School Administration from A to Z
450 Proven Guides for Initiating Action and Getting Results
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Administration & Leadership
Leaders may be charismatic, but charisma is not leadership. Successful school administrators give instructions, not orders. Leading by example requires the ability to distinguish between good and bad examples. Swimming with the current is not the same as being swept downstream.
Change
School administrators who spend time reliving the past probably have no future. Successful school administrators know the future begins today, not tomorrow. Global warming won't help school superintendents who vow to stay the course until hell freezes over. Wishing for change is no substitute for making it happen.
Mission. Vision. Planning & Plans
If you don't know where you're going, don't expect others to follow. A plan without a vision is like a journey without a destination. If school administrators stay focused on the worst that can happen, it usually will.
Attitudes & Behavior
Some school administrators believe they can, and they do. Others believe they can't, and they don't. Administrators with big egos are on the road to becoming small persons. To some school board members, a logical point of view is the one they are expressing. Climbing a tree is one thing. Going out on a limb is quite another.
Interpersonal Relations
It's hard for teachers and staff members to take things with a grain of salt when they are being peppered with criticism. Teachers and staff members sometimes play matador when their administrators are acting bull- headed. School administrators who deliver big don't have to make big promises.
Teamwork
School administrators who follow the "me first" principle often come in last. School administrators who aren't willing to carry the ball shouldn't expect others to run interference for them. Accept those who work with you for what they are, not what you'd like them to be.
Communication
The most effective school administrators spend more time listening than talking. Don't ask questions if you don't want to hear the answers. It is easier to speak angry words than to eat them. School administrators who shoot from the lip are as dangerous as those who shoot from the hip.
Financial Management and Control
Budgetary shortfalls can be caused by a shortage of ideas as well as a shortage of money. Implementing controls too late is like having the family cat declawed after your furniture has been shredded. School administrators who do a job nearly right have still done it wrong.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
This book recognizes the limited time available to school administrators for reading books that can contribute to their continued professional development. Therefore, it excludes pet theories, survey results, case analyses and quantitative data. And it doesn't have to be read chapter by chapter. That's because there are no chapters. Instead, the book presents 450 proven guides for initiating action and getting results, with the guides organized around sixteen topical headings focused on major responsibilities of all school administrators.
Guides presented throughout the book will reinforce some of
your thoughts about school administration. You will also get some new ideas,
experience lots of positive reinforcement, and find that you can still enjoy
reading a book about school administration. It's as close to a win- win situation
as you will find anywhere.
About the Author
Dr. Newport has remained active as a consultant throughout his career, completing assignments for educational institutions, banks, insurance companies, utilities, construction firms, fast-food chains, hospitals, and governmental agencies. He is also the author, co-author or editor of thirteen books about administration and management, as well as numerous articles appearing in business journals across the United States and abroad.