Leadership Capacity For Lasting School Improvement

Following the publication of Building Leadership Capacity in Schools in 1998, Linda Lambert visited educators around the world to see how they had applied the ideas presented in her book to their schools and districts. Though everyone she spoke with agreed on the importance of high leadership capacity, they also had many questions about how best to achieve this goal. Leadership Capacity for Lasting School Improvement is the author's attempt to answer those questions. The book begins by outlining the five major prerequisites for high leadership capacity: * Skillful participation in the work of leadership *Inquiry-based use of data to inform decisions and practice *Broad involvement and collective responsibility for student learning *Reflective practice that leads to innovation *High or steadily improving student achievement In addition to providing a comprehensive overview of steps schools should take to meet these criteria, Lambert quotes at length from her discussions with educators to provide a view of leadership enhancement techniques in practice. She also includes helpful rubrics and surveys that teachers and administrators alike can use to personally assess their leadership skills. Combining the author's own insights with real-life examples and practical exercises, Leadership Capacity for Lasting School Improvement is an indispensable guide to enhancing and sustaining a culture of leadership in any school.

* What form of leadership promotes school improvement? * How do schools build leadership capacity? * How do schools sustain improvement in changing times? This book offers a new perspective on the relationship between leadership and school improvement. It emphasises the importance of maximising the leadership capabilities of all those within the organization and offers guidance about the way in which this is achieved. Whilst drawing upon the latest research evidence concerning schools improvement, it is intended to be a practical guide to building leadership capacity and is written primarily for those working in schools. Through case study illustrations Alma Harris and Linda Lambert demonstrate how leadership capacity can be built in schools in very different contexts. Practical material is provided to assist schools in generating the internal capacity for change and development. The central message of this book is one of investing in leadership at all levels within the organization to maintain and sustain school improvement.

When schools are being hit with staff turnover, budget cuts, and changing priorities, how do you ensure that improvements stick, educators keep learning, and student performance continues to advance? In this follow-up to her ASCD best-seller Building Leadership Capacity in Schools, Linda Lambert answers that question and explains how to sustain a learning community where everyone takes ownership of improvement efforts and acts with a shared sense of purpose. Use the charts and action steps to analyze your school's leadership capacity, spot the participation patterns in your community, and identify new professional development opportunities for building leadership. Real-life examples from schools with high leadership capacities offer tips on how to overcome the resistance to change, find time for teacher collaboration, and encourage parents to take on leadership responsibilities. Handy rubrics and surveys help you assess and guide the leadership capacity of any school.

The definitive approach to achieving long-term school improvement Bestselling author Frank Crowther makes a compelling case for capacity building and parallel leadership as the keys to ensuring sustainable improvement. Based on a study of how school leaders collaborated to enhance quality in their workplaces, this book: Outlines six research-based dynamics for accomplishing lasting results Provides real-life examples of successful parallel leadership among school staff Demonstrates effective capacity building in multiple settings Everything you need to build a successful and sustainable plan that is rooted in enduring principles is right here, complete with practical examples and proven tools.

Uses charts and action steps to analyze a school's leadership capacity and explores how to sustain a learning community where everyone takes ownership of improvement efforts.

In a complex and multi-layered world, the conventional idea of great leadership being the result of the efforts of a single individual is rapidly becoming redundant. This book takes up the challenge of finding an alternative method of leadership in educational contexts, and looks at how this can help achieve sustained improvement in schools. The authors acknowledge that there are no simple solutions to school improvement. They argue that the effective leaders of the future will be those who are able to share responsibility, build positive relationships and offer stakeholders - teachers, parents and students - an opportunity to work together to improve their schools. The book is based around four key areas of concern: the changing context of leadership, leadership and school improvement, building leadership capacity, and future direction and implications. In each section, the authors discuss current theories and issues, and put forward alternative ideas and perspectives. This important book will make valuable reading for headteachers, principles, deputies and other senior teachers, particularly those undertaking leadership qualifications and training. It will also be of interest to postgraduate students and school governors.

Principals navigate the dynamic complexities and subtleties of their schools every day. They promote, facilitate, and lead efforts to achieve both tangible and intangible results throughout the school community. They fulfill a role that includes counseling, budgeting, inspiring, teaching, learning, disciplining, evaluating, celebrating, consoling, and a million other critical functions. As the principalship has evolved and grown, so have the expectations of it. With that in mind, ASCD developed the Principal Leadership Development Framework (PLDF). The PLDF establishes a clear and concise definition of leadership and includes clear targets that support the ongoing growth and development of leaders. Using the Framework, principals will learn to capitalize on their leadership roles: * Principal as Visionary * Principal as Instructional Leader * Principal as Engager * Principal as Learner and Collaborator The PLDF also offers 17 criteria of effective practice that allow leaders to focus on behaviors that have the greatest direct effect on the culture and status of learning and teaching. Coupled with the PLDF are tools for self-reflection that help principals identify and strengthen their reflective habits. Whether you want to develop your own capacities or support the development of a group of principals, assistant principals, or aspiring principals, The Principal Influence can help channel your efforts in ways that promote successful teaching and student learning.

Children in today's world are inundated with information about who to be, what to do and how to live. But what if there was a way to teach children how to manage priorities, focus on goals and be a positive influence on the world around them? The Leader in Meis that programme. It's based on a hugely successful initiative carried out at the A.B. Combs Elementary School in North Carolina. To hear the parents of A. B Combs talk about the school is to be amazed. In 1999, the school debuted a programme that taught The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopleto a pilot group of students. The parents reported an incredible change in their children, who blossomed under the programme. By the end of the following year the average end-of-grade scores had leapt from 84 to 94. This book will launch the message onto a much larger platform. Stephen R. Covey takes the 7 Habits, that have already changed the lives of millions of people, and shows how children can use them as they develop. Those habits -- be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, seek to understand and then to be understood, synergize, and sharpen the saw -- are critical skills to learn at a young age and bring incredible results, proving that it's never too early to teach someone how to live well.