Full Description
Leading in the Belly of the Beast is an anthology of essays from transformational school leaders around the country who lead in a school system that is not set up for the success of their students, namely students of color and students living in poverty. The book highlights leaders who begin from the premise that the institution of school/system of education in the United States, since its inception, has been established to maintain the racial, cultural, and economic status quo - and to maintain divisions among these racial, cultural, and class groups. These leaders use this very assertion as a foundation for their transformational leadership from within the system.
Leading in the Belly of the Beast includes the voices of nine educators in a variety of positions of school leadership, from principals and deans to teacher leaders. The unifying experience of these leaders is that they all currently work in the context of a school and, therefore, have authentic and fresh experiences and expertise to share.
The goal of Leading in the Belly of the Beast is to emphasize the need to understand that our current system of education as not broken but as functioning to achieve exactly the results it was designed to achieve, and then to demonstrate why and how transformative leaders can and must achieve different results for students of color and students living in poverty, even while operating in the "belly of the beast".
Contents
Dedication
Epigraph
Preface: The Importance of Diverse Voices
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Naming the Beast
Chapter 1: The Dangers of Definition
By Milton Reynolds
Chapter 2: Focus on the Core: Leading Towards Community, Solidarity, and Purpose
By Trevor Gardner
Chapter 3: Leading with "Tenacious Love"
By Kristin Botello
Chapter 4: The Freedom to Think Critically
By Meredith Gavrin
Chapter 5: Students in the Center
By Eran DeSilva
Chapter 6: "This is the Work": A Personal and Professional Mantra for Sustaining in the Belly of the Beast
By Tim Bremner
References
About the Contributors
