Learner-Centered Leadership: Research, Policy, and Practice

by Danzig, Arnold B.; Borman, Kathryn M.; Jones, Bruce A.; Wright, William F.

• ISBN13: 9780805858433
• ISBN10: 0805858431
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-10-16
• Publisher: Lawrence Erlbau

Summary

Many new approaches to school improvement are being proposed in the current climate of assessment and school accountability. This book explores one of these approaches, a new model of leadership training known as Learner-Centered Leadership (LCL). It is built around the fundamental idea that learning and learning communities are natural processes that, when properly harnessed, can lead to the highest levels of professional engagement and problem solving. Key features of this exciting new approach to school leadership include the following: Broad-based and GenerativeThe book's narratives vividly illustrate the extraordinary ability of LCL to generate new approaches to leadership development. For example, encouraging and assisting school leaders to reflect on their own leadership attributes relative to the implementation of the school mission: to ensure high teacher efficacy and student learning. In this respect the volume contributes significantly to the field of school leadership and professional development by extending above and beyond a narrow focus on instructional leadership. Practice OrientedBy creating communities that encourage conversation and analysis the new data-driven models of school improvement are more likely to be successfully implemented. Without analytical discourse, the process of interpreting school data and transforming it into practice would be largely lost. Conceptually AppropriateThe realization that everyone within a school (students, teachers, administrators) belongs to the same learning community minimizes status differences and encourages teamwork. The LCL administrator is much less likely to be authoritarian and power-oriented and much more likely to be transformative and student outcome focused. This book is appropriate for master's level courses and certification seminars, and for inservice workshops dealing with school leadership.

Author Biography

Arnold Danzig is associate professor in the Division of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Arizona State University. He is principal investigator of a multi-year grant from the United State Department of Education grant entitled Learner Centered Leadership for Language and Culturally Diverse Schools in High Needs Urban Settings. He has authored or co-authored numerous articles on leadership development which appear in International Studies in Educational Administration, Journal of Educational Administration, Educational Leadership and Administration, Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, and the 2004 Yearbook of the National Council of Professors of School Administration. He has also contributed to the education policy literature with published articles and chapters appearing in the International Journal of Educational Reform, Education Policy, Journal of Education Policy, the Politics of Accountability, and the Yearbook of the Politics of Education Association. He completed his Ph.D. degree from the University of Maryland. He teaches graduate courses on leadership skills, leadership development, and family-school-community connections. The knowledge base that he brings to this book comes from experience in schools, universities, and government as an educator, administrator, policy analyst, college professor, and parent.

Table of Contents

About the Editors	p. ix
Foreword	p. xi
Introduction and Overview of Learner-Centered Leadership	p. 1
Learner-Centered Leadership: New Directions For School Leadership In A National Perspective	p. 3
Historical and Intellectual Underpinnings of Learner-Centered Leadership-Policy Shifts and Historical Shifts in Professional Development for Principals	p. 21
A Culture in the Making: Leadership in Learner-Centered Schools	p. 23
A Learner-Centered Approach to Leadership Preparation and Professional Development	p. 51
Conceptual Foundations for Principal Leadership	p. 73
Professional Development, Context Knowledge, Curricular Reform, and Administrator Development	p. 109
Leadership for Curriculum Change: Schools Engaged in "Closing the Gap"	p. 111
The Development of Leadership in Mathematics: Cases of Urban Reform	p. 131
Eliminating Isolation to Foster Learner-Centered Leadership: Lessons form Rural Schools and Research Universities	p. 149
Kentucky's Collaborative Model for Developing School Leaders for Rural High-Need Schools: Principals Excellence Program	p. 171
Research and Practice on School Leadership and Professional Development	p. 187
Leadership for Data-Based Decision Making: Collaborative Educator Teams	p. 189
Learner-Centered Leadership in "Urban" Contexts: Key Elements to Consider for Professional Development	p. 207
Managing Policy Issues in Carrying Out Systemic Reform: Lessons for Principals from Chicago, El Paso, Memphis, and Miami	p. 221
Social Justice and Urban Reform Issues in Professional Development for Learner-Centered School Leaders	p. 239
Leadership in Border Rural Areas: A Pedagogical Awakening of a Principal Preparation Program	p. 241
Using Story and Narrative to Enhance the Professional Development of Learner-Centered Leaders	p. 251
Moral Issues in a Test-Driven Accountability Agenda: Moral Challenges for Learning-Centered Leadership	p. 275
Author Index	p. 291
Subject Index	p. 301
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.