The second of a new book series on The Soul of Educational Leadership, this concise volume offers key ideas and strategies for reframing leadership practice. With contributions from top leadership figures such as Thomas Sergiovanni and Dennis Sparks, among others, this book combines research, day-to-day school leadership practice, and reflective exercises.

Develop a leadership style that inspires an entire school community to achieve high goals In this second volume of The Soul of Educational Leadership series, editors Paul D. Houston, Alan M. Blankstein, and Robert W. Cole offer creative perspectives on the challenges of reframing leadership practice. Presenting key strategies from leadership experts such as Thomas Sergiovanni and Dennis Sparks, this compact resource combines research, reflective exercises, and day-to-day school leadership procedures for motivating students and providing meaningful cultural change in school communities. An ideal handbook for principals, assistant principals, superintendents, and district administrators, this copublication with AASA and the HOPE Foundation discusses: * Developing high-quality leadership * Inspiring transformative leadership * Embracing leadership alternatives * Evaluating current school reform practices * Meeting the challenges in leadership roles Out-of-the-Box Leadership is the perfect guide to help administrators rethink, reshape, and strengthen their leadership styles and provide confident, focused direction that will help build real success for students and all members of the school community.

Because schools are the heart and soul of a community, educational leaders have a responsibility to bring the community into the school, as well as to make the school a part of the surrounding community. This volume in the Soul of Educational Leadership series goes beyond administrative skills to examine educators' pivotal role of leading family and community involvement in school success. With articles written by leading authorities and practitioners in the field, this resource discusses how school leaders can build successful family and community partnerships that flourish even in trying circumstances and over time. Readers will find: - Contributions from Alan M. Blankstein, Pedro A. Noguera, Mavis G. Sanders, Paul D. Houston, Edward H. Moore, and others - Inspiring and unique perspectives on the interplay of family and community in school success - Ideas for engaging families as partners

"My shelves are overflowing with books about leadership and education. This one I will keep close by. Any time I begin to doubt the difference schools and leaders can make, I will pick it up, turn to a story and remind myself of why I became an educator." -From the Foreword by Terrence E. Deal A collection of influential and insightful articles on educational leadership! In this resource, retiring executive director of the American Association of School Administrators, former superintendent, and best-selling author Paul D. Houston examines the growing complexity of the educational process and the challenge of transforming learning into an engaging, meaningful-and even joyful-experience. Houston offers an enlightening perspective on global competition, the widening gulf between those who have and those who don't, the explosion of information, and a landscape of competing expectations. This provocative book on the "soul work" of education covers: Building Blocks of Leadership Transforming Public Education: Challenges and Solutions Superintendent of Learning and Education Lessons From the Road

Core values and principles can sustain and inspire you during challenging times, and the more you practice and embody them, the more likely you are to become a wiser leader. Paul D. Houston, executive director emeritus of the American Association of School Administrators, and Stephen L. Sokolow, a founding partner and executive director of the Center for Empowered Leadership, offer eighteen core leadership values and principles to help you do the right things, in the right way, at the right time, and for the right reasons. The core values you'll learn include how to focus on the positive; empower and uplift others; operate from a base of compassion; and recognize the seeds of wisdom. Wise leaders view all people as having natural gifts, and it's important to help them grow. What's more, supporting and valuing people encourages them to do more for you and for the organization. Enhance organizational productivity, creativity, and capacity by learning and applying eighteen core values of The Wise Leader. Never will you find such a constellation of distilled wisdom on leadership for all circumstances. --Michael Fullan, professor emeritus, OISE/University of Toronto

Core values and principles can sustain and inspire you during challenging times, and the more you practice and embody them, the more likely you are to become a wiser leader. Paul D. Houston, executive director emeritus of the American Association of School Administrators, and Stephen L. Sokolow, a founding partner and executive director of the Center for Empowered Leadership, offer eighteen core leadership values and principles to help you do the right things, in the right way, at the right time, and for the right reasons. The core values you'll learn include how to focus on the positive; empower and uplift others; operate from a base of compassion; and recognize the seeds of wisdom. Wise leaders view all people as having natural gifts, and it's important to help them grow. What's more, supporting and valuing people encourages them to do more for you and for the organization. Enhance organizational productivity, creativity, and capacity by learning and applying eighteen core values of The Wise Leader. "Never will you find such a constellation of distilled wisdom on leadership for all circumstances." --Michael Fullan, professor emeritus, OISE/University of Toronto

Research shows that students' sense of belonging in their school communities is critically linked to academic achievement. This ninth and final book in The Soul of Educational Leadership series offers practical strategies for promoting socially responsible school cultures that foster greater student engagement and democratic values. A joint publication with the American Association of School Administrators and the HOPE Foundation with contributions from renowned educators Bonnie Davis, Linda Skrla, Randall Lindsey, and others, this book explores the key concepts of respect, equity, and character, and examines tough issues such as: - Reflecting on our own backgrounds and assumptions - Modeling socially responsible behavior - Teaching students to discern injustice - Enacting a zero-tolerance policy toward bullying. Students will shape tomorrow based on what they learn today. This compact guide equips educators to implement democratic practices, act in socially just ways, and impart democratic values to the citizens of the future.

These are challenging times, especially for leaders. Leaders need to supercharge their leadership skills to empower others to meet the demands of technological advances, globalization and rapid change. How do you become a more empowering leader? How do you supercharge your leadership skills to navigate these turbulent times? The answers can be found by tapping into 12 universal Core Values illuminated in this book. These Core Values are seeds of empowerment: Expanding Your Unique Gifts and Talents Manifesting Your Intention Augmenting Affirmation Cultivating A Sense of Mission and Purpose Balancing Head and Heart Manifesting Your Vision Mastering Visualization Maximizing Expectation Boosting Intuition Honing Awareness Amplifying Your Higher Self Magnifying Openness As an Empowering Leader, you will also be able to take advantage of the gifts of: Synchronicity (Bonus Chapter 1) and Syntropy (Bonus Chapter 2). As you nurture these seeds of empowerment you will make better choices and increasingly become a more empowering leader-- a leader with supercharged leadership skills. Supercharged empowering leadership is the path to a better and brighter future for all of us.

These are challenging times, especially for leaders. Leaders need to supercharge their leadership skills to empower others to meet the demands of technological advances, globalization and rapid change. How do you become a more empowering leader? How do you supercharge your leadership skills to navigate these turbulent times? The answers can be found by tapping into 12 universal Core Values illuminated in this book. These Core Values are seeds of empowerment: Expanding Your Unique Gifts and Talents Manifesting Your Intention Augmenting Affirmation Cultivating A Sense of Mission and Purpose Balancing Head and Heart Manifesting Your Vision Mastering Visualization Maximizing Expectation Boosting Intuition Honing Awareness Amplifying Your Higher Self Magnifying Openness As an Empowering Leader, you will also be able to take advantage of the gifts of: Synchronicity (Bonus Chapter 1) and Syntropy (Bonus Chapter 2). As you nurture these seeds of empowerment you will make better choices and increasingly become a more empowering leader-- a leader with supercharged leadership skills. Supercharged empowering leadership is the path to a better and brighter future for all of us.

Educating from the Heart: Theoretical and Practical Approaches to Transforming Education is based on the questions: "What does it mean to educate from the heart? What does it mean to educate with spirit?" It offers both theoretical overviews and practical approaches for educators, academics, education students and parents who are interested in transforming schools. Well-respected voices in the field of education provide a framework that includes recent findings from the world of neuroscience, as well as fresh perspectives about traditional wisdom. Practicing educators describe methods directly applicable in classrooms. In addition, many chapters emphasize the importance of educators attending to their own inner lives. The book encourages reinvigorating approaches to learning and teaching that can easily be integrated into both public and private K-12 school classrooms, with many ideas also applicable to higher education. It supports an educational system based on the beliefs that heart and spirit are intertwined with mind and intellect, and that inner peace, wisdom, compassion, and conscience can be developed together with academic content and skills.

Educating from the Heart: Theoretical and Practical Approaches to Transforming Education is based on the questions: 'What does it mean to educate from the heart? What does it mean to educate with spirit?' It offers both theoretical overviews and practical approaches for educators, academics, education students and parents who are interested in transforming schools. Well-respected voices in the field of education provide a framework that includes recent findings from the world of neuroscience, as well as fresh perspectives about traditional wisdom. Practicing educators describe methods directly applicable in classrooms. In addition, many chapters emphasize the importance of educators attending to their own inner lives. The book encourages reinvigorating approaches to learning and teaching that can easily be integrated into both public and private K-12 school classrooms, with many ideas also applicable to higher education. It supports an educational system based on the beliefs that heart and spirit are intertwined with mind and intellect, and that inner peace, wisdom, compassion, and conscience can be developed together with academic content and skills.

In this powerful collection, the former executive director of the American Association of School Administrators looks at the factors educators must consider in order to turn schools back into places that nurture children. There are basic truths about what motivates people, Paul D. Houston argues, and educators must embed these truths in the educational process. In this book, educators will find inspiration and guidance through: - Eighteen beautifully written, thought-provoking essays on how we can transform our schools - Chapter-by-chapter questions to inspire reflection, discussion, and professional development - A broad range of topics spanning from the magic of learning to global education to the perils of accountability Houston's words will resonate with anyone committed to improving schools, and will help educators examine their own beliefs, develop a common vision, and enact reform.

Always at the heart of educators' perennial struggle are the young people who matter so deeply to the entire school community. The Soul of Educational Leadership series enlists the thinking of those who set the tone for the discussion. Edited by Alan M. Blankstein, Paul D. Houston, and Robert W. Cole, this seventh volume in the series offers key concepts and strategies for data-enhanced decision making in school leadership practice. With contributions from Jesse Rodriguez, Lorna M. Earl, Steven Katz, Eileen Depka, Kay Burke, and other experts, Data-Enhanced Leadership combines research, practice, and innovative thinking into a single compact volume of essential reading for all educational leaders.

This fifth volume in The Soul of Educational Leadership series offers revolutionary concepts and relevant strategies for sustaining effective school leadership in today's changing schools. With stimulating contributions from Michael Fullan, Andy Hargreaves, Dean Fink, Alma Harris, Ivor Goodson, and other educational leaders in the field, this book combines research, practice, and innovative thinking in a powerful reference for busy administrators.

A central role of any educational leader is that of an accomplished communicator-one who can relate to diverse communities, promote cooperative interaction, and unify stakeholders around the larger cause of quality education for every student. This sixth volume in the Soul of Educational Leadership series provides innovative ideas on diplomacy and practical strategies for strengthening communications skills. With contributions from top leadership figures like Paul D. Houston, John R. Hoyle, Richard Bagin, and Daniel H. Pink, this resource emphasizes the importance of clear and purposeful communication in gaining support, avoiding misunderstandings, and establishing productive communitywide relationships. Individual chapters demonstrate how readers can: - Create dynamic, effective districtwide communication systems - Respond to district challenges and issues - Use electronic communication tools effectively - Secure and increase funding for their schools and districts - Increase avenues for informing the public about issues that affect schools and students This insightful book offers all school leaders a rich array of creative, thoughtful communication approaches to empower their leadership and inspire everyone who has a stake in preparing today's students for tomorrow's challenges.

"This resource brings together an incredible blend of leading educational thinkers. Their diverse experiences, perspectives, and wisdom will stimulate in leaders the 'deep work' of the heart, mind, and soul essential for creating schools that continuously improve teaching, learning, and relationships in ways that benefit all members of the school community." -Dennis Sparks, Emeritus Executive Director National Staff Development Council A concise volume packed with research and innovative ideas from today's key thinkers! Professional learning communities have become a significant factor in improving instructional effectiveness and student achievement. In the third volume of The Soul of Educational Leadership series, educators and leaders will discover key concepts and strategies for sustaining the critically important work of these communities. Contributions from Shirley M. Hord, Maurice J. Elias, Karen Seashore Louis, Andy Hargreaves, Stephanie A. Hirsh, and other nationally known educators highlight: Leadership teams and a collaborative culture The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Multiple approaches for supporting social-emotional learning in schools Leadership, real-world challenges, and moral choices A thought-provoking collection from educational visionaries, Sustaining Professional Learning Communities is essential reading for all school leaders committed to strengthening learning environments.

"This resource brings together an incredible blend of leading educational thinkers. Their diverse experiences, perspectives, and wisdom will stimulate in leaders the 'deep work' of the heart, mind, and soul essential for creating schools that continuously improve teaching, learning, and relationships in ways that benefit all members of the school community." -Dennis Sparks, Emeritus Executive Director National Staff Development Council A concise volume packed with research and innovative ideas from today's key thinkers! Professional learning communities have become a significant factor in improving instructional effectiveness and student achievement. In the third volume of The Soul of Educational Leadership series, educators and leaders will discover key concepts and strategies for sustaining the critically important work of these communities. Contributions from Shirley M. Hord, Maurice J. Elias, Karen Seashore Louis, Andy Hargreaves, Stephanie A. Hirsh, and other nationally known educators highlight: Leadership teams and a collaborative culture The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Multiple approaches for supporting social-emotional learning in schools Leadership, real-world challenges, and moral choices A thought-provoking collection from educational visionaries, Sustaining Professional Learning Communities is essential reading for all school leaders committed to strengthening learning environments.

"A useful book for those who want to find balance in their lives and add a dimension of spirituality to their leadership." -Kenneth Killian, Assistant Professor Vanguard University of Southern California "The information is approachable, nonthreatening, and personal. The authors discuss their own past roles as educational leaders, providing instant credibility." -Jennifer Baadsgaard, Assistant Principal Roosevelt High School, San Antonio, TX Revitalize your leadership and help shape a better future for the students you serve! This fourth volume of The Soul of Educational Leadership series offers key strategies for identifying the moral and ethical dimensions of school leadership practice. With thought-provoking contributions from top leadership figures like Terrence E. Deal, Dawna Markova, and Scott Thompson, this enlightening resource combines research with innovative ideas for practice and emphasizes: Spirituality within a life-sustaining context The role of spirituality in empowering leaders as agents for transformative change A moral obligation to create safe and supportive learning spaces for students Spirituality in Educational Leadership helps educators align everyday practice with core values in ways that will make a significant difference in their professional and personal lives.

This concise volume offers educational leaders key concepts and strategies for framing discussions about closing the equality gap and ensuring high achievement for all learners. As the first volume in The Soul of Educational Leadership series, this unique collection presents: o Pedro Noguera and Alan Blankstein on essential questions and themes o Randall and Delores Lindsey on culturally proficient equity audits o Antoinette Mitchell on the knowledge base for teaching diverse learners in big-city schools o Stephen Peters on how to capture, inspire, and teach every learner o Thomas Guskey on rethinking the work of Benjamin S. Bloom o Karen Pittman and Merita Irby on readiness for college, work, and life o Alan Boyle on helping failing schools to turn around o Richard Farson on the paradoxes of risk, challenge, failure, and innovation Pioneering educators and series editors Alan M. Blankstein, Robert W. Cole, and Paul D. Houston offer thought-provoking ideas applicable to all schools, local authorities, and learning communities, and include a complete index for browsing and easy reference.

This concise volume offers educational leaders key concepts and strategies for framing discussions about closing the equality gap and ensuring high achievement for all learners. As the first volume in The Soul of Educational Leadership series, this unique collection presents: o Pedro Noguera and Alan Blankstein on essential questions and themes o Randall and Delores Lindsey on culturally proficient equity audits o Antoinette Mitchell on the knowledge base for teaching diverse learners in big-city schools o Stephen Peters on how to capture, inspire, and teach every learner o Thomas Guskey on rethinking the work of Benjamin S. Bloom o Karen Pittman and Merita Irby on readiness for college, work, and life o Alan Boyle on helping failing schools to turn around o Richard Farson on the paradoxes of risk, challenge, failure, and innovation Pioneering educators and series editors Alan M. Blankstein, Robert W. Cole, and Paul D. Houston offer thought-provoking ideas applicable to all schools, local authorities, and learning communities, and include a complete index for browsing and easy reference.

'In this book, Paul Houston and Steve Sokolow sow seeds of wisdom that offer hope and sound guiding principles for America's educational leaders' - Richard W. Riley, former U.S. Secretary of Education and former Governor of South Carolina 'This book fills a troubling void in the leadership literature by highlighting the vital spiritual side of a leader's role' - Terrence E. Deal, Author Leading With Soul and Reframing the Path to School Leadership 'Houston and Sokolow focus on how leaders can remain true to their core beliefs and still lead successful organizations. This should be required reading for all leaders and prospective leaders' - Vincent L. Ferrandino, Executive Director, National Association of Elementary School Principals 'I can't imagine a more timely and important book for educators' - Margaret J. Wheatley, Author, Leadership and the New Science 'Houston and Sokolow have done an extraordinary job of looking beyond the traditional view of leadership to incorporate a spiritual dimension' - Dr. Gerald N. Tirozzi, Executive Director, National Association of Secondary School Principals 'The Spiritual Dimension of Leadership reminds us that the job of leadership is complex, but the actions we take can be very simple and yet have a big impact' - Anne L. Bryant, Executive Director, National School Boards Association Busy school leaders rarely have the time to reflect on what motivates them to do the difficult work they do. The authors argue that many of the values, beliefs, and principles that guide and sustain school leaders have underlying spiritual roots. The more in touch school leaders can be with those spiritual roots, the more enlightened their leadership becomes, and the more effective they become in leading others to a better future. This book offers eight principles of enlightened leadership that, the authors suggest, are accessible to everyone. Each principle is clearly outlined, defined by several examples, and then applied to the practice of school leadership, offering ways for readers to become more mindful of enlightened leadership principles in their own work and lives.

Drawing upon his life and professional experiences, AASA Executive Director Paul Houston reflects upon important issues in education. Having first appeared as columns within School Administrator magazine, Houston's insights are organized around six chapters: "On Being a Leader," "Putting Kids First," "The Value of Public Education," "Transforming School Reform," "Seeing America Through a Distant Mirror," and "At the Movies." Steeped in his passions, theories, and extensive travels through the heart and soul of American education as we've moved from the last millennium into this one, Houston's philosophical and practical advice on how educators might improve their work and make the world a better place for our children will interest and inspire educators everywhere.

The Board-Savvy Superintendent's hard-hitting, no-nonsense, advice on school board leadership capitalizes on Houston and Eadie's hands-on experience working with hundreds of boards and superintendents over the past quarter-century. It is a practical, survive-and-thrive book that will help school district leaders-board members, superintendents, and senior administrators-learn to work together successfully in leading their districts in these extraordinarily challenging times. Filled with detailed, thoroughly tested guidance on how to acquire the skills and knowledge that make up board savvyness, it also addresses how to develop the school board's capacity to produce truly high-impact governance, and how to build a strong, enduring, productive board-superintendent working partnership. The authors take a fresh look at the process of governing, going well beyond the old-fashioned, control-focused "policy governance" approach. Rather than being preoccupied with developing a static structure of policies to distinguish the board's role from the superintendent's, the book describes how the board and superintendent can creatively work together in making decisions about such critical governing "products" as values, vision, mission, and strategic change initiatives. School district leaders will appreciate The Board-Savvy Superintendent's close look at the "gold standard" for board involvement in school affairs: leading strategic change. The authors go well beyond the conventional long-range planning approach of merely projecting everything a school district is doing for some arbitrary period of 3 or 5 years, which has generated tons of paper and little important change to provide the reader with detailed, practical guidance on engaging school boards creatively and proactively in a much more selective, vision-driven process that actually results in the implementation of strategic change: the Strategic Change Portfolio.

"Education officials need to furnish leadership in school elections.... An unsuccessful election reduces educational opportunities for students" (Kimbrough and Nunnery, 1971, p. 4). Who can argue with this simple statement? Providing effective leadership, however, is not that easy. Research and practice have yet to yield an election formula that always produces winners. Whether it is requests for bricks and mortar or more operating money, each election type and context are unique with no guarantee that a set of campaign strategies successful in one district will not fail in your community. If successful campaigns were not such a delicate balance of science and art, the key to success would have long since been discovered, resulting in significantly more school districts winning at the ballot box. As members of the baby-boom generation collectively watch their last child receive a diploma from our nation's public schools, passing school finance elections is going to be even more difficult, promising tougher battles with the electorate and tighter margins between success and failure. School Finance Elections represents a marriage of research and successful practice, presenting a comprehensive planning model for school leaders preparing for and conducting school finance elections. Information presented emphasizes systems and strategies rather than specific campaign tactics. Avoiding a myopic focus on tactics allows school leaders to elevate their thinking to a more comprehensive and long-range vision of election planning. Each of the chapters elaborates on one of the ten elements in the authors' comprehensive planning model. Use of this model has reaped success in all types of school districts from New Jersey to California, and Lifto and Senden hope that it brings readers success at the ballot box as well. For school administrators, school board members, school business officials, architects and planners, public finance businesses and, university professors teaching educational administration classes