Leading Every Day

Actions for Effective Leadership

The major change that we suggest for Leading Every Day is adding a fifth book on achieving results. We believe that with the growing emphasis on accountability, this book should add more about how leaders create a culture of success and commitment to results. We realize, however, that adding a fifth book creates a problem with length. To accommodate that, we propose dropping the notes section and running straight text. In the introduction we will suggest that readers keep a journal to accompany their use of the book. The theme of Book Five will focus on the use of the logic model approach to achieving results whereby leaders will help others establish a common understanding of the goals and outcomes and the inputs and strategies for achieving them. Topics for the contemplations may include the following:

· Role of leader in achieving results, including ethical leadership

· Using data effectively

· Problem resolution (Distinguishing between actual problems and symptoms of problems; problem triage; linking cause and effect: an inexact science; and the changing context: how solving one problem often creates a new one)

· Determining outcomes

· Benchmarking as well as sustainability and rapid prototyping

· Evaluating progress and achievement of outcomes

In writing Book 5, we will pull out related contemplations from the other four books (e.g., Book 1, Days 8 & 9) and move them to Book 5.

Here are some of the changes we propose to the other four books:

Book One: We want to incorporate the latest research on effective leadership practices (e.g., http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/school-leadership/effective-principal-leadership/Pages/The-School-Principal-as-Leader-Guiding-Schools-to-Better-Teaching-and-Learning.aspx). The article identifies the following key leadership practices: shaping a vision of academic success for all students; creating a climate hospitable to education; cultivating leadership in others; improving instruction; and managing people, data and processes to foster school improvement. We address vision quite well in the book, but not as much the other four. We'll add contemplations on climate and especially on building a trusting climate (see Bryk/Schneider et al., 2004) as distrust overpowers attempts at reform. We'll also add ones on innovative thinking, new forms of partnerships (e.g., collective impact), and summaries of the new elements in principal evaluation systems.

Book Two: An addition to Book 2 will be contemplations on what we've learned about the speed of change, that it does not necessary take years to implement a change. We'll also discuss the value of "quick wins." Reports coming from the School Improvement Grants (SIG) across the country will be helpful.

Book Three: Learning communities were just getting a good start when the 2^nd edition of Leading Every Day came out, and much has happened in the intervening years. We'll incorporate the most current information on Learning Communities (Fulton, 2011), including best practices. We'll also draw from Learning Forward's new standards for professional development and from the Chung Wei et al. (2009) study on the relationship between teacher professional development and student achievement.

Additionally, since the publication of the second edition of Leading Every Day, we completed the third edition of Designing Professional Development for Teachers of Science and Mathematics (2010). We will revise and update all of the contemplations that reference the third edition of the Designing PD book.

Book Four: Although we do not have a revision "theme" for Book Four, we have discussed, for example, eliminating Day 19 on setting up the room. We need a more upbeat ending than Day 31 provides. We also plan to include contemplations focused on "non-verbal" facilitation and the essential abilities of effective presenters (Zoller & Landry, 2010) as well as update the contemplations focused on the norms of collaboration based on Garmston and Wellman's book, which they have updated (2009). Perhaps other "themes" will emerge as we review the feedback and get into the writing.

In all of the books we will search for better quotes, edit remaining contemplations for clarity, and update those that are no longer current. As previously, there will be some hard choices on what goes and what stays. We hope feedback from the reviewers gives us guidance.