Being a Successful Principal: Riding the Wave of Change Without Drowning

This collection of insights, anecdotes, gifts, and guidance on shared leadership in schools is written by principals for principals―the book, the authors say, "we wish we could have had when we began or careers as administrators." It′s a book of theory evolved into day-to-day practice, with subjects that include:

• Trusting in yourself and others
• Learning to change
• Handling change without being swept away
• Assessing students, staff, and schools
• The administrator as mediator
• Standing your ground while maintaining your relationships

. . . and much more, including specific self-assessment skills that allow you to measure your own development.

Being a Successful Principal is a great new book for administrators, aspiring administrators, or anyone interested in how schools are run on a day-to-day basis.

Dave Schumaker has been a public school teacher for 21 years, a principal of a high school and middle school for over ten years, and a staff develop for the past four years as the Director of the Central Coast Consortium for Professional Development, Region V in Santa Clara County, California. David is also a mentor on assignment for the National School Conference Institute in Phoenix; his workshops explore brain-based education, teaching strategies, assessment, thinking skills and many other subjects.

William A. Sommers, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of educational leadership at Hamline University and a junior high school principal in Owatonna, Minnesota. For the past ten years, he has worked as an associate trainer for the Institute of Intelligent Behavior based in Denver, Colorado. Bill has been in K-12 education for 29 years as a teacher, an assistant principal, junior high and high school principal in suburban and urban schools. He has also been adjunct faculty member at the University of St. Thomas, the University of Minnesota, and Capella University.

Dave Schumaker has been a public school teacher for 21 years, a principal of a high school and middle school for over ten years, and a staff develop for the past four years as the Director of the Central Coast Consortium for Professional Development, Region V in Santa Clara County, California. David is also a mentor on assignment for the National School Conference Institute in Phoenix; his workshops explore brain-based education, teaching strategies, assessment, thinking skills and many other subjects.

William A. Sommers, Ph.D. of Austin, Texas, continues to be a learner, teacher, principal, author, leadership coach, and consultant. Bill has come out of retirement five times to put theory into practice. He was on the Board of Trustees for five years and President for the National Staff Development Council now called Learning Forward.

Dr. Sommers is the former Executive Director for Secondary Curriculum and Professional Learning for Minneapolis Public Schools, and a school administrator for over 30 years. In addition to being an adjunct faculty member at several universities, he has been a program director for an adolescent chemical dependency treatment center and on the board of a halfway house for 20 years.

Bill has co-authored eight books, and co-authored chapters in several other books. In January 2016 Bill and his colleague Skip Olsen launched a website www.learningomnivores.com which includes educational blogs, new rules, and book reviews. Bill is a practitioner who integrates theory into leading and facilitating schools. Dr. Sommers has continued to be a leadership coach for over 25 years to school administrators.