A School Head’s job is never done—even if students and teachers have abandoned their classrooms to frolic in the summer sun. Still, there’s surely some time to revitalize old strategies and develop new ones! So kick back, relax, and read one of these books we’ve collected specifically for School Heads. And—once you’re done—download one of our prerecorded Webinars for some professional development in the comfort of your office.
Why Don't Students Like School: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom
by Daniel T. Willingham, PhD
As a cognitive scientist, Willingham understands the importance of research implications—and how to apply those findings to practical uses. In Why Don’t Students Like School, he explores the biological and cognitive reasons for effective teaching strategies. If you’re looking for a straight forward, clear, supported perspective on your current strategies both and out of in the classroom—as well as different perspectives on popular educational theories like teaching for “multiple intelligences”—Why Don’t Students Like School is your answer.
Recommended ISM Webinar: Student-Centered Teaching and Leading: What Does It Look Like? with Barbara Beachley
Donor-Centered Leadership
by Penelope Burk
Let’s talk about faculty and staff turnover for a second. It’s clearly not a good thing—high turnover rates cost the school morale and money—but how can you stop it? By being a leader others trust and are willing to follow, that’s how. In Donor-Centered Leadership, development guru Penelope Burk describes ways to stem the tide of staff attrition while retaining the people you need to keep your school happy, healthy, and thriving.
Recommended ISM Webinar: Develop Your Faculty (From Hiring to Retirement) with Michael Brisciana, SPHR
Requisite Organization: A Total System for Effective Managerial Organization and Managerial Leadership for the 21st Century
by Elliot Jaques
With publicized protests like “Occupy Wall Street” determined to vilify the government, the wealthy, and “The Man,” it can be all too easy to rail against the bureaucracy and blame it for all our problems. But, as Jacques points out, a ranking system or hierarchy has been established since the dawn of civilization and are prevalent in every group from top corporations to your private school. If they’re the root of all evil, why do they still exist in the 21st century? Jacques argues it’s because hierarchies work—they’re a natural organization preventing groups from dissolving into anarchical chaos, and can be leveraged to achieve efficiency, employee satisfaction, and institutional (read: mission) goals. Learn how to put your hierarchy to good use after reading Requisite Organization.
Additional ISM resources:ISM Monthly Update for Admission Officers Vol. 12 No. 10 Summer Reading for the Admission Office: Recommended Books and Webinars
ISM Monthly Update for Development Directors Vol. 12 No. 10 Summer Reading for the Development Office: Recommended Books and Webinars
ISM Monthly Update for Division Heads Vol. 11 No. 5 Must-Reads for Division Heads in 2014
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
I&P Vol. 31 No. 7 Faculty Autonomy and Collegiality: A Leadership/Management Challenge
I&P Vol. 34 No. 4 Another Way of Looking at Retention
