Author: Sarah E. Fiarman
Publisher: Harvard Education Press
ISBN: 1612508480
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 281
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Book Description
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.
Author: Kate Rousmaniere
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 1438448252
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 209
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Book Description
The Principal's Office is the first historical examination of one of the most important figures in American education. Originating as a head teacher in the nineteenth century and evolving into the role of contemporary educational leader, the school principal has played a central part in the development of American public education. A local leader who not only manages the daily needs of the school but also represents district and state officials, the school principal is the connecting hinge between classroom practice and educational policy. Kate Rousmaniere explores the cultural, economic, and political pressures that have impacted school leadership over time and considers professionalization, the experiences of women and people of color, and progressive community initiatives. She discusses the intersections between the role of the school principal with larger movements for civil rights, parental and community activism, and education reform. The school principal emerges as a dynamic character in the center of the educational enterprise, ever maneuvering between multiple constituencies, responding to technical and bureaucratic demands, and enacting different leadership strategies. By focusing on the historic development of school leadership, this book provides insights into the possibilities of school improvement for contemporary school leaders and reformers.
Author: Dan C. Lortie
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226493504
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 284
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Book Description
When we think about school principals, most of us imagine a figure of vague, yet intimidating authority—for an elementary school student, being sent to the principal’s office is roughly on par with a trip to Orwell’s Room 101. But with School Principal, Dan C. Lortie aims to change that. Much as he did for teachers with his groundbreaking book Schoolteacher, Lortie offers here an intensive and detailed look at principals, painting a compelling portrait of what they do, how they do it, and why. Lortie begins with a brief history of the job before turning to the daily work of a principal. These men and women, he finds, stand at the center of a constellation of competing interests around and within the school. School district officials, teachers, parents, and students all have needs and demands that frequently clash, and it is the principal’s job to manage these conflicting expectations to best serve the public. Unsurprisingly then, Lortie records his subjects’ professional dissatisfactions, but he also vividly depicts the pleasures of their work and the pride they take in their accomplishments. Finally, School Principal offers a glimpse of the future with an analysis of current issues and trends in education, including the increasing presence of women in the role and the effects of widespread testing mandated by the government. Lortie’s scope is both broad and deep, offering an eminently useful range of perspectives on his subject. From the day-to-day toil to the long-term course of an entire career, from finding out just what goes on inside that office to mapping out the larger social and organizational context of the job, School Principal is a truly comprehensive account of a little-understood profession.
Author: Gerry Brooks
Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books
ISBN: 0738285072
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 214
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Book Description
From an elementary school principal and popular YouTube personality, inspiration and humor for educators to tackle the challenges they face day-in and day-out Gerry Brooks is an elementary school principal turned YouTube celebrity who entertains K-12 teachers, administrators, and parents across the country. He tells jokes with the kind of mocking humor that gets a laugh, yet can be safely shared in school. After all, even great schools have bad days -- when lesson plans fall through, disgruntled parents complain, kids throw temper tantrums because they have to use the same spoon for their applesauce and mashed potatoes, and of course, dealing with...The Horror! The Horror!...dreaded assessments. Ranging from practical topics like social media use in the classroom and parent-teacher conferences to more lighthearted sections such as "Pickup and Dropoff: An Exercise in Humanity" and "School Supplies: Yes, We Really Need All That Stuff," Go See the Principal offers comic relief, inspiration, and advice to those who need it the most.
Author: Theodore J. Kowalski
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135156859
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 272
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Book Description
Over the past two decades, efforts to improve schools have significantly modified role expectations for principals. Today, school-level administrators are expected to be both visionary leaders and competent managers. Based on the conviction that administration is an amalgam of leadership and management, The School Principal emphasizes the need for practitioners to apply conceptual skills to make "what to do" decisions, to apply technical skills to make "how to do" decisions, and to apply relational skills to engage in democratic decision making. Kowalski frames the book with a discussion of the nature of schools, the roles of principals, and their need to improve schools. The book then provides a balanced treatment of leadership and management, covering issues of personal behavior, instructional leadership, relationship building issues, finances, facilities, personnel management, pupil services, and maintaining safe schools. The text closes with discussion of the vital aspects of practice for contemporary principals, addressing problem solving, collaborative change strategies, and personal commitment to being a principal. Special Features: Vignettes introduce the subject matter in the context of common challenges faced by practitioners. Knowledge-Based Questions and Skill-Based Activities prompt readers to engage with and reflect on the chapter content. The School Principal aligns with the Educational Leadership Consortium Council (ELCC) Standards. Treating principals as concurrently visionary leaders and competent managers, this excellent text addresses the needs of aspiring and practicing principals, providing the tools to build effective and efficient schools.
Author: William L. Sharp
Publisher: R&L Education
ISBN: 081084740X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 266
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Book Description
Designed to teach the principal to become efficient and effective in accomplishing noninstructional roles, this book offers advice on expectations and survival techniques to ensure the principal's longevity in the district. Like the previous edition, it provides a practical guide to practice and procedure in these vital areas. This second edition has updated the chapter on law dealing with pertinent issues such as: Internet usage, drug testing, off-campus searches. Other chapters include topics on: the role of the assistant principal, the importance of maintaining safe schools in a climate of violence, the relationship between the principal and the superintendent. Will be appropriate for graduate courses in the principalship, educational administration, educational leadership, and personnel administration.
Author: Michael B. Ayers
Publisher: Corwin Press
ISBN: 1412971160
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 177
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Book Description
"An original, proven approach to help you meet challenges head-on!" This very practical, easy-to-use reference provides field-tested organizational techniques to help principals become proactive, effective leaders of their schools. Invaluable for new and experienced administrators, this book focuses on five facets essential to all successful organizations-mission, strategy, organizational structure, people, and leadership-and outlines five areas of responsibility: Knowing your campus and addressing problems appropriately Providing staff with regular opportunities to discuss current theories and practices Involving teachers in the design and implementation of new initiatives Actively challenging the status quo Fostering a sense of community and shared beliefs
Author: Ontario Principals' Council,
Publisher: Corwin Press
ISBN: 1452279721
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 177
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Book Description
Equitable schools equal high achievement for all students! This invaluable book provides an expanding awareness of equity issues to not only principals and district leaders, but also school equity committees. From the novice to the experienced school leader, readers will discover how to create a learning community that erases achievement gaps and welcomes students of all backgrounds. This new volume in the Leading Achievement Series provides action steps for: Establishing a climate that promotes equity Empowering and supervising staff to accelerate change Garnering support and involvement from students and the community Assessing progress toward equity and sustaining growth
Author: Amanda Heffernan
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9811314950
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 192
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Book Description
This book investigates the localised effects of reform by exploring the impact of a school improvement policy agenda on the work of three experienced principals. It presents three longitudinal case studies within a shared specific leadership context in Queensland, Australia. The case studies enable an exploration of the way the principalship in this context has evolved over time, providing deep insights into the practices and beliefs of three experienced school leaders working in a period of rapid and urgent systemic reform. The nature of global reform policy borrowing means that the research and the findings within this monograph are relevant for international audiences. The book describes a new way to understand and theorise the effects of reform policies and associated pressures on school leaders. Using post-structural theory, it provides a better understanding of the specific effects of reform policy ensembles, particularly when combined with an analysis of the ways policy and discourse work together at a wider level to create an environment that disciplines the principalship. Further, it sheds lights on the means of complying with or contesting policy influences and how the work of leaders has changed over time.
Author: Michael Fullan
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119422353
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 192
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Book Description
The author of Six Secrets of Change describes how and why the principal's role must change to maximize student achievement *** FREE Professional Development Guide Included *** Principals are often called the second most crucial in-school influencers (after teachers) of student learning. But what should the principal do in order to maximize student achievement? One of the best-known leadership authors in education, Fullan explains why the answer lies neither in micro-managing instruction nor in autonomous entrepreneurialism. He shows systematically how the principal's role should change, demonstrating how it can be done in short order, at scale. Reveals the three key roles that administrators must play in today's schools Explains how to choose the right versus wrong drivers of school success Filled with "action items" to help implement Fullan's program effectively Includes strategies that have been successfully field-tested in schools across the United States and Canada
