The Reality of School Leadership

The Reality of School Leadership PDF

Author: Richard Parker

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2013-07-20

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 1441190791

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School leadership can be both immensely rewarding and deeply challenging. Headteachers are under intense pressure when dealing with issues that can range from dealing with difficult parents and the aftermath of tragedy or scandal, to the day-to-day challenges of juggling the many different priorities involved in keeping the school, students and staff, moving forward. In their inspirational new book experienced headteachers Richard Parker and David Middlewood, bring together the personal and professional experiences of successful headteachers and principals, from both primary and secondary schools, to provide a real life guide to the challenge of leadership in education. The focus of the book is not on idealised theories of leadership but on the pragmatic realities faced by school leaders today. It provides practical guidance and advice on key areas including: - Ideas and strategies for effective leadership - Juggling priorities and avoiding possible distractions - The importance of people-centred leadership - Transferable skills and the unique nature of the job - Maintaining passion and optimism and minimising fear and apprehension - Developing leadership skills without losing your individual personality and values The Reality of School Leadership is a must read for all current and aspiring leaders, eager to reap the rewards of the challenging profession of headship.

Insights Into Action

Insights Into Action PDF

Author: William Sterrett

Publisher: ASCD

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 147

ISBN-13: 1416613684

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Award-winning educator William Sterrett draws from research and interviews with distinguished practitioners to identify the most important issues facing today's school leaders and offer practical, effective strategies to help leaders realize growth in their schools.

The Reality of School Leadership

The Reality of School Leadership PDF

Author: Richard Parker

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2013-06-23

Total Pages: 199

ISBN-13: 1441102507

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School leadership can be both immensely rewarding and deeply challenging. Headteachers are under intense pressure when dealing with issues that can range from dealing with difficult parents and the aftermath of tragedy or scandal, to the day-to-day challenges of juggling the many different priorities involved in keeping the school, students and staff, moving forward. In their inspirational new book experienced headteachers Richard Parker and David Middlewood, bring together the personal and professional experiences of successful headteachers and principals, from both primary and secondary schools, to provide a real life guide to the challenge of leadership in education. The focus of the book is not on idealised theories of leadership but on the pragmatic realities faced by school leaders today. It provides practical guidance and advice on key areas including: - Ideas and strategies for effective leadership - Juggling priorities and avoiding possible distractions - The importance of people-centred leadership - Transferable skills and the unique nature of the job - Maintaining passion and optimism and minimising fear and apprehension - Developing leadership skills without losing your individual personality and values The Reality of School Leadership is a must read for all current and aspiring leaders, eager to reap the rewards of the challenging profession of headship.

Understanding School Leadership

Understanding School Leadership PDF

Author: Peter Earley

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2004-09-28

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1412931924

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`This is a book packed with ideas and insights. It is informed by evidence from school leaders and provides a valuable overview of many important theories and research findings. A strength of the book is the way it pulls together empirical research the authors have conducted over the last 20 years. Such a long term view offers a new and needed long term perspective on school leadership and enables the authors to show how trends in leaders′ careers, thinking and practice have emerged and unfolded. Researchers and practitioners alike will find something of value in this book′ - Professor Geoff Southworth, Director of Research, National College for School Leadership ′[A]n excellent, well-written, extensively referenced, empirically based contribution to school leadership thinking... Earley and Weindling offer valuable insights for all of us: serving headteachers/principles, advisory and distinct-wide policy makers and aspiring headteachers′ - Journal of Educational Administration By giving a detailed picture of the rapidly developing field of educational leadership, this book focuses on how to become a more effective manager and on understanding the vital importance of the manager′s role in school improvement. Written in a clear and readable style, it contains an extensive exploration of leadership models and management strategies and is based on the latest research. The text is supplemented with case studies of leadership in action. Understanding School Leadership is indispensable reading for those who have a managerial role within their school and for students of educational management.

Improving Schools Using Systems Leadership

Improving Schools Using Systems Leadership PDF

Author: Ian Macdonald

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-06-26

Total Pages: 254

ISBN-13: 1351369245

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It is easy to underestimate the impact that school organisation has on the behaviour, effectiveness, engagement and creativity of the teachers, staff and students who work within it. It also has a marked effect on the well-being of staff members, and how families and the community relate to the school. Attempts to improve school organisation are often short term "initiatives" that only cover only one or two aspects of what it takes to organise a school effectively. Improving Schools Using Systems Leadership, in contrast, provides those involved in the design and delivery of educational services with a coherent and easy-to-follow framework to help run an effective organisation. Based on theory, real data on education improvements at school and regional level, and case studies, this book demonstrates how Systems Leadership can be used to improve school organisation. It integrates models of leadership, teamwork, capability, structure and systems to help make them more effective in improving the learning outcomes of students and also sustain this improvement over time. This book explains how Systems Leadership can and has been applied in schools to bring clarity to the purpose, structure and systems within a school and have a major impact on its success. As such, it is an essential text for school leaders and managers looking for practical tools to help improve the working lives of the people within their organisation, and hence their effectiveness.

Systems Thinking for School Leaders

Systems Thinking for School Leaders PDF

Author: Haim Shaked

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-03-02

Total Pages: 140

ISBN-13: 3319535714

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This book presents a new approach to school leadership – Holistic School Leadership, whereby school leaders lead schools through systems-thinking concepts and procedures. Facing growing complexity, change and diversity, school leaders need to regularly apply the systems view and perform at the systems level. This book proposes a holistic approach, providing school leaders with systemic principles of action for excellence in education. “What a wonderful book – once I started it, I couldn’t put it down. The book masterfully makes a systems leadership perspective accessible and grounded in the reality of the daily life of educators. Holistic School Leadership is a “must read” for anyone who has the responsibility for making schools better places, from professors to emerging teacher leaders.” Karen Seashore (Louis), Regents Professor of Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development, University of Minnesota “Shaked and Schechter have constructed a much needed bridge to the future of educational leadership, a future of systemic thinking and positivity.” Joseph Murphy, Professor of Education and Public Policy, Peabody College of Education, Vanderbilt University “Shaked and Schechter offer a comprehensive yet concise account of the meaning of systems thinking. The authors systematically develop their Holistic School Leadership approach with compelling examples, carefully attending to the perennial challenge of implementation. Important reading for scholars and practitioners of school leadership and management!" James P. Spillane, Olin Professor in Learning and Organizational Change, Northwestern University “This is the most important book on systems thinking since Senge’s (1990) seminal work on learning organizations. Shaked and Schechter demonstrate the critical and practical utility of systems thinking for school leaders—a must read for all reflective practitioners.” Wayne K. Hoy, Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University. “Holistic School Leadership provides an innovative and exciting look into a new perspective on educational leadership that holds tremendous potential in reshaping educational research, policy, and practice. The idea of interdependence alone makes this powerful new book required reading for anyone concerned with the future of education and educational leadership in particular. Give yourself, your colleagues, your students, and your system the gift of the wisdom in this book.” Alan J. Daly, Chair and Professor, Department of Education Studies, University of California, San Diego “In this informative book, Shaked and Schechter offer a fresh application of systems thinking to schools and to the work of school leaders. This book is a useful addition to the bookshelves of both those who prepare and those who support school leaders.” Megan Tschannen-Moran, Professor of Educational Leadership, College of William and Mary

Sustaining Depth and Meaning in School Leadership

Sustaining Depth and Meaning in School Leadership PDF

Author: Emil Jackson

Publisher:

Published: 2020

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 9780367859411

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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.

Developing Technology Mediation in Learning Environments

Developing Technology Mediation in Learning Environments PDF

Author: Soares, Filomena

Publisher: IGI Global

Published: 2019-12-27

Total Pages: 347

ISBN-13: 1799815935

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Most technologies have been harnessed to enable educators to conduct their business remotely. However, the social context of technology as a mediating factor needs to be examined to address the perceptions of barriers to learning due to the lack of social interaction between a teacher and a learner in such a setting. Developing Technology Mediation in Learning Environments is an essential reference source that widens the scene of STEM education with an all-encompassing approach to technology-mediated learning, establishing a context for technology as a mediating factor in education. Featuring research on topics such as distance education, digital storytelling, and mobile learning, this book is ideally designed for teachers, IT consultants, educational software developers, researchers, administrators, and professionals seeking coverage on developing digital skills and professional knowledge using technology.

Every Child, Every Classroom, Every Day

Every Child, Every Classroom, Every Day PDF

Author: Robert Peterkin

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2011-03-21

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 1118037030

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Urban school superintendents face unprecedented challenges. They must ensure that all students achieve a high level of performance despite a lack of resources, the intractable problems of race and poverty, a chaotic governance structure, and the often conflicting demands of teachers, parents, unions, and the community. This important book, edited by the co-directors of the prestigious Harvard Urban Superintendents Program (USP), explores the ways in which superintendents can make a difference in the lives of each child, every day, by being knowledgeable about and driven by what happens in the classroom. The editors and distinguished contributors cover a wide range of vital topics that superintendents face from the day they are hired to the day they retire, such as how superintendents can most effectively communicate their vision, plan strategically, institute instructional reform, engage the community, and allocate resources. The book is filled with illustrative examples of well-known superintendents who are trailblazing new means to achieve educational fairness for all children and are changing the landscape of urban school systems today. In addition, Every Child, Every Classroom, Every Day highlights the Urban Superintendents Program's Leadership Framework, which is designed to aid administrators and educators in decision making and achieving equity. An ancillary CD containing teaching notes and exhibits is also included (in the print edition only) as an aid to teachers who wish to scaffold material discussed in the text. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file. These materials will be made available for download upon purchase of the digital edition Co-published with Education Week and the American Association of School Administrators.