Navigating the Principalship offers real insight into a principal’s work, spending equal time on the rewards and challenges of the job. Teacher leader and aspiring principal Michael DiClemente says new and soon-to-be school leaders will benefit from the book’s many profiles.
Principal Matt Renwick reviews THE PRINCIPAL by leadership expert Michael Fullan, a compact new book about the challenging work of school-based leaders. Fullan focuses on avoidable pitfalls and 3 keys to success, including being a district “player.”
Though the author tackles many reform issues and includes significant research, reviewer Emily Barksdale found Unleashing the Positive Power of Differences: Polarity Thinking in Our Schools both too broad and too dense to help teacher leaders.
Linking Leadership to Student Learning draws on a major US study to reveal how school leaders actually impact student achievement, says reviewer Holly Procida. Key finding: Collaborative leadership has more impact than individual leadership.
Elisa Waingort found valuable ideas in this book from the “PLC at Work” series but objected to the intense focus on assessment-driven school improvement.
Any leader who believes that school culture is an important topic to pursue will find Building a Culture of Support: Strategies for School Leaders to be a crucial tool, says reviewer Geralyn Schmidt.
Research reports a strong link between trust in schools & student achievement. The Trust Factor: Strategies for School Leaders can help leaders boost the trust factor, says reviewer James Jordan.
