Understanding School Leadership

`This is a book packed with ideas and insights. It is informed by evidence from school leaders and provides a valuable overview of many important theories and research findings. A strength of the book is the way it pulls together empirical research the authors have conducted over the last 20 years. Such a long term view offers a new and needed long term perspective on school leadership and enables the authors to show how trends in leaders′ careers, thinking and practice have emerged and unfolded. Researchers and practitioners alike will find something of value in this book′ - Professor Geoff Southworth, Director of Research, National College for School Leadership

′[A]n excellent, well-written, extensively referenced, empirically based contribution to school leadership thinking... Earley and Weindling offer valuable insights for all of us: serving headteachers/principles, advisory and distinct-wide policy makers and aspiring headteachers′ - Journal of Educational Administration

By giving a detailed picture of the rapidly developing field of educational leadership, this book focuses on how to become a more effective manager and on understanding the vital importance of the manager′s role in school improvement.

Written in a clear and readable style, it contains an extensive exploration of leadership models and management strategies and is based on the latest research. The text is supplemented with case studies of leadership in action.

Understanding School Leadership is indispensable reading for those who have a managerial role within their school and for students of educational management.

Peter Earley, formerly of the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), is Reader in Education Management at the Institute of Education, University of London, head of the management and leadership development section and an Associate Director of the International School Effectiveness and Improvement Centre. He co-edits the practitioner journal Professional Development Today and is an accredited adviser to governing bodies on headteacher appraisal, a process he is currently researching.

Dick Weindling previously worked in industry and commerce, before entering education and becoming Head of Educational Management at the NFER, where he directed (working with Peter Earley) a unique national study of new secondary heads which followed them for over ten years. He is co-director of Create Consultants and is working again with Peter Earley (and others) on the evaluation of the leadership strategy of the London Challenge. Both authors have conducted several research projects for the National College for School Leadership.