Description
`At last we have a book that realistically, empathically, and interestingly describes leadership and the professional development work that needs to accompany it-for principals. It is all here: readings, web sites, theory, practice, helpful forms to use, vignettes of principals. Lindstrom and Speck are both ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’ teaching us in the best of ways how to both think about and act on our new knowledge!’ – Ann Lieberman, Senior Scholar Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Research shows conclusively that teacher variability is the most important factor in determining student achievement. And headteachers are the educators who are in the best position to provide teachers with the professional development tools they need to improve their skills and raise student achievement. The book is organized around the four roles that a headteacher must fulfill in order to cultivate quality: builder, designer, implementer, and reflective leader. Aligned with the National Staff Development Council’s Standards for Staff Development, this book is full of user-friendly, practical tools, including rubrics, worksheets, professional development planners, sample forms for classroom visits and observations, calendars of professional development activities, surveys, evaluation plans, recommended readings and websites, and reflective questions. Vignettes, examples, and other illustrative material grounds the work in the high-stakes accountability world that principals find themselves in. This book will take headteachers through a step-by-step process to develop, implement, and evaluate individual and school professional development plans. The authors show headteachers how to analyze student achievement data and how to develop and evaluate professional development plans based on the data. Phyllis H. Lindstrom is a leader in school improvement issues and has a strong interest in developing collaborative leadership in schools. She is an associate professor of Educational Leadership at San Jos State University. In addition, her long career in K-12 education includes teacher, principal, director, and assistant superintendent. She serves on the board of directors of Futures in Education, an alternative education secondary school district in California. Through her research with secondary schools that sustain success, she understands the importance of collaboration and shared leadership. The focus of her recent work has been professional development as the lever of school improvement and improved student learning. She earned an EdD from Teachers College, Columbia University, an MA from United States International University, and a BA from California State University, Long Beach. Phyllis enjoys visits with her grandsons, boating, traveling and reading. She can be reached at San Jos State University, One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192-0072 or via e-mail at plindstrom72@hot mail.com. Foreword – Dennis Sparks Preface About the Authors 1. What It Means to Be a Professional Development Leader 2. The Principal as Builder: Building the Capacity of the Professional Learning Community 3. The Principal as Designer: Developing Focus, Plans, and Resources 4. The Principal as Implementer: Taking Action 5. The Principal as Reflective Leader: Evaluating Results 6. The Principal as Change Agent: The Challenge for the Future Resource A: Recommended Readings Resource B: Recommended Websites References Index
