What makes a great school leader? Contrary to what many believe, the answer is not tied to a certain kind of personality but to specific behaviors and actions that have positive effects on student achievement—behaviors and actions that any school leader can learn and put into practice. Over the last decade, thousands of school principals have done that, by implementing "balanced leadership," an approach that recognizes the need to both maintain and challenge the status quo in order to move schools forward.
Building on the analysis that was first reported in School Leadership That Works, the authors of Balanced Leadership identify the 21 responsibilities associated with effective leadership and show how they relate to three overarching responsibilities:
- Establishing a clear focus—keeping the work and the conversations targeted on the issues that matter most;
- Managing change—understanding how to skillfully steer through the challenges associated with making improvements, both large and small; and
- Developing a purposeful community—creating a sense among all teachers and staff that they are invested in student outcomes and that they can make a difference.
For each of these areas, key points and specific practices are described in detail and illustrated with stories from school principals who have successfully learned how to become great leaders. Step-by-step tools provide clear guidance for readers who are ready to make the same kind of journey—one with the potential to transform them and the schools they serve.
Bryan Goodwin is the president and CEO of McREL International, a Denver-based nonprofit education research and development organization. Goodwin, a former teacher and journalist, has been at McREL for 15 years, serving previously as Chief Operating Officer and Director of Communications and Marketing. He has authored or coauthored several books, including Simply Better: Doing What Matters Most to Change the Odds for Student Success, The 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching: A Checklist for Staying Focused Every Day, and The Future of Schooling: Educating America in 2020. Goodwin writes a monthly research column for Educational Leadership and presents research findings and insights to audiences across the United States and in Canada and Australia. He can be reached at bgoodwin@mcrel.org.
Greg Cameron is a former executive director at McREL International, where he provided oversight and support for McREL s school-level leadership work. For more than 10 years, he served on the organization s leadership design and developmental team, designing and facilitating high-quality professional development for school leaders across the United States and around the world. Cameron is co-author of The Balanced Leadership Framework and Teaching Reading in Social Studies. Previously, he was an elementary school principal, an assistant principal, and a middle and high school classroom teacher.
Heather Hein is a communications consultant at McREL. For the past decade, she has written and edited a variety of publications and materials that engage educators in McREL s work. Hein has taught English as a second language to adults and has worked as a journalist; she now serves as managing editor of McREL s magazine, Changing Schools, and provides editorial support and guidance for the organization. She can be reached at hhein@mcrel.org.
