leaders in the U.S. and international contexts can improve their practice for social equity and educational change.

What are the critical practices of leaders in high-performing schools? Based on extensive observations, interviews, and in-depth case studies of principals and superintendents who significantly increase student learning and achievement, this exciting new book provides novice and veteran school leaders with the five critical steps for effective school leadership: Focus on Direction Build a Powerful Organization Ensure Student-Focused Vision and Action Give Life to Data Lead Learning Rich with voices from highly effective leaders, this book provides an accessible, research-based framework for school improvement that is correlated with the field’s standards. The engaging case studies in this vital resource show the power of these five key critical practices to make a difference in the lives of students and transform schools to support learning for all.

In our increasingly complex world, the turbulent forces affecting educators have become vastly more dynamic, creating complex challenges but, perhaps paradoxically, also unique opportunities. Reframing how to understand the drivers of turbulence, Applying Turbulence Theory to Educational Leadership in Challenging Times provides aspiring and practicing educational leaders with the theory and tools for understanding Turbulence Theory and its application to school contexts. Renowned author Steven Jay Gross explores how you can apply turbulence theory to respond to critical incidents, as well as how to address the tensions across various stakeholders, including the central office, principals, teachers, students, families, and communities. With over 20 innovative, case-based examples and discussion questions, this book explores how turbulence can be leveraged or minimized to increase creative opportunity and address dilemmas in schools.

What are the critical practices of leaders in high-performing schools? Based on extensive observations, interviews, and in-depth case studies of principals and superintendents who significantly increase student learning and achievement, this exciting new book provides novice and veteran school leaders with the five critical steps for effective school leadership: Focus on Direction Build a Powerful Organization Ensure Student-Focused Vision and Action Give Life to Data Lead Learning Rich with voices from highly effective leaders, this book provides an accessible, research-based framework for school improvement that is correlated with the field’s standards. The engaging case studies in this vital resource show the power of these five key critical practices to make a difference in the lives of students and transform schools to support learning for all.

There is an increasing pressure for leading universities to perform well in competitive global and national ranking systems. International Perspectives on Leadership in Higher Education studies the complexity involved in the development and upkeep of good higher education provision. Without taking anything about leadership, management, governance, administration, authority or power for granted, this book draws together international case studies relating to specific instances of leadership to analyse how they relate to critical thinking and global challenges in higher education. Using a selection of global case studies, this book explores: The extent to which critical thinking on global challenges is employed by higher education leaders, The potential for an increase in the role of critical thinking in leadership, The creative potential for critical leadership thinking to transform institutions and communities, The essential attributes of critical thinking, namely cognitive, affective and social dimensions, and The possibility for critical thinking to contribute to the global public common good by encouraging enhanced research, teaching and public service excellence. Responding to the ever-increasing demands of the higher education climate, International Perspectives on Leadership in Higher Education is a vital resource for anyone occupying leadership positions in higher education institutions and any researchers or students looking to explore the landscape of critical thinking.