Making Sense As a School Leader: Persisting Questions, Creative Opportunities (Jossey-Bass Education) - Hardcover

Ackerman, Richard H.; Donaldson Jr., Gordon A.; Van Der Bogert, Rebecca

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0787901644 ISBN 13: 9780787901646

Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 1995

Synopsis

"A real contribution to an over-discussed subject.... This book reaches below the surface to the real issues and relationships that confront principles in their orchestration of the daily affairs of teachers, parents, and students."

--Harold Howe II, former president of the Ford Foundation for Education and Public Policy

Based on the work of the prestigious Harvard Principal's Center, this book shares some of the "sense" that practicing principals have made of their own complex experiences. The authors offer real-life case examples of typical leadership dilemmas in such areas as student discipline, teacher assessment, fiscal management, parental involvement, and schoolwide planning.

About this title

About the Author

RICHARD ACKERMAN is assistant professor of education at the University of Massachusetts Lowell College of Education and lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is co-director (with Rebecca van der Bogert) of the International Network of Principals' Centers. He lives in Cambridge. GORDON A. DONALDSON is professor of education at the University of Maine and coordinator of the Maine Network of School Leaders. REBECCA VAN DER BOGERT is a former principal who now serves as superintAndent of schools in Winnetka, Illinois.

From the Back Cover

"A real contribution to an over-discussed subject.... This book reaches below the surface to the real issue and relationships that confront principals in their orchestration of the daily affairs of the teachers, parents, and students. "Offers real-life case examples of typical leadership dilemmas―in such areas as student discipline, teacher assessment, fiscal management, community involvement, and school―wide planning―and discusses potential responses to issues that seem ambiguous, complex, and highy charged.

From the Inside Flap

School principals are regularly confronted by conflicting priorities and perplexing dilemmas where the appropriate leadership action is not easy to choose. This book shares some of the "sense" that practicing principals have made of their own complex work, drawing from the experiences of the Harvard Principal's Center, an internationally acclaimed training program for aspiring and practicing principals. The authors offer real-life case examples of typical leadership dilemmas―in such areas as student discipline, teacher assessment, fiscal management, parental involvement, and schoolwide planning―and they discuss potential responses to issues that seem ambiguous, complex, and highly charged. Arguing that there are no textbook solutions to most school problems, the authors advocate an inquiry-oriented approach to leadership that will enable principals to cope with tough leadership choices by encouraging them to think through decisions in ways that promote fairness, collaboration, accountability, and academic excellence.

Edition details

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0787901644
• ISBN 13: 9780787901646
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224