This groundbreaking volume encourages today’s educational leaders to reposition the way they think about leadership and its challenges. Experienced school and district leaders reveal how they conceptualize their roles, how they learn by posing and solving problems of practice, and how they cope with increasing expectations and complexity in their work. This compilation of compelling narratives demonstrates the power and efficacy of what can happen when school, district, and other education...

Much of the current discourse on improving school leadership, and particularly the performance of principals, is misguided. There is much too much emphasis on evaluation and standards as determined by policy makers and professors and not nearly enough attention to how one provides performance-driven leadership in the context of day-to-day practice.As an administrator, academic, consultant and researcher, Lytle has traveled widely in the school leadership province. This book draws on...

An insider's account of higher education from a legendary university leaderLessons Learned gives unprecedented access to the university president's office, providing a unique set of reflections on the challenges involved in leading both research universities and liberal arts colleges. In this landmark book, William Bowen, former president of Princeton University and of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and coauthor of the acclaimed bestseller The Shape ...

Educators are increasingly coming to realize the importance of making decisions based on reliable, accurate data. This short guide provides a blueprint for evaluating academic programs, practices, or strategies within a simple, effective framework. It includes a step-by-step walkthrough of the program evaluation cycle and an appendix that explains vital concepts and vocabulary in accessible language.

Bridge the great divide between distanced administrative duties and daily classroom impact. This book introduces a top-down power mechanism called defined autonomy, a concept that focuses on district-defined, nonnegotiable, common goals and a system of accountability supported by assessment tools. Defined autonomy creates an effective balance of centralized direction and individualized empowerment that allows building-level staff the stylistic freedom to respond quickly and effectively to ...

A laser-beam focus on improving instruction to improve learningSaying "teaching matters most" is easy, and seems obvious. Making it the top priority for school leaders and staff is not so easy—in fact, it′s messy. If we want to change how students write, compute, and think, then teachers must change how they teach. They must transform the old "assign-and-assess" model into engaging, compassionate, coherent, and rigorous instruction. The authors show school...

The key to facilitating vibrant, deep, and motivating programs for youth and adults.Community, youth, nonprofit, education, entrepreneurial, and religious organizations all have exciting ambitions, but they often lack the creative skills to impact people on a deeper level. Catch the Fire is a complete guide to using arts and empowerment techniques to bring greater vitality and depth to working with groups of youth or adults. Based on the premise that you...

This book promotes excellence in the practice of leadership to inspire leaders, emerging leaders, and students of leadership to become active participants in shaping their own future and the future of others.

"I feel that this is a book that principals will be interested in purchasing and reading. It has practical advice and relevant examples of how the advice can and has been implemented."Phillip Silsby, PrincipalBelleville West High School, Belleville, IL"I could hear the voices of some of the principals who were interviewed speaking to me. The author clearly knows how to gather information and present it in a meaningful way."Bonnie Tryon, Zone 2...

Amplify Your Impact presents K-12 educators and school leadership with a framework for improving collaboration and teambuilding for teachers in their PLCs. The authors share best practices and processes teams can rely on to ensure they are doing the right work in a cycle of continuous improvement. Discover concrete action steps your school can take to adopt proven collaborative coaching methods, fortify teacher teams, and ultimately improve student learning in classrooms.

This third edition expands coverage on such topics as the law and students with disabilities, confidentiality, sexual harassment, student searches and tuition vouchers. It also includes some new topics such as bullying, copyright law, and the law and the internet.Both public and nonpublic school educators are aware that courts, over the last several decades, have played an increasingly significant role in defining school policy. Decisions in such areas as school desegregation, pray...

Educational Leadership in Action provides 24 complex, real-life, accessible cases to provoke and stimulate conversation around practical problems that confront educational leaders today. Written by a diverse group of educators, these cases cover a wide range of topics, including: teacher evaluations, educational reforms, contract negotiations, school safety, cultural differences, undocumented students, and social media. To foster additional meaningful discussion and debate, this r...