Leaders With Substance An Antidote To Leadership Genericism In Schools

Leadership is an ill-defined domain, drowning in abstract theories and models of expertise. School leadership suffers from this lack of a satisfactory and useful definition of leadership, and has of late been drawn in to generic approaches to school improvement which have left the workforce feeling anything but `well led'. How do we put `substance' back in to school leadership? This book draws on the lessons of cognitive science and explores the specific things that school leaders do, arguing for a notion of school leadership rooted in the realities of leaders' daily experiences. It presents a case for how school leaders can develop their expertise and, in doing so, places domain-specific knowledge at the heart of school improvement efforts.

Educational books can help teachers engage in quality CPD (Continuing/Continuous Professional Development), but how do we find the time to read the latest literature? And if we have the time, how do we know what to choose or what we should do with what we read? Born from a real-life book club, The Edu-Book Club helps teachers and school leaders to navigate the wealth of evidence-based CPD by bringing together key publications on teaching, assessment, and curriculum. It shows how the ideas and research presented in these publications can be translated into everyday classroom practice, to help teachers and school leaders develop and inform these practices for their own professional and classroom development. Drawing on a diverse range of books and including practical advice on how to set up and run a book club, each book club session covers: The rationale for choosing that title An interview with the author with accompanying visual notes A summary of the key ideas Key takeaways and implications for classroom practice With an accompanying website featuring the video interviews and additional resources, accessible at https://glt-alwayslearning.co.uk/posts/glt-friends-book-club-edu-book-club, this will be a valuable resource for teachers and school leaders at all stages of their careers.

'Overall, and as one has come to expect from Fink, this is a readable text that thinks outside the box of leadership theory... I have no doubt that the text will be welcomed by many readers for an engaging style that places human interest at the heart of the discourse in the field' - Mark Brundrett, writing in Educational Management Administration and Leadership 'It is a 'must read' for those in educational leadership roles in schools, both to gain invaluable insights and to draw on a framework for individual reflection' - Professor Brent Davies, University of Hull `I enjoyed reading this book. The combination of critical reflection of his experience in the light of relevant literature makes for a lively and thought-provoking book. I was going to say "little" book, because at times I would have liked to have read more. But on the other hand, it is the sort of book one - the academic and the leader - could read in one sitting, enjoy and come back to for some ideas. I recommend you to do so' - ESCalate `This book provides a refreshing alternative to the rhetoric about 'superheads', and 'mavericks' that has been prevalent in some of the recent discourse about leadership. Dean Fink draws heavily upon the work of Andy Hargreaves, Michael Fullan and his own research with Louise Stoll so some of the ideas are familiar. However, what makes Leadership for Mortals interesting is the way in which he untangles the complexities of leadership by using genuine examples alongside the theory. Dean Fink's writing is accessible and his anecdotal style should resonate with his intended audience of current and prospective leaders' - LDR, The Magazine for School Leaders `This book is a welcome antidote to the notion of school leaders as heroic figures. Dean Fink's commitment to enhancing the life chances of young people shines through the pages' - Kate Myers, Times Educational Supplement `With great wisdom and insight, Dean Fink invites us into his leadership stories to masterfully illustrate that school leadership is no longer a person but an intricate network of 'mortals' working together to enhance learning experiences for students. They are truly leaders of learning, where commitment to successful learning for all students is the locus of their passion, perseverance and persuasion. Balanced with connections to respected leadership literature, this lucid and eloquent book will inspire current and future school leaders to reflect and develop their leadership practice to higher levels of effectiveness. An outstanding and optimistic read for all school leadership mortals, practitioners and scholars alike. I enjoyed it immensely' - David Eddy, Director, First-time Principals Programme, The University of Auckland `Practitioners will find this book at the same time reassuring and challenging. Fink includes stories of leadership that highlight effective strategies and some approaches that have gone wrong. They are real and ring true and therefore credible and instructive' - Ken Thompson Principal, Gladstone Park Secondary College, Australia `A great story about schools and their leaders progressing towards a knowledge driven world and the roads they choose to travel. Building sustainable communities of practice and the credible and varied examples of how the combination of leadership behaviour and enabling and disabling processes can make or break a successful school are clearly illustrated in Leadership for Mortals. A significant read for all aspirant and accomplished leaders' - - Jenny Lewis,Executive Officer, Australian Council for Educational Leaders 'Dean Fink brings together a wealth of learning from his own experience as a leader and learner to provide some powerful messages. This is a well-informed book with a strong theoretical basis but it is also personal and real, making sense of educational leadership in a way that is both profound and down-to-earth. School leaders in the UK and elsewhere will find inspiration, reassurance and challenge in this book' - Steve Munby, Chief Executive, National College for School Leadership 'Grounded in solid knowledge base and profound lived experience, Dean Fink's Leadership for Mortals provides deep insights on how ordinary practitioners could become great and sustainable leaders of learning. Fink's book is not a "quick-fix" how-to-do-it manual. It stimulates us to reflect on education leadership both as a personalized, value-laden journey and an art as well as reminds us of the imperative issues of extraordinary commitment, effort and determination in making a difference on leading students and teachers' learning. This is a must-read book for aspiring and serving leaders in the field of education' - Professor John Chi-kin Lee, Dean of Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 'Its style is conversational and unpatronizing, yet it makes powerful statements about the key components that contribute to successful leadership. It is always practical, and readers will come away from this book knowing they have learned something that they will be keen to try out for themselves...Readers will recognise leaders good and bad that they have come across, at times being reassured that they are getting it right and at others despairing as they identify situations in which they, too, got it wrong. Fink's writing makes it clear that leadership is not exact science! He reminds us that, although we are mortals, with good mentoring and better training our own potential has a better chance of being realised, and that this is the best way to enable our students to achieve their own potential.' Journal of Research in International Education Leadership in recent years has become a growth industry. Politicians demand more of it, academics decry the lack of it, and potential school leaders are deciding 'to hell with it' .....we are making the business of leadership so complicated that we seem to need John Wayne at his mythological best or Xena the Warrior Princess to run a school. Most educational leaders are not 'heroic' but rather ordinary people who through extraordinary commitment, effort, and determination have become extraordinary, and have made the people around them exceptional. Educational leadership is more art than science; it is more about character than technique; it is more about inspiration than charisma; it is more about leading students and teachers' learning than the management of things This resource for prospective and practising school leaders: - motivates and inspires - addresses the challenges of contemporary school leadership - presents a model for leadership development, selection and succession - challenges existing and prospective leaders to develop and live by a set of core values based on students' learning - describes and explains the 'learnings' required by effective leaders of learning - describes the intellectual 'tool kit' that leaders can develop - describes the trajectories through which leaders proceed, and the 'learnings' required at each stage of the leaders evolution - presents a template for leadership development and succession.

Improving Maths and English in Further Education provides a strategic, practical and easily applied toolkit for teachers and leaders as they work with students to gain core skills. The book highlights the unique challenges that are faced within the sector and the value of embedding college-wide literacy and numeracy for success, providing a range of strategies to resolve challenges. Structured to make sure that there is always an alternative approach, method or suggestion, the book allows the reader to choose the steps that suit their context best. Each chapter looks at the key priorities: •Identifies a range of potential solutions to a challenge faced in FE •Acknowledges potential implementation pitfalls and remedies •Suggests practical takeaways, key considerations and next steps Teachers and staff within further and Post-16 education will find this an essential resource for supporting students studying maths and English. "Teachers and leaders from curriculum areas across the sector will find scenarios and anecdotes that resonate in this book; timetabling, accountability, motivation… a must read." Catherine Sezen, Senior Policy Manager – FE "This is an interesting and engaging read from Jonny, who has produced a book that brings together contemporary educational literature, with a personal and honest take on leading and teaching English and Maths in FE." Steven Wallis, Executive Director Quality, NCG "This book caters for the many different voices, people and characters in FE - it does exactly what it says on the tin... It will give you all the tools for a great job with an evidence base to boot." Julia Smith, @tessmaths Jonathan Kay has managed and led English and maths departments in Further Education since 2017, as well as working as consultant for the Association of Colleges and Lead English Expert and examiner for a leading exam board. Jonathan has also previously worked as an English teacher, 2nd in Department and Head of English in a range of Secondary schools.

researchED is an educator-led organisation with the goal of bridging the gap between research and practice. This accessible and punchy series, overseen by founder Tom Bennett, tackles the most important topics in education, with a range of experienced contributors exploring the latest evidence and research and how it can apply in a variety of classroom settings. Claiming that the leadership industry has failed to have the impact on schools that is required, this book takes a fresh view that domain-specific knowledge and expertise is vital to running schools well and argues that we tend to underestimate the knowledge required to do this complex job efficiently. In the researchED guide to leadership, Stuart Lock brings together chapters by experts including Dylan Wiliam, Jen Barker, Danielle Dennis, Jon Hutchinson and The Reading Ape to unpick the challenges of school leadership, combining a thorough trawl of the research and mixing in practical advice to exemplify a very different approach to leading schools – one that is rooted in developing the required knowledge to address the challenges that are common to our schools.

This must-read guide to being a primary headteacher is filled with practical guidance, tips and advice on all aspects of headship to support and inspire new, current and aspiring headteachers. Written by a headteacher with over 14 years' experience at the helm, The Headteacher's Handbook is the indispensable manual to understanding the role as both an instructional coach and community leader. With a kind and compassionate tone, Rae Snape presents invaluable advice, models, research, motivational quotes and self-reflection questions on a wealth of topics. This includes: - developing and communicating the vision for your school - building a staff team - handling an Ofsted inspection - ensuring inclusion, equality and diversity in your setting - curriculum and assessment design - managing the day-to-day – the finances, health and safety, behaviour and everything in-between! The book features examples from Rae's own experiences as well as contributions from some of the most influential and forward-thinking school leaders today, including Dr Kulvarn Atwal, Mary Myatt, Remi Atoyebi, Paul Dix and Christalla Jamil. Also featuring a foreword by Professor Dame Alison Peacock, CEO of the Chartered College of Teaching, and Sir David Carter's popular framework First 100 Days in Headship, The Headteacher's Handbook is a compendium of all you need to excel as a headteacher.

Uncertainty is a fact of life. You can never know enough to make perfect decisions. Understanding this helps us balance an awareness of our tendency towards overconfidence with an acceptance of our own fallibility. The book discusses two opposed models of school improvement: the deficit model (which assumes problems are someone’s fault) and the surplus model (which assumes problems are unintended systemic flaws). By aligning ourselves to a surplus model we can create a system of Intelligent Accountability. The principles that make this possible are trust, accountability and fairness. While we thrive when trusted, unless someone cares about – and is holding us to account – for what we do, we’re unlikely to be our best. Some teachers deserve more trust and require less scrutiny than others, but in order to satisfy the demands of equality we end up treating all teachers as equally untrustworthy. The more we trust teachers, the more autonomy they should be given. To pursue a system of fair inequality we must accept that autonomy must be earned.

Schools are increasingly expected to improve mental health and well-being and academic outcomes for students. However, the debate about well-being and school improvement is often unhelpfully polarised with attachment-informed and restorative-justice approaches pitted against structures and systems that instil discipline. This book seeks to take a ‘middle way’, looking at how these perspectives might complement one another, and argues that healthy teacher-student relationships require an adult that is both attuned to their students’ needs and able to hold boundaries with them. Setting out conception of leadership that is clear, compassionate, and self-aware, Leading Mindfully for Healthy and Successful Schools draws on therapeutic and educational research to identify key strategies for improving well-being across schools that are sustainable in the long term. This book is divided into three sections – Leading Yourself, Leading School Culture and Leading in the Classroom – and the chapters cover the following: Interpersonal neurobiology and the role that attachment plays in our work Self-care and how this can be built into school life The role of structures and relationships Building trust Radical inclusion Building calm and effective classrooms Healthy adult authority Including reflective activities, thought-provoking case studies and key takeaways for every chapter, this is an essential read for all current and aspiring school leaders.