Leading Together

Book excerpt: It’s about the work, not the position. Leadership is what is done, not who is doing it. The leadership work blurs the lines between teachers and administrators. Leading Together introduces a collective approach to progress, process, and programs to help build the conditions in which strong leadership can flourish and student outcomes improve. All school teams will find applicable insights as they explore the Collective Leadership Development Model for School Improvement. This book: ? Breaks down this innovative model and explains the significance and interdependence of each proven and tested component. ? Asks fearless reflection questions that both challenge and demand deliberate practice. ? Offers case study insights from an urban, rural, and suburban school. Lead and learn together. Start building your team with an eye on the end game. "Leading Together is the best guidance we have to date about how to collaboratively dismantle the wall that has stood between teachers and school administrators for over a century. This is a marvelously accessible book in which collective leadership is discovered through the eyes and voices of teachers and principals." Joseph F. Murphy, Frank W. Mayborn Chair and Associate Dean Peabody College of Education, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN "Leading Together includes rich research-based stories, reflective activities to spark action, and optimistic evidence about what this needed shift in school hierarchies means for improving student outcomes. Don’t just read this; adopt it as your guidebook to become an even more influential leader." P. Ann Byrd, COO & Partner Center for Teaching Quality, Carrboro, NC "Once again, Jon Eckert offers his straightforward, no nonsense thinking to busy practitioners. His authentic knowledge of everyday life in schools coupled with a thoughtful framework informs every chapter in this book. There are elements of his model that can be used right away...big shifts or little tweaks! His stories and humor make it readable (and meaningful!) for those of us seeking creative and collaborative ways to lead schools and districts." Joan Dabrowski, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Wellesley Public Schools, Wellesley, MA