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Deliberate Excellence

Three Fundamental Strategies That Drive Educational Leadership

First Edition
By: S. Dallas Dance

Foreword by Rod Paige

Be inspired by a passion for progress and the drive to maximize latent potential in all people. Dallas Dance, superintendent of Baltimore Public Schools, delivers great insight and inspiration.

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Product Details

Grade Level: PreK-12
ISBN: 9781506392011
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2018
Page Count: 160
Publication date: January 09, 2018

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Description

Leadership isn’t just a title

What could you do with a $1 billion budget if you had 100,000+ students and one of the largest school systems in America? Imagining is his reality. Learn along from Dallas Dance as he shares the successful change efforts he employed to transform Baltimore Public Schools.

Deliberate Excellence is a true story of success in a challenging school environment that delivers great insight and inspiration. Readers will be moved and changed by three key success principles:

Establishing equity over equality by providing exactly what individuals need to be successful
Understanding change, how it happens, and what one needs to make it so
Knowing people deeply and how that leads to accomplishment and organizational change

Be inspired by this passion for progress and the drive to maximize latent potential in all people.

"For 20 years, Dr. Dallas Dance has been an inspiration to me as a leader. He understands that true leaders inspire others to lead, galvanize their audience, and provide practical applications to difficult situations. Regardless of the political climate, Dr. Dance has always kept students first. After reading Deliberate Excellence, educators will take away successful strategies to increase student achievement."
Dr. John B. Gordon III, Chief of Schools
Chesterfield County Public Schools, Chesterfield, VA

"Leaders are desperate for books that offer techniques from educational leaders who still practice and hone their craft from the trenches and a proven record of success. Dallas Dance offers educational leaders a unique, candid, and welcome perspective."
LaQuita Outlaw, Principal – Grades 6-8
Bay Shore Middle School, Bay Shore, NY

Key features

The focus on the 3 Key Principles makes the message concise, clear, and ready to implement.

Many, many tips, stories, and examples show readers that the lessons can be learned and accomplished.

Dallas Dance writes realistically about what works and what does not. See the Conclusion – Avoiding Pitfalls.

Author(s)

S. Dallas Dance

Internationally-renowned educator and speaker, Dr. S. Dallas Dance envisions and leads change that creates opportunities for all young people—including students of color and those living in poverty—to thrive as critical thinkers, thoughtful leaders, and lifelong learners. His calling is motivating teams of all sizes to develop young minds and working with leaders and organizations to build capacity to do greater work for all of the individuals within their community.

Numerous national awards and board appointments—from institutions including the White House, Microsoft, and ASCD—recognize his impact on organizational culture, rigorous instruction, vibrant leadership pathways, leveraging technology, and dynamic community engagement.

In July of 2017, Dr. Dance became a Partner with the Strategos Group, a value-creating team of public affairs individuals committed to facilitating high-impact business growth and transaction advisory for companies by leveraging our strategic relationships, business expertise, and political and policy insight. In addition, he serves as Senior Vice President of Education for the MGT Consulting Group, a practice which has been providing comprehensive management consulting services to public and private sector clients for over forty years. Prior to joining both groups, Dr. Dance served as the Superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools in Maryland with over 112,000 students, 173 schools, and over 21,000 employees. As leader of the nation’s 25th largest school system, Dance pioneered equity-centered shifts in teaching and learning to close the graduation achievement gap between black and white students, while increasing diploma rates overall.

Prior to his appointment in Baltimore County, Dr. Dance served as one of three chief school officers responsible for the administration of nearly 300 schools in the Houston Independent School District, the seventh largest school system in the nation. Before his tenure in Houston, Dr. Dance served in executive leadership positions in Virginia that leveraged his expertise in curriculum, instruction, assessment, school improvement, and strategic planning.

Dance earned a doctoral degree in educational leadership and a master’s degree in administration and supervision from Virginia Commonwealth University. His bachelor’s degree in English is from Virginia Union University.

Dr. Dance enjoys traveling, music, reading and all sports, especially golf. He is the proud father of one son, Myles Dallas Dance.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Author

INTRODUCTION

Success Principle 1

LEADING FOR EQUITY: FOCUSING ON EACH CHILD, EVERY DAY

Know What Your Values Are

Demonstrate a Strong Appreciation for People

Addressing Equity Takes Leadership

Addressing Equity Will Guarantee Resistance

Equity Is the Work, Not an “Add-on” to the Work

Students Want Us to Focus on Equity, Not Equality

Success Principle 2

LEADING THE CHANGE: IMPLEMENTING SUCCESSFUL INITIATIVES

Understand the History of the Organization

Acknowledge the Current State of the Organization

Understand the “Players” Within the Organization

Ensure People Understand What Change Means

Have an Effective Strategy to Implement Change

Success Principle 3

LEADING THROUGH COMMUNICATION: TELLING YOUR OWN STORY

Communicate Openly, Honestly, and in a Timely Manner

Communicate Your Story, or Someone Else Will!

Organize Your Communication Efforts

Individualize Your Communications

Use Every Available Resource to Communicate

View Communication as a Two-Way Street

Have an Open-Door Policy

CONCLUSION

Avoiding Pitfalls

Mistake 1: Knowing All the Answers

Mistake 2: Bashing the Previous Leadership

Mistake 3: Speaking Before You Think

Index

Reviews

"Deliberate Excellence captures the essence of why successful leaders grow people and organizations: it’s all about relationships."

Tanna Nicely, Principal
South Knoxville Elementary, Knoxville, TN

This book is a must-read for leaders and future leaders who want to avoid the pitfalls that can derail success. Through the story of his rise as a successful leader, Dallas Dance provides invaluable principles for successfully leading and implementing change. He also exemplifies a growth-minded perspective to stakeholders who are not quite ready for change by encouraging them to remember that 'no' really means, 'not yet.'"

Kathy Rhodes, Principal
Hinton Elementary, Hinton, IA

"Leaders are desperate for books that offer techniques from educational leaders who still practice and hone their craft from the trenches and a proven record of success. Dallas Dance offers educational leaders a unique, candid, and welcome perspective."

LaQuita Outlaw, Principal – Grades 6-8
Bay Shore Middle School, Bay Shore, NY

"Deliberate Excellence is a thoroughly enjoyable personal account about affecting change by being committed and engaged in the institution you presently serve . . . The author makes it clear that caring for the work opens up opportunities for advancement that allow the individual to affect change in more meaningful ways. It should also be required reading for all principals, assistant principals, and CEOs."

Veronica Rodriguez, Special Education Coordinator
Chester W. Nimitz Middle School, Huntington Park, CA

"Dynamic leadership matters! Dr. Dance’s remarkable journey has inspired him to develop a blueprint for educational leadership excellence. Fighting for equitable practices and outcomes for all children is clearly his passion. Every administrator or aspiring leader will flourish if these principles are put into action!"

Cheryl R. Brooks, Principal
Berkshire Elementary School, Baltimore, MD

"I wish I had read “Deliberate Excellence” 20 years ago! Providing a roadmap for leaders wishing to affect significant change, Dallas Dance’s book balances theory with practical experiences. Dr. Dance outlines his bold and successful tactics to address the complex equity issues that plague school districts. His strategic approach to communications is a model for all school administrators."

Dr. Luvelle Brown, Superintendent
Ithaca City School District, Ithaca, NY

"For 20 years, Dr. Dallas Dance has been an inspiration to me as a leader. He understands that true leaders inspire others to lead, galvanize their audience, and provide practical applications to difficult situations. Regardless of the political climate, Dr. Dance has always kept students first. After reading Deliberate Excellence, educators will take away successful strategies to increase student achievement."

Dr. John B. Gordon III, Chief of Schools
Chesterfield County Public Schools, Chesterfield, VA

"Deliberate Excellence is a book written for all leaders. Dr. Dallas Dance speaks from real life experiences that are relatable and from the heart. His leadership steps have helped him develop into one of the most accomplished administrative leaders in the country. The three specific strategies outlined in this book will transform your leadership skills and help you stay on track to ensure success."

Susan Monaghan, Principal
Westbury High School, Houston, TX

"As an educational leader with 30 years’ experience, I've read many books on leadership. Dr. Dance's book is a must-read for all educators. By sharing real stories, he keeps the focus on equity, change management, and communication. Deliberate Excellence is an insightful read from the heart of a leader on the fundamental strategies that should drive educational leaders."

Dr. Martha Salazar-Zamora, Superintendent of Schools
Tomball ISD, Tomball, TX

"In education today, the question is not whether or not we must embrace and lead for change—the question is how we do that in a way that changes lives and secures a real future for our students. In Deliberate excellence, we are given a resource that answers this question for every leader seeking to understand what it takes to move his or her district forward. Dr. Dance makes an inspiring case for why we should be doing this work and the important role our leadership has to play in the lives of our children and our communities. Fortunately for us, he draws on his experiences as a model leader to create a guidebook filled with compelling anecdotes and positive advice that can be used right away."

Dr. Aaron C. Spence, Superintendent
Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Virginia Beach, VA

"Deliberate Excellence shows educational leaders how to increase agency within their organizations. This book effectively communicates the importance of engaging in challenging work to improve schools and districts, which is what the head, hand, and heart of education is all about. I applaud Dr. Dance for his extraordinary leadership during unordinary times."

Dr. Andre D. Spencer, Superintendent
Harrison School District Two , Colorado Springs, CO

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