Passionate Principalship

This is a no-holds-barred account of school leaders' lives and work as they juggle with competing and often conflicting policy initiatives.

Reignite your passion for serving children! Have you fallen into a rut? Has your position become simply a "role" or a "job?" The authors of this book will remind you why education, the most important profession in our society, demands passionate leadership. Passionate Leadership is an aspiring call to action for teachers and principals around the world to recommit to passionately serving children, building the communities children deserve, and celebrating our successes. Take ownership, push to new heights, and break old boundaries by following the strategies in this book. Discover Practical ideas and suggestions for how to serve as a beacon of hope in the field First-hand experiences from enthusiastic leaders modeling what passionate leadership looks like Charts and graphs that will help you assess your strong points and identify areas you can improve on Student success and growth begin with leaders who commit to taking courageous action!

Become the “head learner” in your school by engaging in action research! Action research can serve as a critical element in the professional development of principals, administrators, and school leaders. Award-winning author Nancy Fichtman Dana guides leaders in identifying and exploring areas of interest for principal research, including staff development, curriculum development, individual teachers, community/culture building, leadership skills, building management, and school performance. With a step-by-step approach, this resource: Helps principals develop a question, collect and analyze data, and share the results of their inquiry Includes numerous examples of actual principal inquiry Provides exercises to guide principals through their own inquiry projects

This book provides a unique map of the focus and directions of contemporary research on school leadership since 2000 in 24 countries. Each of these directions has its own particular cultural, educational and policy history. Taken together, the various chapters in the volume provide a rich and varied mosaic of what is currently known and what is yet to be discovered about the roles and practices of principals, and their contributions to the improvement of teaching and the learning and achievement of students. The particular foci and methodological emphases of the research reported illustrate the different phases in the development of educational policies and provision in each country. This collection is an important addition to existing international research that has shown beyond any reasonable doubt that the influence of school principals is second only to that of teachers in their capacity to impact students’ progress and achievement and to promote equity and social justice.

The book offers a progressive perspective of turnaround principals and adds to the current turnaround school literature. It includes stories of the lived experiences of three critically conscious principals’ journey to school transformation. The turnaround principals in this book disrupted cultures of oppression in predominantly African American schools. Through the power of transformative leadership these school leaders improved the academic outcomes for students as well as the working conditions of teachers and staff.

Having led change successfully at three sprawling, monumental organizations—the CIA, Texas A&M University, and the Department of Defense—Robert M. Gates offers the ultimate insider's look at how leaders can transform large organizations and companies. For many Americans, bureaucracy and corporate structure are code words for inertia. Gates knows that it doesn't have to be that way. With stunning clarity, he shares how simple plans, faithfully executed, can cut through the mire of bureaucracy to reform organizational culture. And he shows that great leaders listen and respond to their teams and embrace the power of compromise. Using the full weight of his wisdom, candor, and devotion to duty, he empowers leaders at any level to effectively implement his leadership strategies.

Exploring foundational theories for emotional dimensions of educational administration and leadership this collection covers a broad range of topics, such as ethics, personality, social justice, gender discrimination and organisational culture.

′I recommend the book as an inspiration to those who are looking for the words that express what they may already do (or will do in the future!) for these well known writers have world wide experience in recognising and knowing what it is that makes the passionate leader′ - International Journal of Educational Management ′This is a very interesting collection of chapters on leadership...Each chapter is written with verve and conviction, and it makes quite stimulating reading′ - Curriculum Perspectives ′Passionate Leadership is a fantastic book by leading thinkers and doers in the education field. It takes moral purpose to new levels, and above all it puts passion in perspective. The book shows that it is not passion by itself that counts but in combination with strategies, insights and daily wisdom. Above all this is a book of action , not rhetoric.′ - Michael Fullan, Professor Emeritus, OISE/University of Toronto and Special Adviser on Education to the Premier of Ontario ′How opportune that Brent Davies and Tim Brighouse have produced a book on "Passionate Leadership". As school leaders are becoming increasingly disillusioned with instrumental forms of educational reform, Davies, Brighouse and their contributors offer a new vision of leadership one that is driven by a belief that teaching is about enabling every child to reach their potential, and a conviction that schools should be places filled with joy and optimism in the pursuit of social justice. This inspiration will encourage all our leaders to take their work to a new level.′ - Professor David Hopkins, HSBC iNet Chair of International Leadership, Formerly the Chief Adviser to three Secretary of States In this book, internationally recognized writers on leadership explore what makes leaders passionate about their role and their schools. The contributors show that leadership must move on from the realm of a role or job towards an energy and commitment for enhancing children′s learning and children′s lives. They maintain that passion must be the driving force that moves vision into action, through a range of chapters from internationally known contributors Brent Davies, Tim Brighouse, Geoff Southworth, Chris Day, John MacBeath, Andy Hargreaves, John Novak, Brain Caldwell, and Alan Flintham. What sustains and drives leaders to achieve in a changing and challenging educational environment? What maintains their passion for education and children′s achievement? This book seeks to answer these questions. The book is essential for all students on leadership programs and educational professionals looking to achieve self and organisational improvement.

Have you fallen into a rut? Has your position become simply a "role" or a "job?" The authors of this book will remind you why education, the most important profession in our society, demands passionate leadership. Passionate Leadership is an aspiring call to action for teachers and principals around the world to recommit to passionately serving children, building the communities children deserve, and celebrating our successes. Take ownership, push to new heights, and break old boundaries by following the strategies in this book. Discover • Practical ideas and suggestions for how to serve as a beacon of hope in the field • First-hand experiences from enthusiastic leaders modeling what passionate leadership looks like • Charts and graphs that will help you assess your strong points and identify areas you can improve on Student success and growth begin with leaders who commit to taking courageous action!

Become the “head learner” in your school by engaging in action research! Action research can serve as a critical element in the professional development of principals, administrators, and school leaders. Award-winning author Nancy Fichtman Dana guides leaders in identifying and exploring areas of interest for principal research, including staff development, curriculum development, individual teachers, community/culture building, leadership skills, building management, and school performance. With a step-by-step approach, this resource: Helps principals develop a question, collect and analyze data, and share the results of their inquiry Includes numerous examples of actual principal inquiry Provides exercises to guide principals through their own inquiry projects