2nd Edition
Introduction to the Principalship Theory to Practice
About the Authors
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Leading an Organization
Chapter 2: Principal Leadership for a Student-Centered Learning Environment
Chapter 3: Developing Your Philosophies of Education and School Leadership
Chapter 4: Understanding and Leveraging Your School Culture
Chapter 5: Initiating and Sustaining Change
Chapter 6: Building Ethical Behaviors and Relational Trust
Chapter 7: Building Teacher Capacity
Chapter 8: Conflict Management, Decision Making, and Problem Solving
Chapter 9: Enacting Data-Informed Accountability
Chapter 10: Building Your Capacity for the Principalship
Biography
Leslie S. Kaplan is a retired school administrator, a full-time education writer, and Adjunct Professor of Educational Leadership at Old Dominion University, USA.
William A. Owings is Professor of Educational Leadership at Old Dominion University, USA.
“There are lots of books about the school principalship but none that takes the reader systematically from the pre-beginning, through continuous learning, to legacy. Kaplan and Owings have produced a second edition that is a complete modern bible for anyone in or interested in the principalship. We learn about leadership itself, and key aspects: philosophy, culture, initiating, ethics, teacher capacity, conflict, data use, building capacity—all guided by standards, and action ideas essential to build, apply, and monitor the key standards, and their impact. I highly recommend this complete reference book for ethical action-oriented school leaders.”
Michael Fullan, Professor Emeritus, OISE/University of Toronto, is the Global Leadership Director, New Pedagogies for Deep Learning (NPDL) and a worldwide authority on educational reform
“Kaplan and Owings provide an exceptionally enriched analysis of school leadership, offering robust thinking about student learning and school improvement. They highlight lessons rarely discussed in readings about school: while information and knowledge are essential elements of leading, they are often insufficient. Embedded in the scholarship here is the simple most essential understanding of quality schooling: masses of resources without genuine care for students routinely fail to successfully educate children and youth.”
Joe Murphy, Professor Emeritus of Education, Vanderbilt University
“In this vitally important work, veteran leaders and aspiring principals will find not only practical advice for the daily work of establishing but also keen insights about the deeper work of leadership. Administration and discipline often require the attention of school leaders. But Leslie Kaplan and Bill Owings bring extensive research and their half a century of leadership experiences to demonstrate that the most vital work of leadership is building and maintaining a culture that shapes the work of every staff member and creates a safe and challenging learning environment for every student. This is a book not merely to be read, but to be studied. There is no sugar-coating in these pages. Leadership is extremely hard and complex work. But Kaplan and Owings conclude, it is deeply rewarding and offers the reader opportunities to make a greater impact on generations of students and teachers.”
Douglas B. Reeves, author of Fearless Schools: Building Trust and Resilience for Leader, Teaching, and Learning
