Recognizing the forces that are changing the school context and placing new demands on principals, this useful guide defines the leadership qualities needed when taking a school through a period of change. The authors define new roles for the principal of a dynamic school - balancing conflicting interests, building bridges, for example - and provide their vision of the principal's role in the future.
The second edition continues with Sharon Rallis and Ellen Goldring providing lively and inspiring views of school leadership that is both grounded in reality and compellingly hopeful that this reality can be redefined for the better. This book packs more useful ideas about what leadership is and how it works in successfully restructuring schools than any other book now available. The authors speak to this topic with a voice that is as passionate and sensitive as it is reasoned and authoritative. Rallis and Goldring tell a story based on their extensive case studies and survey studies and on a through overview of the research of others. They define anew what it means for principals to be in charge. The principals they studied were much less concerned with controlling what people did and how they did it and much more concerned with controlling the conditions that enabled others to function in ways that increased the likelihood shared goals would be reached. Rallis and Goldring describe and illustrate the behavior of these new principals and the forces that shape their activities.
While many books outline the attributes of successful school leaders, few describe how those traits manifest in daily practice. "The Daily Practices of Successful Principals" goes beyond the outward picture of excellence and provides a compendium of daily practices used by successful principals in various settings. Written by former administrators who have walked in your shoes, this handy guide's strategies are based on interviews with successful leaders and are applicable in multiple contexts. Inside you will find guidelines for: (1) Examining your values, educational platform, and personal style; (2) Establishing learning as a common purpose; (3) Identifying and leading school change; (4) Effectively managing staff and student relationships; and (5) Developing teacher leaders. The authors understand that principals are expected to have the patience of Job, the tenacity of Atlas, the compassion of Mother Teresa, and a sense of humor. The recommended daily practices will help you stay focused on the most important things--leading effectively, promoting student achievement, and making a positive difference in students' lives.
A practical guide for creating, implementing, and evaluating school policy. This invaluable resource brings to life the process of making and enacting educational policy. The authors present a conceptual framework for developing effective and ethical school policies and help educational leaders evaluate, interpret, and analyze the regulations that govern their schools. Organized by key topics such as English Language Learners, inclusion, and bullying, the text incorporates vignettes, research, and relevant theories to illustrate how readers can: Create a dialogue that represents the needs of all stakeholders Define relevant policies that are ethically sound Integrate legally mandated policies with schoolwide resolutions
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.
"Six Pillars of Dynamic Schools" uncovers an often overlooked truth--effective change is the product of hard work and dedication. There is no silver bullet; no matter how many programs, software packages, or new initiatives a district uses, the magic won't just "happen." Dynamic schools result from consistent and redundant focus on the fundamental core elements affecting teachers and students--the premise of "Six Pillars of Dynamic Schools." What sets this book apart is its focus on "how" school leaders do business, instead of on "what" business leaders should do. Regardless of the methods chosen, there are six fundamental processes--pillars--that must be ongoing within the school and district in order to sustain meaningful change on the road to dynamic schools. The chances of long-term success for school reformation plans that lack even one of these essential pillars are doomed to mediocrity at best and complete failure at worst. Ideal for use as a book study in a professional learning community, Problem-Based Learning exercises are provided with each chapter to drive discussion and facilitate learning and understanding.
Dynamic principles of professional development are directly and indirectly defined and applied with no particular order of sequence as one or more of these principles may be activated in unison and revisited time and again in varied degrees and contexts throughout a professional’s career. Further, this is by no means a list in the entirety of all professional principles pertaining to education, but rather a representation of the basis for the dynamic interchange that transpires and elevates professional development that is energized and authentic. These Dynamic Principles of Professional Development are as follows: introspection, participation, collaboration, transformation, identification. Dynamic principles of professional development both illustrate and apply standards and dispositions evident within real world classroom engagement, and while working closely with teachers, administrators, and university based instructors. Classroom teachers as associated teacher educators routinely demonstrate the characteristics of these dynamic principles of professional development in their practice. These principles often reflect elements of effective teacher preparation. Thus, these dynamic principles of professional development illuminate the key qualities of classroom teachers as associated teacher educators. Further, these dynamic principles enrich and expand the evolving definition of classroom teachers as associated teacher educators as the central focus of this text.
"This book will serve as the non-content area, general teaching methods book in the Five To Thrive series, which launches in the Fall of 2021 with Answers To Your Biggest Questions About Teaching Elementary Mathematics. It will follow the same general format: a presentation of 5 critical areas of general practice, with 10-15 questions answered in each section. Each question/answer will be featured on a 2-page spread. The five topic areas include: building an affirming classroom community; keeping students at the center; designing effective, fun, and engaging learning for students; making assessments work for you and your students; and "shh! uncovering the answers to what we often don't talk about," which includes work/life balance, asking for support from administrators, navigating difficult parent conversations"--
The Influential School Leader is a unique, accessible guide for any leader seeking to improve their vision and positively influence school communities in the face of adversity. A successful school today requires a nimble learning environment that is supportive, welcoming, and inspiring for teachers, students, and families. Based on numerous contributions from social and organizational psychology, this book provides a dynamic framework that prepares education stakeholders to examine problems from multiple perspectives and dimensions to create durable solutions. An ideal resource for principals, superintendents, department heads, school psychologists, and other educators in positions of leadership, this expansive toolkit is packed with pragmatic strategies and relatable vignettes.
