On Becoming A School Leader

The work of educational leaders depends on relationships with people--faculty and staff members, students, other administrators, parents, and community members. This book presents a new way of viewing leadership: how to become person-centered leaders. Rather than relying on outdated ways of managing schools, principals and other leaders must take up the challenge of paying attention to the people issues of the school. Through many examples, the authors show how school leaders must * consciously seek the appropriate type of data to respond to; * increase their capacity for empathy; * develop healthy personal self-concepts; and * learn how to develop healthy self-concepts in others, both students and teachers. School leaders also should be committed to a broad purpose for schooling, should be informed about how their beliefs and behavior influence the organization of the school, and should be able to participate in interactions with authenticity. They also must be able to help create authenticity in their school organizations. In these ways, school leaders will create schools that are learning organizations for everyone. Universities that prepare future school leaders should spend more time developing leaders who are person centered in their approach to leading schools. This new way of thinking will require leader preparation programs to change their priorities for curriculum, academic activities, and field experiences.

The principal’s role is increasingly understood as a critical lever for school improvement. Yet the job can be a solitary one, offering few opportunities to reflect with colleagues. What does it take to manage the work of continuous improvement—to push staff members constantly to operate outside their comfort zones? What dilemmas and challenges must principals confront? How can school leaders learn from their mistakes and move forward? In Becoming a School Principal, Sarah E. Fiarman describes her first few years as a school principal committed to enacting a powerful vision of leading and learning. Drawing thoughtfully on the literature of school reform and change leadership, Fiarman discusses a wide range of topics, including empowering teachers, building trust, addressing racial and economic inequities, and supporting a culture of continuous learning, as well as thornier issues such as learning to use authority skillfully, dealing with resistance, and managing supervision and evaluation. The book addresses common challenges and highlights missteps as well as successes. A contributing author to several leading books on school reform and instructional improvement, Fiarman engages readers in a lively, frank, and revealing conversation about building the vision and capacity to provide effective instruction for all students and the intensely personal process of learning to lead.

Starr Sackstein's insight will help you make the best decisions for yourself and those you serve, whether you have already made the move into leadership or are wondering whether a role in administration is right for you . In this honest and practical guide, Sackstein prompts you to reflect as you stretch for personal and professional growth.

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.

Becoming a Successful School Leader critically considers what leaders need to help them support their schools and communities with the challenges and demands of learning. It presents readers with opportunities to develop their thinking and to generate personal strategies to manage situations through a series of structured exercises and tasks. Drawing on a range of accounts from professionals, case studies and reflective questions, this accessible text allows leaders to confidently guide their staff and students through the contested landscape of education. Focusing on key topics, chapters cover: education policy and leadership, governance and management of educational settings; changes to the employment market; inclusion in education, emerging moral dilemmas and legislative changes; the structure of education: new frameworks and models; quality assurance: responsibilities, liabilities and consequences; global dimensions and emerging ethical issues. This book will be essential reading for both practising and aspiring school leaders who have an interest in the challenges, policies and practices deployed in leading and managing change in a variety of educational settings.

Sustaining Depth and Meaning in School Leadership: Keeping Your Headconcerns the emotional and psychological experience of school leadership - in particular, the felt experience of life as a headteacher. It describes the pressures and rewards of their roles, together with some of the ways that school leaders successfully sustain and develop themselves and their teams in what has become an increasingly complex, challenging, and highly accountable role. This book explores the personal experience of leading schools. Section one provides an overview and analysis of current and historical trends in school leadership, and offers some theoretical frameworks for making sense of these. Section two then offers psychodynamic approaches to supporting and developing school leaders and the impact that trends in executive education continue to have on this. Section three looks at approaches to school leadership development more generally, including team development; influences from the business world; the growth of mentoring and coaching as a leadership intervention; the design and evaluation of leadership development programs and a case study on whole-system development. The last word is given to ten serving headteachers and deputies and their leadership journeys. This range of chapters, concepts and perspectives will support school leaders to maintain an emotional equilibrium while navigating the multi-layered tightrope of intra-psychic, interpersonal and organisational dynamics inherent in school life. Rooted in Jackson and Berkeley's belief that school leaders are likely to be at their best when they find their own unique and authentic way of taking up their leadership role, this book is an accessible, supportive and developmental contribution for all those involved in education leadership.

Be the leader your school community needs The responsibilities of school leaders are increasingly complex. In this book, you will find a problem-solving model to help you think through morally complex situations. These steps will enable you to arrive at innovative solutions that are ethical, logical, culturally sensitive, and in the best interests of students. Packed with real-life vignettes, mental exercises, reflections, checklists, and other templates, these strategies will help you Understand how ethical standards and core values drive your leadership choices Approach problems through a lens of equity and care for the students entrusted to you Recognize when urgent action is called for and when it’s better to slow down in order to thoroughly consider your actions and the potential consequences of those actions As a leader, you face difficult challenges every day. This book will help ensure that the decisions you make are right for your students—and for the whole community.

Become more effective, efficient, and confident in your role as a school leader. This book provides tips, strategies, and inspirational stories to help you overcome common challenges, improve school culture, make deeper connections with parents and staff, and more. Appropriate for K-12 leaders in any type of setting, this updated edition includes new tips on handling difficult situations and being a connected educator. Each chapter presents key tips in quick, concise chunks so that you can easily implement one strategy at a time and survive and thrive in your leadership role. Take these tips and make them your own, so you can do your best for your students and staff!