Leadership Through Mentoring : The Key to Improving the Confidence and Skill of Principals

Leadership Through Mentoring: The Key to Improving the Principals Confidence and Skill lays out the case for the development of robust mentorship programs to support new school leaders. With principal turnover at an all-time high, it is urgent that schools and districts find ways to help newly appointed leaders grow into effective supervisors, managers, and strategic thinkers who can also find personal and professional satisfaction in their careers. Using examples from several established and successful state programs, Leadership Through Mentoring shows how new school leaders’ effectiveness, vision, and engagement can be grown through intentionally designed and executed programs that offer supportive guidance and wise counsel from experienced leaders. Thoughtfully created and appropriately resourced, such programs can pave the way to longer and more successful principal tenures, which research shows lead directly to significant improvements in schools’ cultures, educational efficacy, and teacher and student performance. This is a book for leaders and governing bodies in all kinds of schools.

Phyllis A. Gimbel, EdD, is professor of educational leadership at Bridgewater State University, where she has published and presented on mentoring new school leaders, faculty development, and school leadership. Her books focus on establishing principal-teacher trust, building a positive school culture, and the importance of mentoring new school administrators.

Peter Gow, a past blogger for Education Week, is a long-time teacher and administrator and author of numerous books and articles on schools and teaching. He is currently the independent curriculum resource director at One Schoolhouse, a provider of online precollege courses and professional development programs.