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Leading From Below the Surface
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Leading From Below the Surface
A Non-Traditional Approach to School Leadership


June 2004 | 112 pages | Corwin

"Creighton gets leaders to look further and more deeply at what is going on within an organization. He clearly demonstrates that looking 'below the surface' at motivations, struggles, and challenges is imperative."
Pamela Flood, Assistant Professor
Florida State University

A groundbreaking model that digs deeper to uncover the root of effective leadership!Filling the gap between existing theoretical models and real-world practice, this landmark guide introduces a fresh paradigm shift that will shape the future of successful school leadership. Brimming with straightforward how-to's and practical examples, the book draws upon the latest influential best practices of effective business management and tailors them to meet the needs of educational leaders at all levels.

Leading From Below the Surface offers a deeper exploration of the more subjective, intangible aspects of leadership to get to the real issues, moving decision making outside the confines of school boardrooms and offices and into the dynamic hallways, community centers, school kitchens, and playgrounds.

Special features include:

  • Tools for expanding beyond data-based to evidence-based decision making for an enlightened perspective
  • Tactics for building political capital
  • Time management tips
  • Reader-friendly text and real-life scenarios for practical application

Leading From Below the Surface empowers educators to take a more comprehensive approach to managing schools that can boost teacher morale, student achievement, and community perceptions for overall success.


 
Preface
What This Book Is Not About

 
Acknowledgments

 
 
About the Author
 
1. Introduction
First, What Is the Surface?

 
OK, Now What Does "Below the Surface" Mean?

 
Leadership Is Both Objective and Subjective

 
 
2. What Does Traditional Leadership Look Like, and
How Did We Get Here from There?
Behavioral Leadership

 
Situational Leadership

 
Contingency Leadership Theory

 
Path-Goal Theory of Leadership

 
Transformational Leadership Theory

 
A Conceptual Framework for Leading From Below the Surface

 
 
3. What Is Leading From Below the Surface?
Bending the Rules Without Breaking Them

 
Managing Your Portfolio of Political Capital

 
Bourdieu and Capital

 
 
4. Evidence-Based Decision Making
Below the Surface: Data- or Evidence-Based?

 
Data-Driven vs. Evidence-Based Decision Making

 
Attendance Rates vs. Absence Rates

 
Narrowing the Achievement Gap

 
Dropout Rate: 2% or 28%?

 
Concluding Thoughts

 
 
5. Institutional Effectiveness vs. Strategy
A Closer Look at Strategy

 
How Does Strategy Relate to School Leadership?

 
Describing the Strategy

 
Identifying Positive and Negative Forces

 
 
6. Cooperation vs. Collaboration
Closing Thoughts

 
 
7. Looking Beyond the Obvious
From Superintendent to Secretary of Education

 
The SAT Story

 
Not Settling for Embroidering the Edges

 
Concluding Thoughts

 
 
8. Creating Leadership Behaviors: A Leadership Practice Field
OK, On to a Leadership Practice Field

 
Defining a Practice

 
A Practice Field Further Defined

 
Practicing Leading From Below the Surface

 
Practicing Listening

 
Practicing Respecting

 
 
9. Implications for Practicing School Administrators
Accountability

 
Leading From Below the Surface

 
The Disjuncture Between Societal Use and School Use of Technology

 
The Virtual Classroom

 
 
References
 
Index

"Creighton gets leaders to look further and more deeply at what is going on within an organization. He clearly demonstrates that looking ‘below the surface’ at motivations, struggles, and challenges is imperative."

Pamela Flood, Assistant Professor
Florida State University

Sample Materials & Chapters

Preface

Chapter 1: Introduction


For instructors

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ISBN: 9781483360577

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ISBN: 9780761939528
$62.95

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ISBN: 9780761939535
$24.95