While considerable evidence indicates that school leaders are able to make important contributions to the success of their students, much less is known about how such contributions are made. This book provides a comprehensive account of research aimed at filling this gap in our knowledge, along with guidelines about how school leaders might use this knowledge for their own school improvement work. Leadership practices known to be effective for improving student success are outlined in the first section of the book while the remaining sections identify four "paths" along which the influence of those practices "flow" to exercise an influence on student success. Each of the Rational, Emotional, Organizational and Family paths are populated by conditions or variables known to have relatively direct effects on student success and also open to influence by effective leadership practices. While the Four Path framework narrows the attention of school leaders to a still-considerable number conditions known to contribute to student success, it leaves school leaders the autonomy to select, for improvement efforts, the sub-set of conditions that make the most sense in their own local circumstances. The approach to leadership described in this book provides evidence-based guidance on what to lead and flexibility on how to lead for purposes of improving student learning.

Hardbound. This volume focuses on organizational learning in schools and school systems. The compilation of studies reported in the volume range from developing intellectual capacities in individuals and teams to building intellectual capacity at the school and district levels. The volume also examines the effects of organizational learning in these settings.

The leadership of school principals is an enormously powerful influence on the quality of schools and the learning of pupils. While the work of principals has been examined intensively over the past 20 years, almost no effort has been made to understand the role from an international or cross-cultural perspective. This book contributes significantly to our understanding of successful school leaders by describing similarities and differences in the work of such leaders in countries ranging from England to Australia, the United States to Norway, Sweden to Hong Kong. Bringing together case study research, the book helps explain what all successful principals do and the ways in which context shapes some of their work.

Based on the authors' research on the behaviour and thinking of school leaders, this volume presents arguments about the natue of expert school leadership. It parallels developments in the field from the early 1980s when the emphasis was on identifying the behaviours of effective principals, to the early 1990s, when the focus shifted to understanding the thinking underlying those behaviours. The ideas contained in this book should be useful in helping practising educationalists develop the skills involved in school leadership.

Although not new, the concept of distributed (shared) leadership has re-emerged in recent years as one highly promising response to the complex challenges currently faced by schools. Responding productively to these challenges far exceeds the capacities of any individual leader. If schools are to flourish in the future, they will need to enlist the collective expertise of many more of their members and stakeholders than they have in the past. The purpose of this volume is to both present and synthesize the best available evidence about the nature, causes, and effects of distributed school leadership. The book also clarifies common misunderstandings about distributed leadership and identifies promising implications for practice and for future research. Key features include... Expertise - Written by the most active and widely respected scholars engaged in research on distributed leadership, the book encompasses the very latest knowledge about the nature, causes and consequences of such leadership in schools. Comparative Models - The book compares various approaches to distributed leadership and examines the conditions under which some approaches may be better than others in improving schools. Evidence-Based - Much of the popularity of distributed leadership is rooted in expectations unsupported by systematic empirical evidence. Virtually all of the available evidence about distributed approach to leadership can be found in this book. This book is appropriate for researchers studying school leadership, instructors and students in graduate-level school leadership courses and practicing administrators at the district and building level.

Although not new, the concept of distributed (shared) leadership has re-emerged in recent years as one highly promising response to the complex challenges currently faced by schools. Responding productively to these challenges far exceeds the capacities of any individual leader. If schools are to flourish in the future, they will need to enlist the collective expertise of many more of their members and stakeholders than they have in the past. The purpose of this volume is to both present and synthesize the best available evidence about the nature, causes, and effects of distributed school leadership. The book also clarifies common misunderstandings about distributed leadership and identifies promising implications for practice and for future research. Key features include... Expertise - Written by the most active and widely respected scholars engaged in research on distributed leadership, the book encompasses the very latest knowledge about the nature, causes and consequences of such leadership in schools. Comparative Models - The book compares various approaches to distributed leadership and examines the conditions under which some approaches may be better than others in improving schools. Evidence-Based - Much of the popularity of distributed leadership is rooted in expectations unsupported by systematic empirical evidence. Virtually all of the available evidence about distributed approach to leadership can be found in this book. This book is appropriate for researchers studying school leadership, instructors and students in graduate-level school leadership courses and practicing administrators at the district and building level.

"Clears out the bureaucratic techniques of impersonal management and focuses the core of leadership on dealing with school change as a most human endeavor. When all is said and done, the quality of education revolves around the aspirations, commitments, and wellness of teachers giving their best." -Carl Glickman, Scholar in Residence The University of Georgia Develop a leadership approach that responds to the emotional needs of teachers! School leaders know that an engaged and committed faculty is critical to student learning and the success of a school community, yet traditional leadership practices often fail to take the affective needs of teachers into consideration. Kenneth Leithwood and Brenda Beatty draw on theory and empirical evidence to show how teachers' emotional well-being can affect their performance in the classroom. This invaluable resource provides principals and other school leaders with specific practices to positively influence teacher perspectives, and examines teacher emotions in five key areas: Job satisfaction and morale Stress, anxiety, and burn-out Sense of individual and collective self-efficacy Organizational commitment and engagement Willingness and motivation to improve their practices When educational leaders create conditions that support teachers in their work, schools can experience higher teacher retention rates, improved climate and culture, and increased student achievement.

The authors describe how effective superintendents work with their immediate staffs, elected trustees, and school-based administrators. Each chapter examines the meaning of effective district leadership from different perspectives.

This collection of essays offers an international perspective on educational accountability effects. Issues addressed include: market-driven approaches to accountability; decentralization approaches to accountability; management approaches to accountability; and more.

This volume presents the view that what matters most are learning processes in organizations and ways of enhancing the sophistication and power of these processes. Each contributor, therefore, explicitly addresses the meaning(s) of organizational learning which they have adopted themselves.

This special issue looks at the constantly changing face of education in the world today. Topics covered include educational values, cross-cultural studies, leadership, social impacts, and the role of technology in education.

Based on the authors' research on the behaviour and thinking of school leaders, this volume presents arguments about the natue of expert school leadership. It parallels developments in the field from the early 1980s when the emphasis was on identifying the behaviours of effective principals, to the early 1990s, when the focus shifted to understanding the thinking underlying those behaviours. The ideas contained in this book should be useful in helping practising educationalists develop the skills involved in school leadership.

This special issue looks at the constantly changing face of education in the world today. Topics covered include educational values, cross-cultural studies, leadership, social impacts, and the role of technology in education.

First published in 2001. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor and Francis, an informa company.

While considerable evidence indicates that school leaders are able to make important contributions to the success of their students, much less is known about how such contributions are made. This book provides a comprehensive account of research aimed at filling this gap in our knowledge, along with guidelines about how school leaders might use this knowledge for their own school improvement work. Leadership practices known to be effective for improving student success are outlined in the first section of the book while the remaining sections identify four "paths" along which the influence of those practices "flow" to exercise an influence on student success. Each of the Rational, Emotional, Organizational and Family paths are populated by conditions or variables known to have relatively direct effects on student success and also open to influence by effective leadership practices. While the Four Path framework narrows the attention of school leaders to a still-considerable number conditions known to contribute to student success, it leaves school leaders the autonomy to select, for improvement efforts, the sub-set of conditions that make the most sense in their own local circumstances. The approach to leadership described in this book provides evidence-based guidance on what to lead and flexibility on how to lead for purposes of improving student learning.

The leadership of school principals is an enormously powerful influence on the quality of schools and the learning of pupils. While the work of principals has been examined intensively over the past 20 years, almost no effort has been made to understand the role from an international or cross-cultural perspective. This book contributes significantly to our understanding of successful school leaders by describing similarities and differences in the work of such leaders in countries ranging from England to Australia, the United States to Norway, Sweden to Hong Kong. Bringing together case study research, the book helps explain what all successful principals do and the ways in which context shapes some of their work.

'The research reported in the book presents an interesting and rich picture of successful principals in different socio-cultural contexts and their reponses to national accountability policies. This book will make an important contribution to the existing body of knowledge about leadership practices.'

Prof.dr. P. Sleegers, Faculty of Social- and Behavioural Sciences, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

It considers how to make effective use of good evidence to build, refine and adapt leadership development initiatives so they contribute to growth in powerful forms of leadership and those conditions in schools that matter most to students.

This volume presents the view that what matters most are learning processes in organizations and ways of enhancing the sophistication and power of these processes. Each contributor, therefore, explicitly addresses the meaning(s) of organizational learning which they have adopted themselves.

How teachers teach depends on their motivations, capacities, and the conditions under which they work. If the conditions in which they work are not supportive and caring, teachers have less incentive to teach at peak levels. As such, students who do not have supportive and caring classrooms have less incentive to perform and learn at levels at which they might be capable. Based on a groundbreaking study of "soft conditions" (i.e. supportive relationships; school climate) and their effects on teachers' work, well-known author, Kenneth Leithwood, offers for school leaders a path toward building this important and often hidden infrastructure of quality teaching. School leaders will learn how to craft the conditions that support all their teachers so that teaching and learning, the work of schooling, can be conducted at maximum levels.

How do teachers successfully bridge the chasm between large numbers of very specific educational standards and deep understanding of important ideas? This well-researched text is based on the collaborative work between researchers and school practitioners to help answer this fundamental question. The authors have drawn from the most up-to-date research to help teachers, curriculum developers, and school leaders discover how to implement and promote learner-centred, quality teaching strategies that encourage students' understanding. Organized in five parts, this text systematically uncovers how to: o Advance student learning using leading-edge research on powerful forms of instruction o Foster metacognition in students and encourage them to take control of their own learning o Extend learning from academic thinking to real-world application across all disciplines o Learn how to instil a culture of deep understanding among students while still meeting specific achievement standards found in most district and state curricula This timely and accessible resource reveals how rethinking school curriculum and teaching for deeper knowledge transfer can help students take control of their own learning.