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Transformational Leadership & Decision Making in Schools

By: Robert E. Brower, Bradley V. Balch

What decisions are in the best interest of students, teachers, staff, and others in your school community?

This important resource emphasizes the need for a resilient decision-making pedagogy, helping school leaders re-center their approaches to making productive decisions that positively impact student achievement, school climate, and goal alignment. The authors provide concise step-by-step considerations to transform your decision making and include:

A personal self-assessment for decision making
Reflective thinking sections for individual reflection and group conversation
Discussion of the role of vision and mission
Ideas on motivation and the capacity for change
A look at barriers to decision making

Full description

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Product Details

Grade Level: PreK-12
ISBN: 9781412914871
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2005
Page Count: 144
Publication date: April 27, 2005

Price: $31.95

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Description

"Public education is constantly evolving, and new challenges require school officials to be insightful, prepared, and innovative. It is because of these changing times that this book, which offers a different view of systems analysis and organizational behavior, is so valuable."
—Frank Bush, Executive Director
Indiana School Boards Association

"Educational leaders need a basis for confident decision making. The authors have a solution for challenging times."
—Kay Harmless, Interim Director, Indiana Principal Leadership Academy
Indiana Department of Education

What decisions are in the best interest of students, teachers, staff, and others in your school community?

It is essential for every school leader to possess the savvy to effect positive change, raise achievement levels, and foster a positive school climate. Now it seems that the struggle for school leaders to make productive decisions has become clouded with ever-growing uncertainty and skepticism.

Transformational Leadership & Decision Making in Schools emphasizes the need for a resilient decision-making pedagogy—one that helps school leaders find and re-center their approaches to making effective decisions for their schools and districts.

This important resource provides methods and strategies to tackle tough decisions, providing concise step-by-step considerations to transform your decision making. The essential information presented includes:

A personal decision-making self-assessment
Reflective thinking sections for individual reflection and group dialogue
Discussion of the role of vision and mission
Ideas on motivation and the capacity for change
A look at barriers to decision making
Information on developing relationships with respect and rapport

Key features

Includes examples, a case study, and self-assessment for reader application
Offers an effective decision-making framework to improve school leadership

Author(s)

Robert E. Brower

Dr. Robert Brower is superintendent for the North Montgomery Community School Corporation in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Besides these duties, Dr. Brower is a consultant and presenter for many educational issues. Some of these include trimester scheduling, discipline in schools, teaching on the extended period, leadership topics, decision-making philosophy, building professional staff capacity, and teaching for learning. Dr. Brower has also published articles in numerous professional journals on these topics. Dr. Brower is recognized nationally as an expert on trimester scheduling for both middle schools and high schools. He and Dr. Brad Balch invented the Transformational Leadership theory presented in this book. Dr. Brower is an entertaining presenter who mixes research with common sense. Dr. Brower’s educational career has included teaching and coaching for twenty-two years, six years as a high school principal, and four years as a public school superintendent. This is Dr. Brower’s first book but several more are in the works.

Bradley V. Balch

Dr. Bradley Balch is currently the Chairperson for the Department of Educational Leadership, Administration, and Foundations at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana. Formerly, Dr. Balch served as a teacher, building administrator, and superintendent. In addition to his current capacity as a school board president, Dr. Balch also serves as a facilitator and consultant to school boards on leadership and governance issues. His scholarship agenda, including presentations and publications at the regional, state and national levels focus, in part, on the recruitment, retention and professional development of school leaders, mentoring and induction of new school leaders, and stress factors in district-level leadership.

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

1. Introduction

2. Decision-Making Pedagogy: A Leadership Essential

3. Overcoming Internal Obstacles to Decision Making

4. Overcoming External Barriers to Decision Making

5. Aligning Decision Making to the Leader's Mission

6. Understanding How Human Nature Affects Decision Making

7. Defining Relationships With Respect and Rapport

8. Entrust: The Value of Empowerment and Delegation

9. Creating Motivating Capacities for the Common Good

10. The Influence of Capitalism on Decision Making

11. Refining and Rethinking Change in Education

12. Facing the Challenges of Leadership

13. Leadership for the Common Good: The Essential Imperative

Resource: Decision Making Self-Assessment

Bibliography

Index

Reviews

"Public education is constantly evolving, and new challenges require school officials to be insightful, well planned, and innovative. It is because of these changing times that this book, which offers a different view of systems analysis and organizational behavior, is so valuable."

Frank Bush, Executive Director
Indiana School Boards Association

"Educational leaders need a basis for confident decision making. The authors have a solution for challenging times."

Kay Harmless, Interim Director, Indiana Principal Leadership Academy
Indiana Department of Education

"A great read for leaders desiring to practically apply principles of sincerity, integrity, and commitment to an organization's culture."

James Thompson, President
Gibraltar Design, Inc.

"As we prepare educational leaders, Transformational Leadership & Decision Making is a must read."

Debra Lecklider, Assistant Professor
Butler University

"In my 25 years of school administration, Transformational Leadership & Decision Making in Schools is the first book that makes sense. When followed, it really works!"

Terry Russell, Principal
North Montgomery High School, IN

"Finally-a book outlining how to 'lead' in education, by authors whose knowledge comes frontline practice and success."

Senator Luke Kenley
State of Indiana

"The authors provide a self-assessment to help school leaders reflect on their own effectiveness in decision making. May be of interest to school leaders, and could prompt interesting professional growth conversations. Could also be an effective resource for graduate coursework in educational leadership."

Principal Navigator, January 2007

Other Titles in: Leadership | School Change, Reform, & Restructuring

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For Instructors

Request Review Copy

When you select 'request review copy', you will be redirected to Sage Publishing (our parent site) to process your request.