Download or read book Effective Practices for Academic Leaders written by Trudy W. Banta and published by Stylus Publishing (VA). This book was released on 2006-04-01 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Executive Summary With increasing public demands for accountability, there is a need to collect and present evidence of the effectiveness of practices and outcomes in higher education. Transformational leadership can facilitate the use of such evidence to improve programs and services that positively influence student learning. This form of leadership can be initiated top-down by presidents, chief academic officers, deans, and department chairs and/or bottom-up by students, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders. This briefing explores the leadership styles and insights about assessment of top administrators from eleven colleges and universities nationwide that have established reputations for good practice in outcomes assessment. In interviews with these leaders, we examine their perspectives on the following aspects of assessment: the vision, barriers, risks, methods of stakeholder engagement and support, collection and application of data, and sustainability of the process. Emergent themes in leading institutional change through assessment include the need for collaboration among administrators, faculty, and student affairs professionals; adequate training, recognition, and rewards for faculty and staff; and incorporation of assessment data into strategic plans, annual reports, budget hearings, and program reviews.

Download or read book Effective Practices for Academic Leaders written by Daniel W. Wheeler and published by Effective Practices for Academ. This book was released on 2006-08 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Executive Summary Departmental chairs and their departments face a range of external and internal forces that challenge academic traditions and expectations. Critics suggest that departments are either unwilling or unable to respond. Chairs play a significant leadership role in initiating and facilitating change processes to make necessary changes. External and internal forces for change in departments are described. Three types of changes are identified: (1) adaptations in which people make adjustments only to changes that are in place, (2) innovations or major changes in which new ideas and procedures are implemented, and (3) change creation in which organizations make priority changes to be on the cutting edge. The changes occur at the individual, group, and departmental level. Change can be managed in a number of ways and is usually driven by an implicit or explicit model. This briefing suggests that an eight-stage model is a useful guide. The eight stages are (1) establishing a sense of urgency, (2) creating a guiding coalition, (3) developing a vision and strategy, (4) communicating the change vision, (5) empowering broad-based action, (6) generating short-term wins, (7) consolidating gains and producing more change, and (8) anchoring new approaches in the culture. No matter what model is adopted, chairs are both managers and leaders of change. It is suggested that leadership is particularly crucial to the change process, because it is driven by vision, motivation, and meaning-making. Chairs should also play the roles of gadfly and facilitator. Resistance to change is part of the change process. Concerns should be surfaced and addressed so that people can move through the change process. Kinds of resistance identified are tradition, self-interest, lack of skills or competencies, change mandated from the top, flavor of the month, not invented here, complacency, and faculty nearing retirement. A number of strategies to address resistance are suggested. They include demonstrating empathy and understanding for those in the change process; tying initiatives to the vision, mission, and values of the department; showing that the proposed change is consistent with the academic traditions and expectations; building on previous successes; and communicating often and in a variety of ways. In this briefing I describe eleven effective practice principles to guide chairs in their change efforts: (1) respect the people and traditions, (2) make decisions and processes transparent, (3) keep one eye on the present and one on the horizon, (4) value involvement in the life of the department, (5) involve faculty and staff in the what and how of decisions, (6) recognize that change management has a human side to it, (7) understand the difference between management and leadership, (8) have a short list of what is really important, (9) invest in having everyone be successful in the change process, (10) be sincere and authentic in whatever you do, and (11) make change management a priority. Change management is critical to departmental success today and will be even more so in the future. Department chairs need to take the lead in this process.

Download or read book Building Academic Leadership Capacity written by Walter H. Gmelch and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-02-02 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A clear, systematic road map to effective campus leadership development Building Academic Leadership Capacity gives institutions the knowledge they need to invest in the next generation of academic leaders. With a clear, generalizable, systematic approach, this book provides insight into the elements of successful academic leadership and the training that makes it effective. Readers will explore original research that facilitates systematic, continuous program development, augmented by the authors' own insight drawn from experience establishing such programs. Numerous examples of current campus programs illustrate the concepts in action, and reflection questions lead readers to assess how they can apply these concepts to their own programs. The academic leader is the least studied and most misunderstood management position in America. Demands for accountability and the complexities of higher education leadership are increasing, and institutions need ways to shape leaders at the department chair, dean, and executive levels of all functions and responsibilities. This book provides a road map to an effective development program, whether the goal is to revamp an existing program or build one from the ground up. Readers will learn to: Develop campus leadership programs in a more systematic manner Examine approaches that have been proven effective at other institutions Consider how these approaches could be applied to your institution Give leaders the skills they need to overcome any challenge The field of higher education offers limited opportunity to develop leaders, so institutions must invest in and grow campus leaders themselves. All development programs are not created equal, so it's important to have the most effective methods in place from day one. For the institution seeking a better way to invest in the next generation of campus leaders, Building Academic Leadership Capacity is a valuable resource.

Download or read book Effective Practices for Academic Leaders written by Walter H. Gmelch and published by Stylus Publishing (VA). This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: See Effective Practices for Academic Leaders.

Download or read book Building Academic Leadership Capacity written by Walter H. Gmelch and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-01-08 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A clear, systematic road map to effective campus leadership development Building Academic Leadership Capacity gives institutions the knowledge they need to invest in the next generation of academic leaders. With a clear, generalizable, systematic approach, this book provides insight into the elements of successful academic leadership and the training that makes it effective. Readers will explore original research that facilitates systematic, continuous program development, augmented by the authors' own insight drawn from experience establishing such programs. Numerous examples of current campus programs illustrate the concepts in action, and reflection questions lead readers to assess how they can apply these concepts to their own programs. The academic leader is the least studied and most misunderstood management position in America. Demands for accountability and the complexities of higher education leadership are increasing, and institutions need ways to shape leaders at the department chair, dean, and executive levels of all functions and responsibilities. This book provides a road map to an effective development program, whether the goal is to revamp an existing program or build one from the ground up. Readers will learn to: Develop campus leadership programs in a more systematic manner Examine approaches that have been proven effective at other institutions Consider how these approaches could be applied to your institution Give leaders the skills they need to overcome any challenge The field of higher education offers limited opportunity to develop leaders, so institutions must invest in and grow campus leaders themselves. All development programs are not created equal, so it's important to have the most effective methods in place from day one. For the institution seeking a better way to invest in the next generation of campus leaders, Building Academic Leadership Capacity is a valuable resource.

Download or read book Effective Practices for Academic Leaders Volume 1 Issue 10 written by Michael J. Dooris and published by Stylus Pub Llc. This book was released on 2006-06-30 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Executive Summary In this briefing I describe trends in higher education that impact the hiring and success of tenure-track faculty: increasing competition for the "best and the brightest," the "generational change" expected as a cohort of retiring senior faculty is replaced by a new generation, and expanding roles for faculty as external influences widen expectations for higher education. I review some of the research on expectations and concerns of early-career faculty, highlighting particularly the difficulties young faculty members have identified in (1) understanding and achieving expectations for tenure and promotion, (2) becoming socialized in their institutions and departments and finding colleagues with whom to collaborate, and (3) balancing the multiple demands of jobs and personal and family responsibilities. In addition, I explore the multiple forms of scholarship in which new faculty members are often expected to become engaged, along with the risks associated with expanded expectations and the resulting "overloaded plate." By reviewing the results from job-satisfaction surveys of tenure-track faculty, with attention to the expectations of women and minority faculty and faculty at different types of institutions, I have identified what administrators can learn about creating competitive academic workplaces. Among the factors affecting workplace satisfaction for early-career faculty is work-life balance. I include a review of recent efforts to implement policies and practices to assist faculty, particularly early-career faculty, in balancing work and family responsibilities. Finally, I provide a list of questions that chairs and their departments can ask themselves about the support that they provide early-career faculty, and I present professional development resources. The briefing identifies the important role of the department chair in providing new faculty members--indeed, all faculty members--a supportive environment that offers clearly defined expectations and appropriate rewards, a balanced work life, and opportunities for collegiality and community.

Download or read book Effective Practices for Academic Leaders written by Timothy J. Delmont and published by Stylus Publishing (VA). This book was released on 2001-01-01 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Executive Summary This briefing explores one of the most common leadership roles in academe-- that of a department chair. It draws distinctions between the skills and knowledge necessary for successful management of an individual career and those required for farsighted departmental leadership, which calls for a holistic, organizational-level view of a program or a department as part of the larger institution. The briefing describes an in-depth approach to planning, assessment, and improvement in academic departments, using as a model the Malcolm Baldrige Program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. This model was adapted to the needs of higher-education institutions, with their particular emphases on scholarship, research, service, outreach, and teaching and instruction. The resulting Excellence in Higher Education (EHE) model, first developed at Rutgers University in 1994 and now in its seventh version (Ruben, 2007a), provides an integrated approach to assessment, planning, and improvement, drawing on the Baldrige model, as well as on standards and language of the institutional accrediting associations. The following seven categories of the EHE are seen as interrelated parts of a unified system: (1) leadership, (2) strategic planning, (3) beneficiaries and constituencies, (4) programs and services, (5) faculty/staff and workplace, (6) assessment and information use, and (7) outcomes and achievements. The briefing elaborates on the application of the EHE framework by focusing on its categories as well as the EHE process and several ways that it can be used. The impact of the model is shown through results of two studies conducted to assess the practical value of EHE to participants. The briefing then discusses the framework outcomes in terms of specific improvement initiatives adopted by departments that have used EHE as well as lessons learned from more than 50 EHE assessments nationwide. Finally, the briefing highlights the contributions of EHE to fostering successful leadership practices and ultimately advancing the mission of a department, a program, and the larger institution.

Download or read book Effective Practices for Academic Leaders written by Timothy Delmont and published by . This book was released on 2006-12-01 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Statement of Purpose The work lives of faculty and administrative leaders in higher education institutions, while typically rewarding, are often challenging and stressful. To better manage their work agenda and make key decisions, they need access to useful information available in a timely manner. Effective Practices for Academic Leaders is a monthly publication that assists leaders by offering critical advice and information in a concise format for ready application in administrative life. Each monthly 16- page briefing presents guidance on a key issue. Each issue sets out the context and fundamental issues; summarizes key scholarly research findings to ground administrative practice; offers insights and tips on effective practices drawn from real world experiences, and presents an annotated bibliography. These briefings provide the critical information today's busy leaders need in a concise format and with an emphasis on application. Each issue is written by an acknowledged authority. These briefings cover a wide array of leadership, management, and governance practices associated with the roles and responsibilities of academic administration, with special emphasis on topics germane to academic departments. They also address the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors needed for exemplary administrative performance. A site license is available that offers online access to each issue through your institutional Intranet. Anyone on campus with a password to your Intranet can quickly access this material as needed. Features of Each Issue * an executive summary of the major ideas in the booklet for easy reference * key scholarly research findings on the topic to provide a theoreticalrationale for administrative practice * tips on relevant, effective practices and techniques drawn from real world experiences * helpful case studies or examples to deepen understanding and insights * an annotated bibliography to identify references for further examination Benefits * a concise format allowing busy leaders to learn new best practices with a minimum investment of time * more up-to-date ideas than typically found in books and monographs * current thinking by major scholars and experienced administrators * an in-depth description of a single topic * application as a resource tool in graduate degree programs, faculty and administrative development programs, and non credit professional development courses * geared to the needs of leaders in all types of higher education institutions * An online subscription ensures immediate availability to all department chairs and administrators on campus Publication Schedule and Subscription Rates The 2005 volume of 12 monthly issues will begin shipping in April with four issues. Thereafter, we will publish one issue monthly. ISSN: 1554-0464 (Print) / 1554-0472 (Online) Subscription Rates: Annual hard copy subscription: (12 issues): $90.00 Individual issue price: $13.95 plus shipping Annual subscription (hard copy plus site license and right of unlimited single copy reproduction)*: * Institutions with student enrollments up to 1,000: $150.00+ * Institutions with student enrollments of 1,001 2,500: $200.00+ * Institutions with student enrollments of 2,501 5,000: $250.00+ * Institutions with student enrollments of 5,001 10,000: $300.00+ * Institutions with student enrollments of 10,001 20,000: $350.00+ * Institutions with student enrollmentsof 20,001 and above: $400.00+ Reproduction for course use: $9.95 per copy per issue *Excludes copies made for courses for which students pay enrollment fees. +Enrollment based on current edition of The Higher Education Directory.. Network access to back issues subject to maintaining a current subscription. For details, contact: [email protected].

Download or read book The Leader in Me written by Stephen R. Covey and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-12-11 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Children in today's world are inundated with information about who to be, what to do and how to live. But what if there was a way to teach children how to manage priorities, focus on goals and be a positive influence on the world around them? The Leader in Meis that programme. It's based on a hugely successful initiative carried out at the A.B. Combs Elementary School in North Carolina. To hear the parents of A. B Combs talk about the school is to be amazed. In 1999, the school debuted a programme that taught The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopleto a pilot group of students. The parents reported an incredible change in their children, who blossomed under the programme. By the end of the following year the average end-of-grade scores had leapt from 84 to 94. This book will launch the message onto a much larger platform. Stephen R. Covey takes the 7 Habits, that have already changed the lives of millions of people, and shows how children can use them as they develop. Those habits -- be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, seek to understand and then to be understood, synergize, and sharpen the saw -- are critical skills to learn at a young age and bring incredible results, proving that it's never too early to teach someone how to live well.

Download or read book Effective Practices for Academic Leaders written by Donald E. Hanna and published by Stylus Publishing (VA). This book was released on 2006-06-01 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Executive Summary Universities and colleges face a growing crisis of relevance in the twenty-first century, and academic departments and disciplines will not be immune or protected. Department chairs and other academic leaders need to provide leadership in this new complex, competitive, technologically advanced, communications-dependent, and consumer-oriented society. In doing so, they need an informed voice, as well as support and even advocacy for faculty members, who are the heart and soul of academic innovation. Academic leaders need to understand the changing contexts in which universities are operating, including evolving learner expectations, culture, challenges, and opportunities. New technologies are changing the nature of learning and teaching, and powerful competitors, who are seeking to meet the educational needs of adult workers and other nontraditional students, have emerged. The department chair is at the center of effective leadership, helping faculty and staff to use technological developments wisely, effectively, and efficiently. While the department chair will provide leadership in changing technical and procedural processes (first-order changes), the more important changes will be at a fundamental level that will involve substantial shifts in philosophy, values, goals, and core processes (second-order changes). This briefing explores both opportunities and challenges for exercising leadership in exploring new uses for technology in department settings. It offers specific ideas for chairs to consider in promoting technological changes as they develop approaches and strategies for program development, department administration, faculty development and mentoring, and overall departmental leadership.

Download or read book Effective Practices for Academic Leaders written by Timothy Delmont and published by . This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Statement of Purpose The work lives of faculty and administrative leaders in higher education institutions, while typically rewarding, are often challenging and stressful. To better manage their work agenda and make key decisions, they need access to useful information available in a timely manner. Effective Practices for Academic Leaders is a monthly publication that assists leaders by offering critical advice and information in a concise format for ready application in administrative life. Each monthly 16- page briefing presents guidance on a key issue. Each issue sets out the context and fundamental issues; summarizes key scholarly research findings to ground administrative practice; offers insights and tips on effective practices drawn from real world experiences, and presents an annotated bibliography. These briefings provide the critical information today's busy leaders need in a concise format and with an emphasis on application. Each issue is written by an acknowledged authority. These briefings cover a wide array of leadership, management, and governance practices associated with the roles and responsibilities of academic administration, with special emphasis on topics germane to academic departments. They also address the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors needed for exemplary administrative performance. A site license is available that offers online access to each issue through your institutional Intranet. Anyone on campus with a password to your Intranet can quickly access this material as needed. Features of Each Issue * an executive summary of the major ideas in the booklet for easy reference * key scholarly research findings on the topic to provide a theoreticalrationale for administrative practice * tips on relevant, effective practices and techniques drawn from real world experiences * helpful case studies or examples to deepen understanding and insights * an annotated bibliography to identify references for further examination Benefits * a concise format allowing busy leaders to learn new best practices with a minimum investment of time * more up-to-date ideas than typically found in books and monographs * current thinking by major scholars and experienced administrators * an in-depth description of a single topic * application as a resource tool in graduate degree programs, faculty and administrative development programs, and non credit professional development courses * geared to the needs of leaders in all types of higher education institutions * An online subscription ensures immediate availability to all department chairs and administrators on campus Publication Schedule and Subscription Rates The 2005 volume of 12 monthly issues will begin shipping in April with four issues. Thereafter, we will publish one issue monthly. ISSN: 1554-0464 (Print) / 1554-0472 (Online) Subscription Rates: Annual hard copy subscription: (12 issues): $90.00 Individual issue price: $13.95 plus shipping Annual subscription (hard copy plus site license and right of unlimited single copy reproduction)*: * Institutions with student enrollments up to 1,000: $150.00+ * Institutions with student enrollments of 1,001 2,500: $200.00+ * Institutions with student enrollments of 2,501 5,000: $250.00+ * Institutions with student enrollments of 5,001 10,000: $300.00+ * Institutions with student enrollments of 10,001 20,000: $350.00+ * Institutions with student enrollmentsof 20,001 and above: $400.00+ Reproduction for course use: $9.95 per copy per issue *Excludes copies made for courses for which students pay enrollment fees. +Enrollment based on current edition of The Higher Education Directory.. Network access to back issues subject to maintaining a current subscription. For details, contact: [email protected].

Download or read book Effective Practices for Academic Leaders written by Jenny Mandelbaum and published by Stylus Publishing (VA). This book was released on 2007-08 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Executive Summary This briefing lays out a process for preparing a new chair to assume the leadership of an academic department. I review processes and considerations for the transition between department chairs, including using the transition period for acculturating new chairs to the job, providing them with useful documentation and information, giving them access to department rules and processes, having them shadow the incumbent chair, and introducing them to key personnel. I then address how preparation of the new chair, psychologically and otherwise, may be conducted during the transition period. The briefing then examines how the new chair may be alerted to and prepared for the different communication skills needed in transitioning from faculty member to department chair, including those involved in persuasion, negotiation, and running meetings. I also describe the documentation of the department's activities that incumbent chairs should prepare for their successors. A table giving a sample chronology of tasks throughout the academic year with links to supporting documents is included. Finally, I consider the sensitivities associated with having the previous chair "return to the ranks."

Download or read book Effective Practices for Academic Leaders written by Timothy Delmont and published by Stylus Publishing (VA). This book was released on 2006-05-01 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Executive Summary This briefing is designed primarily for department chairs, but it will also be useful to all academic administrators. It offers suggestions by which chairs can build the research profiles of their departments. This briefing is developed around a series of concepts reported from a study of researchactive departments (Bland, Weber-Main, Lund, & Finstad, 2005), which include developing clear goals, encouraging participative research leadership, recruiting/selecting research-driven faculty, developing a positive group climate/culture, and providing mentoring. Chairs must develop clear goals for areas of research focus within the department. As these areas are established, faculty must develop specific goals for their research groups including overarching questions that will drive the groups' research agenda. However, these research groups and faculty plans must be developed in a participatory style that involves everyone in the process and in the decisions that are made. Departments must hire, support, and mentor research-active faculty. That involves faculty working together to support each other and the chair providing consistent support and encouragement for the faculty and research groups. Good research leadership helps to identify and provides sources for research, promotes interdisciplinary research agendas, and encourages a positive research climate in the department. In addition to recruiting, hiring, and supporting research-active faculty, the chair and department must continue to support more senior faculty. Sometimes this involves helping them to develop new research models and technical skills to find the keys to success with grant activities. Support may also involve faculty developmental leaves to enhance research knowledge and skills. Finally, the chair must develop new skills to provide effective research leadership. To some extent, the new chair, who wishes to build a research-productive department, must move from research specialist to research generalist. The chair must gain through practice the knowledge and skills to articulate the department's (and its faculty's) research agenda to the broader academic, professional, and general community.

Download or read book Effective Practices for Academic Leaders written by Daniel W. Wheeler and published by Stylus Publishing (VA). This book was released on 2007-12 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Executive Summary This briefing is intended to increase the knowledge and understanding of department chairs and their supervisors of a current leadership philosophy and practice known as servant leadership. It examines servant leadership in the context of the department and the chair's functions. In 1970, Robert Greenleaf first described servant leadership. He viewed servant leadership as a deep desire to serve--a prerequisite to leadership-- and identified 10 characteristics of servant leaders. Barbuto and Wheeler (2006) added an additional one: calling. Subsequently, in a new model, Barbuto and Wheeler reduced these 11 characteristics to 5 and redefined them as the following factors: altruistic calling, emotional healing, persuasive mapping, wisdom, and organizational stewardship. They also developed an empirical survey instrument for measuring these factors, the Servant Leadership Questionnaire (SLQ). In this briefing, I suggest that servant leadership is an appropriate practice for chairs because many of its outcomes (e.g., positive work environment, empowerment, and service) are those that chairs desire. Research thus far suggests that servant leadership also results in greater commitment, satisfaction, effort, and trust. I provide numerous examples of these outcomes in this briefing. This briefing also addresses a number of broad questions and issues about servant leadership: Is servant leadership too idealistic and "soft" to be effective? Are decisions determined by the leader's ego needs? Can servant leadership be used to address all leadership and management functions? Can one be a servant leader in a nonservant organization? How does a servant leader deal with the paradoxes of chairing a department? Can the chair meet followers' highest-priority needs? Can't individual needs conflict with organizational needs? Are the means as important as the ends? Why should chairs take the Servant Leadership Questionnaire (SLQ) as a development experience?

Download or read book Effective Practices for Academic Leaders written by Nancy E. Algert and published by Stylus Publishing (VA). This book was released on 2007-09 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Executive Summary A successful academic leader such as a department chair or dean must be able to discern and manage conflicts effectively. Conflict is a natural state of existence in our everyday lives, and the academic setting is no exception. In an era of greater accountability, pressures to increase student enrollment, declining resources, and the expectation to recruit and retain a more diverse faculty and student body, the probability of an academic leader engaging in or having to resolve conflict is on the rise. The nature or types of conflicts in an academic setting vary, from the individuals involved to the issues that lead to them. Conflict can arise over issues related to faculty hires, the allocation of department and college resources, performance evaluations, achieving and working with diversity, and relationships among departmental personnel. We cannot avoid conflict in an academic setting any more than we can elsewhere in our daily experiences, but the consequences of engaging in it are not always negative. In fact, conflict, if managed well, can lead to growth and development. However, many of us are not equipped with the skills to manage conflict, and we do not know whom to refer to when conflicts arise on a college or university campus. We assume that academic leaders know how to manage conflict well, but conflict management is an overlooked area of faculty and administrator development. This briefing conveys an overview of conflict management, some common causes of conflict, how people respond to conflict, how social justice influences conflict, the modes people use to address conflict, how to identify our conflict management style, conflicts involving bullying and bias, and how administrators can enhance their skills in conflict management.

Download or read book Effective School Leadership in Challenging Times written by Liz Browne and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-12-29 with total page 143 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Education leadership has been subject to a period of turmoil with rapid social change, political demands for excellence, economic pressures for austerity and the influence of technology impacting on leadership roles in multiple ways. This book draws on real examples of practice to identify the key challenges facing educational leadership and how these might be overcome drawing on recent research and interventions that have impacted positively on learner outcomes and teacher retention. Covering all aspects of leadership including school improvement, vision and values, working with partners and leading change, the book launches the concept of atomic leadership, advocating small steps to change for maximum momentum and large-scale impact. It reveals how leaders can cooperate to trial new ways of learning and disseminate their successes and failures with a new honesty and openness about what works in our schools. With reflective tasks in every chapter, this text will inspire debate and inform discussion at staff meetings and is essential reading for all school leaders as well as those undertaking master-level courses in educational leadership and or pursuing the National Professional Qualifications in leadership.

Download or read book Effective Practices for Academic Leaders written by Mary Deane Sorcinelli and published by Stylus Publishing (VA). This book was released on 2001-01-01 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Executive Summary This briefing is designed primarily for department chairs, but it will also be useful to other academic administrators responsible for faculty development. It is based on a series of findings reported from our major study of the field of faculty development in higher education (Sorcinelli, Austin, Eddy, & Beach, 2006). It asks two important questions: What are the key challenges facing faculty members and their institutions? and What are the issues around which faculty members are likely to need support over the next few years? It is important to note that while the term faculty development broadly refers to assisting faculty to become more effective in performing all roles related to academic life, a large number of our findings focus on roles and responsibilities related to teaching and student learning. We begin this briefing by identifying the key challenges and pressures facing faculty members and their institutions in this changing world of higher education. These are the changing nature of the professoriate; the changing nature of the student body; and the changing nature of teaching, learning, and scholarship. Next, we offer an overview of each of these challenges and discuss how department chairs can initiate activities that respond to them in ways that support the professional development of their faculty. We conclude by offering five specific action steps that chairs can take as they guide and support their departments in an era of dramatic change, not only in the expectations for our faculty and the profile of our students, but also in our paradigms for teaching, learning, and scholarship.