Effective Leadership for School Improvement

In a complex and multi-layered world, the conventional idea of great leadership being the result of the efforts of a single individual is rapidly becoming redundant. This book takes up the challenge of finding an alternative method of leadership in educational contexts, and looks at how this can help achieve sustained improvement in schools. The authors acknowledge that there are no simple solutions to school improvement. They argue that the effective leaders of the future will be those who are able to share responsibility, build positive relationships and offer stakeholders - teachers, parents and students - an opportunity to work together to improve their schools. The book is based around four key areas of concern: the changing context of leadership, leadership and school improvement, building leadership capacity, and future direction and implications. In each section, the authors discuss current theories and issues, and put forward alternative ideas and perspectives. This important book will make valuable reading for headteachers, principles, deputies and other senior teachers, particularly those undertaking leadership qualifications and training. It will also be of interest to postgraduate students and school governors.

Alma Harris is Professor of School Leadership and Director of the Leadership, Policy and Improvement Unit at the Institute of Education, University of Warwick., Christopher Day is Professor of Education and Co-Director of the Centre for Teacher and School Development at the School of Education, University of Nottingham., Mark Hadfield is a Senior Lecturer in Professional Development and School Improvement at the School of Education, University of Nottingham., David Hopkins is Director of the Standards and Effectiveness Unit at the Department for Education and Skills., Andy Hargreaves is Professor of Educational Leadership and Change at the University of Nottingham, and Professor in the International Centre for Educational Change at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto., Christopher Chapman is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Education, University of Warwick.

Introduction, Alma Harris; Part 1 The changing context of leadership; Chapter 1 The changing context of leadership, Alma Harris; Chapter 2 The changing learning needs of heads, Christopher Day; Part 2 Contemporary views of leadership; Chapter 3 Instructional leadership and school improvement, David Hopkins; Chapter 4 Teacher leadership and school improvement, Alma Harris; Chapter 5 Building the capacity for leading and learning, David Hopkins, David Jackson; Part 3 Building leadership capacity; Chapter 6 Building capacity versus growing schools, Mark Hadfield; Chapter 7 Capacity-building, school improvement and school leaders, Mark Hadfield; Chapter 8 Building the leadership capacity for school improvement, Christopher Chapman; Part 4 Future directions and implications for leadership and school improvement; Chapter 9 Successful leadership in the twenty-first century, Christopher Day; Chapter 10 Professional learning communities and performance training sects, Andy Hargreaves;