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The Principal's Field Manual

The School Principal as the Organizational Leader

An original, proven approach to help you meet challenges head-on!

This practical resource for "school CEOs" is based on the Organizational Effectiveness Model, a unique conceptual framework and organizing tool. Drawing from lessons learned in both education and business, the manual provides background knowledge and practices that are immediately useful. Coverage is organized around five elements essential to all organizations:

  • Mission, including the central importance of useful metrics
  • Strategies, such as the value of seeing the whole system
  • Structure, including skill with conflict management
  • People, highlighting the usefulness of political savvy
  • Leadership, including the fundamental importance of trust

Full description


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Product Details
  • Grade Level: K-12
  • ISBN: 9781412971164
  • Published By: Corwin
  • Year: 2009
  • Page Count: 176
  • Publication date: June 09, 2009
Price: $39.95
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Description

"An extensive and comprehensive resource for aspiring as well as practicing school leaders at every level. For aspiring school leaders, this book provides a multifaceted look at the complexity of school organizations. For practicing school leaders, the design of the content, the broad array of useful information, the action checklists, the quick-read guidelines, and the extensive references provide readers with a useful guide."
—Gerald N. Tirozzi, Executive Director
National Association of Secondary School Principals

An original, proven approach to help you meet challenges head-on!

Research has shown that effective school leadership is a key factor in promoting high student achievement. This very practical, easy-to-use reference draws from leadership lessons learned in both education and business. Written as a field manual for "school CEOs" to facilitate understanding and operating a school as an organization, this book is designed for easy access within a unifying framework to enable flexible use for busy principals.

Based on the Organizational Effectiveness Model, the manual offers a blend of background knowledge and practices that are immediately useful, in the context of five elements that are essential to all organizations:

  • Mission, including the central importance of useful metrics
  • Strategies, such as the value of seeing the whole system
  • Structure, including skill with conflict management
  • People, highlighting the usefulness of political savvy
  • Leadership, including the fundamental importance of trust

Filled with practical strategies and tools, The Principal's Field Manual is an invaluable resource for helping both new and experienced administrators better understand and effectively operate the school as a vital and dynamic organization.


Key features

  • Provides "remedies"to commonproblems that principals face in their day-to-day practice
  • Features an original organizational leadership framing model

Author(s)

Michael B. Ayers photo

Michael B. Ayers
William A. Sommers photo

William A. Sommers

William A. Sommers, Ph.D. of Austin, Texas, continues to be a learner, teacher, principal, author, leadership coach, and consultant. Bill has come out of retirement five times to put theory into practice. He was on the Board of Trustees for five years and President for the National Staff Development Council now called Learning Forward.

Dr. Sommers is the former Executive Director for Secondary Curriculum and Professional Learning for Minneapolis Public Schools, and a school administrator for over 30 years. In addition to being an adjunct faculty member at several universities, he has been a program director for an adolescent chemical dependency treatment center and on the board of a halfway house for 20 years.

Bill has co-authored eight books, and co-authored chapters in several other books. In January 2016 Bill and his colleague Skip Olsen launched a website www.learningomnivores.com which includes educational blogs, new rules, and book reviews. Bill is a practitioner who integrates theory into leading and facilitating schools. Dr. Sommers has continued to be a leadership coach for over 25 years to school administrators.

Table of Contents

List of Figures

Very Quick Reference

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Introduction

The Framing Model - Facets of Effectiveness

Two Fundamental Techniques

Less Quick Reference

Leadership

Communications

Dialog

Trust

Collaboration/Teamwork

Fire Fighting

Culture

Ten Rules/Guidelines for Leadership

Mission

Mission

Metrics

Organizational Values

Ten Guidelines/Rules for Mission

Strategy

Scenario Planning

Systems Thinking

Decision-Making / Problem-Solving

Ten Guidelines/Rules for Strategy

Organizational Structure

Project Management

Change

Conflict Management/Resolution

Policies, Procedures, and Professional Judgment

Competencies and Position Sketch

Ten Rules/Guidelines for Organizational Structure

People

Personal Values

Data, Information, Inferences

Managing Staff

Followership

Influence and Political Savvy

Ten Rules/Guidelines for People

Conclusion

Glossary

Appendix 1. Principal Responsibilities

Appendix 2. Operating Styles

Appendix 3. Project Charter Sample

Appendix 4. Capacity to Act Assessment

Appendix 5. Position Sketch

Appendix 6. Newmann’s Model

Appendix 7. Decision Requirements Table

Appendix 8. Uncritical Inference Test

References

Index

Reviews

Quote by Gerald N. Tirozzi, Executive Director, National Association of Secondary School Principals: "An extensive and comprehensive resource for aspiring as well as practicing school leaders at every level. For aspiring school leaders, this book provides a multifaceted look at the complexity of school organizations. For practicing school leaders, the design of the content, the broad array of useful information, the action checklists, the quick-read guidelines, and the extensive references provide readers with a useful guide."
"An extensive and comprehensive resource for aspiring as well as practicing school leaders at every level. For aspiring school leaders, this book provides a multifaceted look at the complexity of school organizations. For practicing school leaders, the design of the content, the broad array of useful information, the action checklists, the quick-read guidelines, and the extensive references provide readers with a useful guide."
Gerald N. Tirozzi, Executive Director
National Association of Secondary School Principals
Quote by Karen M. Dyer, Director, Education and Nonprofit Sector, Center for Creative Leadership: "Principals, regardless of the hat being worn—instructional leader, process manager, school administrator, or organization CEO—will find a treasure trove of tools, processes, models, assessments, and much more. This compendium of ideas represents 'just in time' applications to the authentic, day-to-day realities of the practicing site administrator."
"Principals, regardless of the hat being worn—instructional leader, process manager, school administrator, or organization CEO—will find a treasure trove of tools, processes, models, assessments, and much more. This compendium of ideas represents 'just in time' applications to the authentic, day-to-day realities of the practicing site administrator."
Karen M. Dyer, Director, Education and Nonprofit Sector
Center for Creative Leadership
Quote by Alex C. Cirillo, Jr., Vice President, 3M Community Affairs, 3M Foundation: "Leadership is partially about skill and personality, and a whole lot about values. This book takes all the elements of a leader’s journey and provides useful tools for both day-to-day and long-term success. It is simple to use, easy to follow, and actionable."
"Leadership is partially about skill and personality, and a whole lot about values. This book takes all the elements of a leader’s journey and provides useful tools for both day-to-day and long-term success. It is simple to use, easy to follow, and actionable."
Alex C. Cirillo, Jr., Vice President, 3M Community Affairs
3M Foundation

Other Titles in: Principalship | Leadership

Price: $39.95
Volume Discounts applied in Shopping Cart

Review Copies

This book is not available as a review copy.