The Principal's Field Manual: The School Principal as the Organizational Leader

by Michael B. Ayers, William A. Sommers

Overview

"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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452273037
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	05/21/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

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

Editorial Reviews

"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

"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

"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