Successful School Leadership: Planning, Politics, Performance, and Power

by James W. Guthrie, Patrick J. Schuermann

The introductory volume in the Peabody Educational Leadership Series, "Successful School Leadesrhip "provides readers with a solid overview of the primary topics that current and aspiring leaders will be faced with when making decisions regarding education organizations. Blending leadership theory and practice, this foundational leadership text provides cutting edge content in each of the key domains of responsibility facing current and aspiring school leaders while weaving case studies, current media articles, and reflection point into each chapter to enhance student synthesis and application. The book is divided into four frames of reference for optimal learning: Planning, Politics, Performance, and Power -- the functions with which educational leaders must continually grapple. In each section, readers are presented with information about what school leaders need to know to successfully surmount the modern challenges to education and instruction. Section one provides a foundation for the book by discussing the evolving context of educational leadership and proposes a strategic orientation to leading educational organizations through continual cycles of appraisal, analysis and action. Section two delves into the important issues of governance, politics, finance and law as major contributors to the context of education, and as levers by which school leaders can shape institutions. Section three explores the various ways in which school leaders can assess and enhance the performance of their schools and educational organizations. The final section of text provides students with information about educational leader strategies in the development of people, partnering with communities, and uses of power, while the final two chapters give practical insights into the preparation for practicing strategic education leadership.

442 pages, Paperback

First published October 11, 2008

Reviews

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Very thorough. Very informative.

I thought about copying and pasting the course work I did for this book.

I'm serious. I really thought about it.

If you're going to read 20 pages about the book though, you may as well just get the book.

Overall impression: Great breakdown of educational systems in the U.S. Current and relevant information in text, charts, and graphs. Pulls news sources to prove applicability. And it was concise and free of jargon. (How refreshing.)

Main beef: as with everything educational these days, the book is overly reliant on test scores.

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is effective at being a text book about strategic planning. The end.