15 things good principals do language bar

Paperback: 130 pages
Publisher: Eye on Education, (January 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1930556470
ISBN-13: 978-1930556478
Item Dimensions: 22.1 x 15.2 x 1 cm
Weight: 205 g

Download: Fifteen Things That Matter the Most in the Making of Great Principals

What Great Principals Do Differently: Fifteen Things That Matter Most/Practical Advice for Principals



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15 things good principals do

What Great Principals Do Differently: Fifteen Things That Matter Most by Todd Whitaker. Larchmont, N.Y.: Eye On Education. © 2003. 117 pages. ISBN 1-930556-47-0.

Practical Advice for Principals by Albert Lee Snow. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. © 2003. 103 pages. ISBN 0-8108-4594-6.

Educational leadership is built with knowledge acquired from many sources. Self-evaluation and experience solidify leadership. Todd Whitaker does an exceptional job in What Great Principals Do Differently by presenting 15 important ways effective principals set themselves apart. As a veteran principal, this book allowed me to look within myself deeply.

Whitaker does not present a "cookie cutter" method of leadership. He does prompt selfreflection during each chapter. As I read his chapter on change, I hit rewind in my mind and reviewed a recent semester full of change. It helped me realize my own challenges. Whitaker's research, practical experience, and core beliefs create the soul of the book. The material held my interest throughout and caused me to reflect.

Albert Lee Snow's approach in Practical Advice for Principals is much different than Todd Whitaker's. Snow uses 64 strategies to assist principals in designing their approach to the principalship. This book is much more prescriptive in its format. As I read the book, I felt as if I was reading a recipe for successful administration. At the conclusion of each chapter, activities are listed to extend learning.

Because educational leadership varies from person to person, I cannot dismiss the fact that Snow's thoughts will work for some. His strategies are sound and built on experience. I would caution readers to be certain to pick and choose. Do not assume that every strategy is set in stone.

Leadership styles can be altered and tweaked. However, your personal style is an enormous part of your personality and your core beliefs. Each author shares viewpoints from his own perspective and experiences. Nothing in either book is new, though the thoughts are written to tantalize and help you contemplate.

Linda Lawrence has been in education for nearly three decades. Her first love is special education, which she taught for 15 years. As a middlelevel administrator, she has served as an assistant principal and principal in Indiana and Illinois.

15 things good principals do

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