Effective School District Leadership: Transforming Politics into Education (S U N Y Series on Educational Leadership)

Edited By Kenneth Leithwood. Includes Essays Based On Research Funded By The Social Sciences And Humanities Research Council Of Canada. Most Chapters In This Book Are The Outcome Of A Project Undertaken By A Group Of Faculty, Research Staff, And Students In The Department Of Educational Administration At The Ontario Institute For Studies In Education--pref. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This book reports the results of a series of studies of effective school district leadershipSchool districts in both Canada and the United States provide the sites for this research. Many of these districts were in the midst of reform or restructuring initiatives and these initiatives became an important context within which to understand the work of district leaders. The authors describe how effective superintendents work with their immediate staffs, elected trustees, and school-based administrators. Each chapter examines the meaning of effective district leadership from different perspectives. Common to almost all of the chapters is an appreciation of the exquisitely "political" nature of the superintendent's work. Contributors to the volume include Edward A. Holdaway and Anthony Genge; Derek J. Allison, Patricia A. Allison, and Helen A. McHenry; Kenneth Leithwood and Roseanne Steinbach; Frances Wills and Kent Peterson; Joseph Murphy; Richard G. Townsend; Donald Musella; Mark Holmes; Stephen B. Lawton, Joyce Scane, and Shihui Wang; and Kenneth Leithwood.Kenneth Leithwood is Professor, Educational Administration and Head, Centre for Leadership Development at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. This book reports the results of a series of studies of effective school district leadership. School districts in both Canada and the United States provide the sites for this research. Many of these districts were in the midst of reform or restructuring initiatives and these initiatives became an important context within which to understand the work of district leaders. The authors describe how effective superintendents work with their immediate staffs, elected trustees, and school-based administrators. Each chapter examines the meaning of effective district leadership from different perspectives. Common to almost all of the chapters is an appreciation of the exquisitely "political" nature of the superintendent's work