School Leadership Heads On The Block

Most teachers become heads for idealistic reasons, but heads are leaving work and there is a shortage of applicants for school leadership roles. Arguing that pressure needs to be lifted from heads if this is to be redressed, this book considers initial moves that could precipitate such change.

Drawing on 40 years of working in challenging schools, and a decade of leading some of the toughest schools in London, this book shows Heads, aspiring leaders, teachers and governors how to create vibrant centres of learning in our most broken communities. Headstrong will resonate with ambitious leaders beyond education. It consists of 11 chapters, each exploring one aspect of the challenge of leadership. "I've seen Sally Coates up close, shadowed her on the job for weeks on end, and she's something to behold. She's a phenomenon, sweeping through school corridors like a tornado, making improvements wherever she goes. It's not just her wealth of knowledge, but her sheer force of personality. If she'd gone into politics, I have no doubt she would have risen to the top. But she didn't. Thankfully, she became a headteacher and tens of thousands of schoolchildren have had their lives transformed as a result. If we could only clone her, we'd have the best public education system in the world." --Toby Young, founder of the West London Free School "Dame Sally Coates book is a must read for all those involved in improving standards in inner city schools - exceptionally readable." --Richard Garner, The Independent "The narrative of Headstrong is not just one of school improvement by an inspiring headteacher. Importantly it is a tale of the joy and fulfilment which the role brings." --Roy Blatchford, director of the National Education Trust About the Author Dame Sally Coates is currently named in Britain's 500 most influential people by Debrett's. She became principal of Burlington Danes Academy in London in 2008, when just 35% of students gained the national benchmark of five A*-C grades at GCSE. This figure now stands at nearly 80%, and the school has won national awards in recognition of this transformation. In 2013 she was made Dame Commander of the British Empire in the Queen's New Year's Honours List. In September 2014 Dame Sally joined United Learning, the largest chain of academies in England, as director of its southern academies. She regularly speaks at educational conferences in the UK and overseas and appears frequently on national news media discussing educational policy.

This text provides a study of the education policy scholarship of leadership. It examines the ways in which concepts of educational leadership and management have evolved historically and culturally, reviewing contemporary debates about the nature of school leadership.; The question of what school leadership could and should be is at the centre of political, ideological and educational debate in many societies. These debates involve cultural conservatives, New Right marketeers, democrats and community educators, feminists and critical theorists as well as school governors, headteachers and teachers, parents, community members and school students.; These debates are reviewed and the theoretical context is illuminated by fieldwork accounts derived from the research participation of 88 headteachers working in English schools, both primary and secondary. Such accounts provide an insight into the challenges of contemporary school leadership as headteachers face new power relationships, new curriculum responsibilities and management and marketing cultures which generate moral, ethical and professional dilemmas for many of them.

Sustaining Depth and Meaning in School Leadership: Keeping Your Head concerns 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.

Discusses the importance of strong interpersonal skills to a successful leader and shares strategies for leading students, faculty, and parents in a productive and accountable school.

Parents, lawmakers, supervisors, and unions are among the many constituencies that demand influence, if not control, of the educational process. How does the school administrator balance all the needs of the various groups and still remain true to the ultimate, though most powerless constituency: the students? Through case studies and anecdotes based on real-life experiences, the authors share the ups and downs of the educational world, seeking to find the balance that is most effective in ensuring success. School Leadership:Case Studies Solving School Problems details decision making and actions taken that dramatically affect the success of students and schools as well as school systems. This second edition continues and improves on the first edition with a series of new and timely school leadership case studies that require the reader to reflect on the variety of issues that cross the principal's desk every day. The reader will find the case studies and anecdotes highly absorbing. They are so real, fraught with complexity, and will require the reader to use a sophisticated decision-making process.

Current Issues in School Leadership examines controversies about, and affecting, school practices. Focusing on two essential questions--what is important to today's school leaders? and what is interfering with schooling processes?--it includes chapters by a broad range of authors, with expertise on their specific topic. The text is organized in three sections: *Social and Political Issues; *Curriculum and Learning Issues; and *Organization and Management Issues. The goal of this text--designed for school leadership, educational administration, and foundations of education courses--is to challenge readers to think carefully and critically about each of the issues presented, leading to positive action and leadership.

All school leaders are required to earn an educational leadership degree and certificate before they begin their work in a school. The aspect they sometimes don’t teach in these programs has to do with the heart of school leadership, which can be the most important part. Most school administrators begin the work of school leadership from an emotional place, which is similar to why people want to be a teacher. Sometimes you have an unforgettable teacher or principal who you want to emulate, and sometimes you want to do things better, do things differently. It doesn’t matter how you get there; it matters that you begin with the heart, and let it lead most of your work. Of course, all work cannot be accomplished from an emotional base, but how we navigate our relationships with teachers, students, and parents has to start there. This leadership book is organized into sections that focus on work involving the heart, work involving the head, and work that spans both categories. It’s a love song to school leadership.