Educational Leadership : A Reference Handbook (Contemporary Education Issues)

An objective discussion of educational leadership from both inside and outside the school system, focusing on ethical issues, dominant models, and today's unprecedented commitment to community involvement. During the last decade of the 20th century, the United States entered a new era of educational leadership. The seat of educational authority shifted from the district office to the individual school, from the principal-as-manager to the stakeholders: students, teachers, families, community members, school boards, politicians, and corporate and philanthropic foundations. In Educational Leadership, educator Pat Williams-Boyd traces these changes from their roots in the 19th century to the present day. She shows readers what leadership looks like when it is distributed throughout a community and explains how collaborative relationships can be forged. She also examines techniques for effective leadership during the hazardous process of school reform and presents a critical discussion of 20 leading school reform models.