Becoming a School Principal

Becoming a School Principal

Author: Sarah E. Fiarman

Publisher: Harvard Education Press

Published: 2019-01-02

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 1612508480

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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.


Book Synopsis Becoming a School Principal by : Sarah E. Fiarman

Download or read book Becoming a School Principal written by Sarah E. Fiarman and published by Harvard Education Press. This book was released on 2019-01-02 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.


What Every Principal Needs to Know to Create Equitable and Excellent Schools

What Every Principal Needs to Know to Create Equitable and Excellent Schools

Author: George Theoharis

Publisher: Teachers College Press

Published: 2015-04-25

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 0807772267

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School leaders who succeed at creating a high-achieving learning community must also be committed to creating an equitable environment for all students. In this new book, key scholars across the content areas show how to put into practice a commitment to equity and excellence across the Pre-K12 spectrum. Readers learn directly from experts in each of the content domains (literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, music, early childhood, special education, English language learners, world languages, and physical education) how a commitment to social justice and equity can be grounded in core subject areas, why each has a place in the school, and what they need to know and do in each subject area. This book is a critical instructional leadership resource for new and veteran principals who want to see all students succeed. Contributors: Antonio J. Castro, Julie Causton-Theoharis, Virginia Collier, Katherine Delaney, Catherine Ennis, Virginia Goatley, Beth Graue, Rochelle Gutirrez, Kathleen A. Hinchman, Anne Karabon, Christi Kasa, Dave McAlpine, Mitchell Robinson, Victor Sampson, Sherry A. Southerland, and Wayne Thomas


Book Synopsis What Every Principal Needs to Know to Create Equitable and Excellent Schools by : George Theoharis

Download or read book What Every Principal Needs to Know to Create Equitable and Excellent Schools written by George Theoharis and published by Teachers College Press. This book was released on 2015-04-25 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: School leaders who succeed at creating a high-achieving learning community must also be committed to creating an equitable environment for all students. In this new book, key scholars across the content areas show how to put into practice a commitment to equity and excellence across the Pre-K12 spectrum. Readers learn directly from experts in each of the content domains (literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, music, early childhood, special education, English language learners, world languages, and physical education) how a commitment to social justice and equity can be grounded in core subject areas, why each has a place in the school, and what they need to know and do in each subject area. This book is a critical instructional leadership resource for new and veteran principals who want to see all students succeed. Contributors: Antonio J. Castro, Julie Causton-Theoharis, Virginia Collier, Katherine Delaney, Catherine Ennis, Virginia Goatley, Beth Graue, Rochelle Gutirrez, Kathleen A. Hinchman, Anne Karabon, Christi Kasa, Dave McAlpine, Mitchell Robinson, Victor Sampson, Sherry A. Southerland, and Wayne Thomas


The School Principal

The School Principal

Author: Theodore J. Kowalski

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2010-08-14

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 1135156859

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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.


Book Synopsis The School Principal by : Theodore J. Kowalski

Download or read book The School Principal written by Theodore J. Kowalski and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2010-08-14 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.


School Principal

School Principal

Author: Dan C. Lortie

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2009-08-01

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 0226493504

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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.


Book Synopsis School Principal by : Dan C. Lortie

Download or read book School Principal written by Dan C. Lortie and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2009-08-01 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.


The Principal's Office

The Principal's Office

Author: Kate Rousmaniere

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 2013-09-17

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 1438448252

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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.


Book Synopsis The Principal's Office by : Kate Rousmaniere

Download or read book The Principal's Office written by Kate Rousmaniere and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2013-09-17 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.


Exploring the Role of the School Principal in Predominantly White Middle Schools

Exploring the Role of the School Principal in Predominantly White Middle Schools

Author: Jacquelynne Anne Boivin

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-11-23

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 1000246310

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By detailing an explanatory sequential mixed methods study grounded in Critical Race Theory (CRT), this book explores the role of effective educational leadership in developing multicultural acceptance in predominantly white schools. Drawing on the rich experiences and accounts of school principals in rural middle schools in the US, the volume asks how principals’ personal attitudes, professional experiences, and the degree to which they view themselves as a mentor and influencer within the school impacts their approach to improving multicultural understanding amongst students, staff, and faculty. The text is organized into five clear chapters, providing critical reflections, a review of the relevant literature, and in-depth discussion of first-hand data. Six key findings relating to whole-school acceptance, the role of individual principal’s attitudes, and support for teaching staff open new avenues for research and inform recommendations for the professional development of school principals. In presenting key theory and practical implications of research, this book will be crucial reading for researchers, scholars, and practitioners in the fields of educational leadership, multicultural education, sociology of education, and teacher education.


Book Synopsis Exploring the Role of the School Principal in Predominantly White Middle Schools by : Jacquelynne Anne Boivin

Download or read book Exploring the Role of the School Principal in Predominantly White Middle Schools written by Jacquelynne Anne Boivin and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-11-23 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By detailing an explanatory sequential mixed methods study grounded in Critical Race Theory (CRT), this book explores the role of effective educational leadership in developing multicultural acceptance in predominantly white schools. Drawing on the rich experiences and accounts of school principals in rural middle schools in the US, the volume asks how principals’ personal attitudes, professional experiences, and the degree to which they view themselves as a mentor and influencer within the school impacts their approach to improving multicultural understanding amongst students, staff, and faculty. The text is organized into five clear chapters, providing critical reflections, a review of the relevant literature, and in-depth discussion of first-hand data. Six key findings relating to whole-school acceptance, the role of individual principal’s attitudes, and support for teaching staff open new avenues for research and inform recommendations for the professional development of school principals. In presenting key theory and practical implications of research, this book will be crucial reading for researchers, scholars, and practitioners in the fields of educational leadership, multicultural education, sociology of education, and teacher education.


The Principal as School Manager, 2nd Ed

The Principal as School Manager, 2nd Ed

Author: William L. Sharp

Publisher: R&L Education

Published: 2003-07-14

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 081084740X

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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.


Book Synopsis The Principal as School Manager, 2nd Ed by : William L. Sharp

Download or read book The Principal as School Manager, 2nd Ed written by William L. Sharp and published by R&L Education. This book was released on 2003-07-14 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.


Saving the School

Saving the School

Author: Michael Brick

Publisher: Penguin Group

Published: 2013-07-30

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 0143123610

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In the race to save a failing public high school, one principal finds that making the numbers is only the beginning Being principal of Reagan High in Austin, Texas, was no dream assignment. Test scores were low, dropout rates were high, and poverty was endemic. But when Anabel Garza took the job, she started something no one expected. Racing against a deadline just to make the numbers, she set out to rebuild the kind of school that once unified neighborhoods across America. By her side, a basketball coach showed kids they could be winners, a young science teacher showed them they could learn, and a community rallied around a treasured institution. In this powerful rejoinder to the prevailing winds of education policy, Michael Brick takes readers inside the high-pressure world of a school on the brink. Paying overdue tribute to a vital American tradition—the great American high school—Saving the School exposes the flaws of a broken system but also tells an inspiring story of faith, hope, and perseverance.


Book Synopsis Saving the School by : Michael Brick

Download or read book Saving the School written by Michael Brick and published by Penguin Group. This book was released on 2013-07-30 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the race to save a failing public high school, one principal finds that making the numbers is only the beginning Being principal of Reagan High in Austin, Texas, was no dream assignment. Test scores were low, dropout rates were high, and poverty was endemic. But when Anabel Garza took the job, she started something no one expected. Racing against a deadline just to make the numbers, she set out to rebuild the kind of school that once unified neighborhoods across America. By her side, a basketball coach showed kids they could be winners, a young science teacher showed them they could learn, and a community rallied around a treasured institution. In this powerful rejoinder to the prevailing winds of education policy, Michael Brick takes readers inside the high-pressure world of a school on the brink. Paying overdue tribute to a vital American tradition—the great American high school—Saving the School exposes the flaws of a broken system but also tells an inspiring story of faith, hope, and perseverance.


The Principal

The Principal

Author: Michael Fullan

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2018-02-21

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 1119422353

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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


Book Synopsis The Principal by : Michael Fullan

Download or read book The Principal written by Michael Fullan and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2018-02-21 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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


The Principal and School Improvement

The Principal and School Improvement

Author: Amanda Heffernan

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2018-07-30

Total Pages: 179

ISBN-13: 9811314950

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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.


Book Synopsis The Principal and School Improvement by : Amanda Heffernan

Download or read book The Principal and School Improvement written by Amanda Heffernan and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-07-30 with total page 179 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.