Full Description
"I especially like the sections that address the educational leader as one who has a calling to serve. This is the first and only text that has adequately addressed why educational leaders do what they do!"
—Jill Gildea, Superintendent
Harrison Elementary School District #36, IL
Transform your leadership practice by incorporating values, ideals, and ethics!
How can an educational leader practice moral leadership and successfully engage teachers, students, and the surrounding community? In Genuine School Leadership, the authors explore the influence of personal values, experience, and beliefs on a leader's effectiveness. The book analyzes the scientific and sociological foundations of morality, examines current research on ethics, and explains how values develop within the context of educational leadership. With numerous examples, case studies, and exercises, this resource demonstrates how leaders can:
Analyze their leadership style through reflective practice
Use personal values to support authentic, moral leadership
Evaluate decisions based on the ethical norms of the surrounding community
Engage educators, students, and community members in developing a collective morality
Nurture schools and districts as values-based learning communities
This insightful resource provides all educators and school leaders with the necessary tools to develop a positive ethical and spiritual basis for their leadership practice and school culture.
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
1. Understanding Spirituality for Educational Leadership
Vignette
The Purpose for Writing This Book
Chapter Objectives
The Milieu
Human Insights and Spirituality
The Perspective of Inquiry
The Question of God in Spirituality
Neuroscience Research and Spirituality
The Problem of Evil and Spirituality
Summary
Illustration: A Case of Personal Belief
Exercise: Too Religious or Not?
2. The Personal Context of Human Spirituality
Chapter Objectives
The Context
The Psychological Foundations of Spirituality
The Elements of a Personal Spirituality for Educational Leaders
Summary
Illustration: A Case of Personal Spirituality
Exercise: Self-Assessment of Psychological Dimensions
3. The Nature of Educational Leadership Spirituality
Chapter Objectives
The Educational Leadership Vocation
The Learning Community as a Conduit to Spiritual Leadership
Research as a Form of Spiritual Leadership
Summary
Illustration: A Case of Vocation and Dispositions
Exercise: Assessment, Communication, and Reflection
4. The Practice of Educational Leadership From a Spiritual Base
Chapter Objectives
The Rationale for Spiritual Leadership
The Spiritual Dimensions of Transcendental Leadership
Culture
Summary
Illustration: A Case of Leadership Spirituality
Exercise: Cultural Analysis Assessment
Appendix A: Research in Astronomy, Geology, and Physic and Human Spirituality
Appendix B: Psychological, Philosophical, and Religious Approaches to Good and Evil in the Human Condition
Endnotes
Bibliography
Annotated Bibliography
Index
