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Educational Leadership Preparation and Development: An international and future focused perspective (Studies in Educational Leadership #27)
by Peng Liu David GurrThis collection addresses key issues in the preparation and development of school leaders across eight countries and four world areas (North America, United Kingdom, Europe and Australasia). The work offers evidence-based insights into the current and future leadership preparation and development needed for school success. The future focus extends across the coming two or more decades and challenges the reader to consider how schools will likely develop and the leadership we will need in these schools. The book comes at a time when many schools are faced with significant challenges, including enduring impacts from the pandemic, teacher shortages and the incorporation of new technologies such as generative AI. Leadership in schools has never been more important and it is timely to consider the leadership preparation and development we need now and into the future. There are chapters that address leadership from pre-service and early career teachers through to principals, providing a whole of career focus. The authors are part of the International Leadership Development Network, and use their extensive research to consider the important areas of teacher and middle leaders; leadership for equity, inclusion, and social justice; and school, community and university partnerships. It is a book that will prove useful to teachers and school leaders, system leaders, university faculty and graduate researchers.
Educational Leadership Simplified: A guide for existing and aspiring leaders
by Andy Bailey Dr Bob BatesLeading in education is a difficult job to do well. Political, financial and organisational pressures need to be managed smartly and difficult decisions need to be made. Written in Bob Bates' trademark style, this guide offers concise and clear support to help you lead and inspire in education. In collaboration with Andy Bailey, a former headteacher and school inspector with recent Ofsted lead inspection experience, Bob combines practical knowledge of leadership roles in education with robust theories underpinning leadership and management. Covering a wide range of key areas including team-building, coaching, conflict, change and budget management, creating a supportive work environment and working with various stakeholders - this is the go-to companion for anyone who is, or aspires to be, a senior leader in schools, colleges and other educational organisations. ? Also from Bob Bates: Learning Theories Simplified A Quick Guide to Special Needs and Disabilities
Educational Leadership Simplified: A guide for existing and aspiring leaders
by Andy Bailey Dr Bob BatesLeading in education is a difficult job to do well. Political, financial and organisational pressures need to be managed smartly and difficult decisions need to be made. Written in Bob Bates' trademark style, this guide offers concise and clear support to help you lead and inspire in education. In collaboration with Andy Bailey, a former headteacher and school inspector with recent Ofsted lead inspection experience, Bob combines practical knowledge of leadership roles in education with robust theories underpinning leadership and management. Covering a wide range of key areas including team-building, coaching, conflict, change and budget management, creating a supportive work environment and working with various stakeholders - this is the go-to companion for anyone who is, or aspires to be, a senior leader in schools, colleges and other educational organisations. ? Also from Bob Bates: Learning Theories Simplified A Quick Guide to Special Needs and Disabilities
Educational Leadership and Antonio Gramsci: The Organising of Ideas (Critical Studies in Educational Leadership, Management and Administration)
by Howard StevensonThis insightful book explores the life and ideas of Italian Marxist theoretician Antonio Gramsci, and argues his work has considerable contemporary relevance when re-considering educational leadership in today’s age of crises. Gramsci’s theory of hegemony has provided an invaluable intellectual resource for those seeking to bring about radical change in the complex context of contemporary capitalist societies. In particular, his focus on the role of organic intellectuals engaging in an ongoing ideological struggle across economic, political and civil society helps to locate his notion of hegemony as a theory of leadership that is deeply rooted in pedagogical processes. This volume focuses on transformatory change both in and through education, reframing traditional notions of educational leadership as educative leadership, in which leadership for change, within and beyond educational institutions, is understood in pedagogical terms. This volume will be of pivotal interest to academics, researchers, and postgraduates in the fields of educational leadership, the sociology of education, and education policy and politics. Practitioners interested in educational leadership and social theory, and those active in social movements, may also find the book of use.
Educational Leadership and Asian Culture: Culturally Sensitive Leadership Practice (Routledge Research in Educational Leadership)
by Peng Liu Lei Mee ThienProviding a window on educational leadership from an Asian cultural perspective, Liu and Thien’s edited collection describes how educational leadership is linked with national culture in the context of different Asian countries. While much of the scholarship on this topic has been built on Western paradigms, this book examines the measurement of school leadership from a diverse lens by taking cultural context into account while examining educational leadership. Drawing on cross-cultural perspectives, the authors investigate the relationship between leadership for learning and societal culture, in addition to the relationship between leadership style and culture. The text provides a theoretical basis for understanding leadership in the context of Asian countries, and offers practical suggestions for identifying effective, and culturally sensitive leadership practices in similar cultural contexts. An excellent resource for graduate students, researchers in comparative education, educational practitioners looking to improve their education practices, and anyone interested in cultural leadership practices.
Educational Leadership and Critical Realism (Routledge Studies in Critical Realism)
by Anthony Thorpe Jean Pierre Elonga MboyoAdopting a critical realist approach to educational leadership, this book shows how applied theory can contribute to the development of mechanisms allowing for the effective leadership of organisations. Through an examination of pertinent theories and debates in educational leadership and critical realist thought, it moves to offer demonstrations of practical uses of critical realism that include the transformation of reflective practice, the development and practice of leadership, and the formulation as well as the enactment of policy. Considering the role that realist thought can play in the resolution of educational crises in sub-Saharan Africa and bridging the gap between research and practice, the authors argue that change is possible and that it can be initiated from within the field of educational leadership. Centred on a vision of social justice for human flourishing instead of operating within narrow and mechanistic pre-occupations, Educational Leadership and Critical Realism will appeal to scholars across the social sciences, as well as to practitioners and policymakers in the field of education.
Educational Leadership and Hannah Arendt (Critical Studies In Educational Leadership, Management And Administration Ser.)
by Helen M. GunterThe relationship between education and democratic development has been a growing theme in debates focussed upon public education, but there has been little work that has directly related educational leadership to wider issues of freedom, politics and practice. Engaging with ELMA through the work of Hannah Arendt enables these issues of power to be
Educational Leadership and Michel Foucault (Critical Studies In Educational Leadership, Management And Administration Ser.)
by Donald GilliesDrawing from the ideas of Michel Foucault, this book offers a critical examination of today‘s dominant discourse of educational leadership. Foucault‘s understanding of critique is as apermanent ethos in which humans explore the nature of their existence but at the same time query the limits imposed upon them, and probe opportunities for increasi
Educational Leadership and Nancy Fraser: Nancy Fraser And Iris Marion Young (Critical Studies in Educational Leadership, Management and Administration)
by Jill BlackmoreDrawing on the work of Nancy Fraser, this book offers a critical view of contemporary educational leadership and reform discourses, exploring how her key concepts of redistribution, recognition and representation may apply to social and therefore educational justice. Fraser offers a political and pragmatic reconciliation between feminist, neo-Marxist, critical and post-structuralist theories. This book outlines how Fraser has worked on and worked over theories of social justice and how this can inform how we can understand educational theory, policy and practice generally. In particular, the book focuses on the field of educational administration and leadership (ELMA) as it relates to equity issues such as school choice and inequality, gender and inclusive leadership, and alternative schooling. Fraser’s argument about ‘scaling up’ social justice theory is shown to be highly salient given the emergence of the field of transnational education policy and its role in the context of intensified nation-state and edu-business competition. Overall, through the lens of Nancy Fraser’s unitary framework, this book considers epistemological questions about the nature of knowledge, examines the relationship between the state, the individual, education and social movements, addresses the difficulties and dilemmas which arise due to the intersections of gender, class, race, sexuality and culture in a globalized context, and illustrates how the principles of social justice can be mobilized by leaders in everyday practice. Educational Leadership and Nancy Fraser is an illuminating read for those policymakers, researchers and practitioners engaged in the field of educational administration, leadership and social justice.
Educational Leadership and Pierre Bourdieu: Pierre Bourdieu (Critical Studies in Educational Leadership, Management and Administration)
by Pat ThomsonPierre Bourdieu was one of the most important thinkers of the twentieth century. He argued for, and practiced, rigorous and reflexive scholarship, interrogating the inequities and injustices of modern societies. Through a lifetime’s explication of the ways in which schooling both produces and reproduces the status quo, Bourdieu offered a powerful critique and method of analysis of the history of schooling, and of contemporary educational polices and trends. Though frequently used in educational research, Bourdieu’s work has had much less take up in Educational Leadership, Management and Administration. Educational Leadership and Pierre Bourdieu argues that ELMA scholars have much to gain by engaging more thoroughly with his work. The book explains each of the key terms in Bourdieu’s thinking tool kit, showing how the tripartite concepts of field, habitus and capitals offer a way through which to understand the interaction of structure and agency, and the limits on the freedom of an individual – in this case an educational leader – to act. Educational Leadership and Pierre Bourdieu offers an analysis of dominant trends in ELMA research, examining the kinds of questions asked, projects undertaken and methods used. It provides alternative questions and methods based on a Bourdieusian approach, further readings and a range of exemplars of the application of these tools. The book will be of interest to those whose primary focus is the utility of Bourdieu’s social theory.
Educational Leadership and Technology: Preparing School Administrators for a Digital Age
by Virginia E. Garland Chester TadejaProviding models of exemplary use and the latest research, Educational Leadership and Technology reveals the transformational power of emerging technologies to improve student learning, and explores how leaders can bring about this technology integration. This book provides an overview of roles and strategies expected of effective school leaders, as well as some of the complex issues they face. Authors Garland and Tadeja offer a critical analysis of today's emerging technology, while also addressing the need for collaborative efforts of parents, community, and students to implement technologies effectively. Special Features Include: Full integration of National Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS.A) and the National Education Technology Plan (NETP). Leader reflections from practicing school administrators that provide context of real-world scenarios. "Tips for School Leaders" and end-of-chapter questions that encourage student engagement with the text. "School Administrator's Technology Leadership Self-Assessment," a unique and impartial survey in each chapter with self-scoring guide that helps readers determine their technology use and readiness for implementation. A robust companion website with PowerPoint Slides, strategies, and links to website and video resources which will reflect changes in technology, policy, and practice. Discussion of the newest and emerging technologies, including Cloudware, social media, virtual manipulatives, and e-games. Educational Leadership and Technology is an important resource for new and aspiring elementary, middle, and high school principals as well as superintendents and technology coordinators.
Educational Leadership and the Global Majority: Decolonising Narratives
by Rosemary M. Campbell-StephensThis book introduces a term for our times, ‘Global Majority,’ as conceptualised within the context of school leadership. It examines the processes and impact over time of racially-minoritising up to eighty-five percent of the world’s population. The chapters illustrate how a decolonised cognitive reset from a minority to majority orientation moves practice from a place of subordination to one of agency and efficacy. By reconnecting the people of the Global Majority with their narratives and the social and historical linkages that they have always had, the book potentially contributes to a different globality; where interdependence is not driven by the economic greed of the minority, but the social and very human needs of the majority.
Educational Leadership as a Culturally-Constructed Practice: New Directions and Possibilities (Routledge Research in Education)
by Jane Wilkinson Laurette BristolThis edited book collection disrupts received notions of educational leadership, culture and diversity as currently portrayed in practice and theory. It draws on compelling studies of educational leadership from the global north and south, as well as from a range of ethnic, religious and gendered perspectives and critical research approaches. In so doing, the book powerfully challenges contemporary leadership discourses of diversity that reproduce essentialising leadership practices, binary divisions and asymmetrical power relations. The various chapters contest and move beyond exhortations for leadership in increasingly diverse societies; revealing through their rich portraits of the hybridity of leadership practice, the shallowness of diversity discourses that are framed as something "we" (the culturally homogenous) leader do to (heterogenous) ‘others’. The volume is more than critique. Instead it offers readers new directions and possibilities through which to understand, theorise and practise educational leadership in the twenty first century. In portraying leading as a "relational practice in contexts of cultural hybridity" (Blackmore, this volume), it extends critical theories for and of leadership practice, examining the intersectionality between leadership and a range of social categories, and challenging notions of leadership as a singular construct. Compelling research narratives reveal educational leadership practice as nuanced, temporal, site specific and prefigured by traditions and cultural understandings that reach beyond a simplification of educational leadership as understood through unitary lenses of race, gender or ethnicity. This book is essential reading for academics and students of educational leadership and management, as well as administrators.
Educational Leadership for Transformation and Social Justice: Narratives of change in South Africa (Routledge Research in Educational Leadership)
by John AmbrosioEducational Leadership for Transformation and Social Justice examines the relationship between the lived experiences of educational leaders at the University of the Free State in South Africa and how they think about and practice leadership for transformation and social justice. Based on biographical information, public speeches, published writings, and in-depth semi-structured face-to-face interviews, the book presents and analyses seven chapter-length narratives of these leaders. This book explores how some leaders at the University of the Free State – from the vantage point of various racialized and gendered identities, and generational experiences – conceptualize and enact leadership for transformation and social justice. Ambrosio argues that there are certain values, beliefs, concepts, principles, and ways of thinking that cut across their experiences and demographic differences. The narratives are presented in the leaders’ own words, and describe how their lived experiences shaped their values and identities, and inform how they think about and practice leadership for transformation and social justice. One convergence that emerged among these leaders is that their leadership is an extension of who they are, of their core values, identities and ethical commitments. Another is that they are motivated by visions of change that go beyond the University; by bigger dreams that infuse their work with meaning and purpose. With its in-depth analysis of the narratives, this book will provide educational leaders who have an orientation towards transformation and social justice with insights that enable them to think differently about how to make the policies, programs, and institutional culture of their own universities more equitable and just. It will appeal to academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the fields of education, educational justice, higher education, educational leadership and change, social justice and racial justice.
Educational Leadership in Action: A Casebook for Aspiring Educational Leaders
by Leila Sadeghi and Kathe CallahanEducational Leadership in Action provides 24 complex, real-life, accessible cases to provoke and stimulate conversation around practical problems that confront educational leaders today. Written by a diverse group of educators, these cases cover a wide range of topics, including: teacher evaluations, educational reforms, contract negotiations, school safety, cultural differences, undocumented students, and social media. To foster additional meaningful discussion and debate, this resource includes responses to each of the cases, written by a range of experts. The organization and unique approach of Educational Leadership in Action allows for flexible use in courses for aspiring leaders to supplement core readings, reinforce central concepts, exemplify theory, and provide grounded examples to encourage learning. This essential compendium of cases and responses prepares future leaders to frame problems, identify solutions, and develop strategies to meet the multiple challenges and competing demands in rapidly changing education contexts.
Educational Leadership in Becoming: On the potential of leadership in action (Routledge Research in Educational Leadership)
by Nuraan Davids Yusef WaghidEducational Leadership in Becoming reconsiders educational leadership in its current forms, and presents a more plausible form of educational leadership to contend with the complexities currently found in universities and schools. Much of the literature in vogue concerning educational leadership ranges from transactional to transformative representations of the concept in relation to educational management and policy, curriculum inquiry and pedagogical action. The primary aim of this book is to revisit some of the dominant understandings of educational leadership and to offer an extended view of the practice along the lines of potentiality and becoming. Davids and Waghid argue that all current forms of educational leadership are insufficient to enact responsible human action, particularly when it comes to addressing the combined issues of globalisation and equitable redress and transformation, whether in relation to leading schools or universities. The primary objective of the book is to draw on the Agambian notion of becoming in order to show that an educational leadership in becoming is better placed to not only address the myriad challenges besetting education, but to also enhance the potential of leadership in action. The book addresses an international audience by analysing conceptions of transformative leadership and should be read by anyone who is interested in education and educational leadership, as well as the impact of neoliberal agendas on education and society. It should also appeal to those interested in the philosophy of education.
Educational Leadership in Policy: Challenges And Implementation Within Europe
by Nikša Alfirević Jurica Pavičić Ágúst Hjörtur Ingþórsson Dijana VicanThis book analyzes the challenges of developing and implementing effective policies for educational leadership in South-East Europe (SEE) and the Nordic-Baltic region. While individual countries from the Nordic-Baltic region are praised for their educational achievements, the SEE region could be considered as a (post)transitional landscape: these two educational contexts present their own unique challenges, notably international benchmarking and the ‘Europeization’ of educational policy. Seamlessly integrating theoretical framework with the goals and experiences of actors and practitioners, the editors and contributors build an accessible overview of existing policy research and its conflicting theoretical perspectives. Often disregarded by the mainstream literature, the countries and regions chosen provide a snapshot into the challenges of developing policies for educational leadership. This thoughtful yet practical volume will be of interest and value not only to students and scholars of educational leadership in these regions, but to practitioners and policy makers more widely.
Educational Leadership in Times of Crisis: Insights from Great Figures in History
by Izhar OplatkaThis book aims to fill the gap in our knowledge about crisis management in schools, its particular characteristics, and strategies from a historical point of view. It combines knowledge about educational leadership with biographical narratives of great leaders in history who have faced a tremendous crisis successfully and from whom we can learn a lot about effective coping strategies in times of crisis. The leaders in the book represent different nations and organizations, facing political, military, economic or social crises. The book provides a deeper knowledge necessary for preparing for a possible crisis and for managing it in successful ways if it comes and adds novel insights into the field of educational administration and leadership in the twenty-first century.
Educational Leadership of Immigrants: Case Studies in Times of Change
by Emily R. Crawford Lisa M. DornerThis book prepares current and future educational leaders to adapt to the changing terrain of U.S. demographics, education, and immigration policy. Educational Leadership of Immigrants highlights the educational practices and discourses around immigration that intersect with policies and laws, in order to support K-12 students’ educational access and families’ participation in schooling. Drawing primarily on research from the fields of educational leadership and educational policy, this book employs a case study approach to address immigration in public schools and communities; school leaders’ responses to ethical dilemmas; the impact of immigration policy on undocumented students; and the varying cultural, sociopolitical, legal and economic contexts affecting students’ educational circumstances. Special features include: • case narratives drawn from real-life experiences to support the educational needs of immigrant students; • teaching activities and reflective discussion questions pertaining to each case study to crystallize leaders’ knowledge and facilitate their comfort levels in practice; • discussions of current challenges in education facing immigrant students, their families, educators, and school leaders, especially with changing immigration law.
Educational Leadership through a Practice Lens: Practice Matters (Educational Leadership Theory)
by Jane WilkinsonThis book provides the theoretical and analytical resources for an urgent rethinking of the social project of educating and educational leading. It examines what educational leadership is, namely the politics and power of leadership as a practice, and what it can and should be, offering a pedagogical and praxis-informed approach to educational practice. Drawing on research conducted at various Australian schools and education districts, it argues for a reframing of educational leadership as pedagogical practice/praxis to transform theorising and practice in the field. The book provides a rich account of educational leading through a practice lens, bringing into dialogue the theory of practice architectures with site ontologies, Bourdieu’s thinking tools and feminist critical scholarship.The book tracks the practices and praxis of educational leaders as they grapple with the changing landscape and forces of educational policies that have informed Australian education. It reimagines education leadership by integrating Continental and Northern European understandings of pedagogy and praxis as being morally and ethically informed, as opposed to the narrower Anglophone notions of pedagogy as teaching and learning. The book adds to the body of knowledge on the “actual work of leadership” as a “distinct set of practices” that is morally and ethically informed. Readers will find a more holistic understanding of educational leadership practice and praxis, based on the everyday accounts of educational leaders, teachers and students in schools and education districts.
Educational Leadership, Improvement and Change: Discourse and Systems in Europe (Palgrave Studies on Leadership and Learning in Teacher Education)
by Nikša Alfirević Jurica Pavičić Lejf Moos Andrej Koren Ljiljana Najev ČačijaThis book analyses selected critical concepts of policy and practice in educational leadership in five European countries. The editors and contributors cover Croatia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Denmark and Norway, spanning a wide geographical region as well as diverse historical and political contexts. The analyses primarily consider the issues of convergence and divergence in local educational leadership policies and practice that are developing and emerging from traditional structures and discourses under global, trans-national and regional influences. Focusing on both the macro and micro levels, this book examines a range of topics including international benchmarking, inclusive education practices and digital transformation. It will be of interest and value to scholars of educational leadership in Europe, particularly within smaller countries.“Today’s local educational leadership policies and practice are connected with the historical roots of five small European countries. In the analysis, perspectives from within each country and comparisons are used interestingly. Both levels of analysis bring out new understandings of the relationship between policy and practice and how they have been related to leadership in a historical discourse. In my opinion the different country chapters and the comparisons represent important new knowledge and I recommended the book as reading for school leaders and policy makers in the field of educational leadership.” —Professor Olof Johansson, Umeå University, Sweden “The book fills a gap in the research of cross-national research, comparing school leadership issues in two Balkan countries, Croatia and Slovenia, one Baltic country, Lithuania, and two Scandinavian countries, Norway and Denmark. To my knowledge it is the first time there has been this sort of cross-investigation of commonalities and differences in school leadership conditions between these countries in the age of globalization. I am sure that many scholars and practitioners can benefit from this book and hereby recommend it. “ —Associate Professor Emeritus Klaus Kasper Kofod, Aarhus University, Denmark
Educational Leadership, Management, and Administration through Actor-Network Theory (Critical Studies in Educational Leadership, Management and Administration)
by Paolo LandriEducational Leadership, Management, and Administration through Actor-Network Theory presents how actor-network theory (ANT) and the related vocabularies have much to offer to a critical re-imagination of the dynamics of management in education and educational leadership. It extends the growing contemporary perspective of ANT into the study of educational administration and management. This book draws on case studies focusing on new configurations of educational management and leadership. It presents new developments of ANT ("After ANT" and "Near ANT") and clarifies how these "sensibilities" can contribute to thinking critically and intervening in the current dynamics of education. The book proposes that ANT can offer an ecological understanding of educational leadership which is helpful in abandoning the narrow humanistic world of managerialism, considering a post-anthropocentric scenario where it is necessary to compose together new "liveable" assemblages of humans and nonhumans. This book will be of great interest to academics, scholars and post-graduate students in the fields of educational management, leadership and administration, as well as education policy. It will also be highly relevant to policy makers and experts of education policy at the national, European and international levels.
Educational Leadership, Organizational Learning, and the Ideas of Karl Weick: Perspectives on Theory and Practice
by Sharon D. Kruse Bob L. Johnson Jr.Grounded in the theory of sociologist Karl Weick, this edited volume explores key concepts of educational leadership and organizational learning. Chapter authors analyze and reflect on the implications of Weick’s thinking on leadership preparation and development. Providing a thorough understanding of the influence of his ideas in education, this volume unpacks the ways in which Weick’s ideas influence and shape organizational learning and educational leadership and policy today.
Educational Leadership: A Bridge to Improved Practice
by Paula A. Cordeiro William G. CunninghamThis book describes how successful and effective schools and administrators operate in an increasingly challenging, fast-paced, demanding, and at times revolutionary environment. Readers are offered an integrated view of the knowledge base, research, and practice of administration within a context of multiple perspectives and a wide range of thinking. This edition provides a comprehensive discussion of the field of educational administration in three sections. The Foundations of Educational Leadership presents a context for educational leadership studies with thorough descriptions and applications of educational standards, common practices, and assessments that equip each learner with a solid understanding of his or her own leadership style. Instructional Leadership and Student Learning emphasizes the critical role of the school leader in education, and to the student and the teacher. Operational Support for Effective Teaching and Learning examines the major functions of the school leader, including legal, financial, and stewardship responsibilities. -FEATURES OF THIS EDITION INCLUDE: - A Problem-Based Learning Project at the end of each section, offering opportunities for applied practice and further understanding -New Chapter, Technology and Learning, studies the growth of technologies in schools and what that means for aspiring school leaders.- All new Expert Opinions from influential and award-winning educational scholars, including Kathleen Binkowski, Chris Devers, and Ian Martin.
Educational Leadership: Ambiguity, Professionals and Managerialism
by Mike Wallace Eric HoyleHoyle and Wallace illustrate with penetrating insight the perverse outcome of tightening management and leadership so much that it leads to three different forms, each with the same five characteristics, of what they call "managerialism": excessive micromanagement of schools in a sometimes futile and self-defeating quest for success′ - Tim Brighouse, Times Educational Supplement `This book is an excellent read about management and leadership in schools. Overall, I felt that this book makes a positive contribution to the debate about the impact of managerialism within public services. I liked the elements that made up the ironic orientation (scepticism, pragmatism and contingency), recognising them in my own experiences in Higher Education, and I liked the way in which the concept of irony was linked to some key concerns as well as positive practices. This is a book that I would thoroughly recommend to anyone interested in leadership and management in schools, but given its broader application, I would also recommend the book to anyone interested in leadership and management in the public sector′ - ESCalate Read the full review as posted on the ESCalate website, the Education Subject Centre for the Higher Education Academy ′Eric Hoyle and Mike Wallace are two of the best known writers on educational leadership and management. They have made very significant contributions to organisational theory and its application to education for four decades. This book′s focus on ambiguity and irony provides a welcome and timely contrast to the rational assumptions and managerialism which underpin government policy and much academic writing in this field′ - Professor Tony Bush, International Educational Leadership Centre, University of Lincoln ′They have brought to centre-stage ideas and concepts which have largely been peripheral in the field, and in doing so have made us look with new lenses at what we need to say about professional work and identity. It has therefore performed a valuable and much needed service, and will provide a major reference point in debates about the future of the education profession′ - Mike Bottery, Educational Management, Administration & Leadership ′This in an important book. I wish I had written it, indeed I wish I had the skill, the knowledge and the wit to write it′ - Mark Brundrett, Educational Management, Administration & Leadership Why do efforts to improve the quality of education via organizational leadership and management make matters worse in some respects as well as better? In what ways are education professionals responding to such efforts? The authors of this highly original book develop an ironic perspective for analysing the ambiguities and unintended consequences of well-intentioned actions in organizational life, and how these are exacerbated by change. Focusing on school leadership and management, Hoyle and Wallace suggest that major reforms have had limited success because the changes introduced have diverted school staff from their core task of promoting student learning, resulting in dissatisfaction, frustration and stress. They argue that a more temperate approach to leadership and management supported by wise policy-making can create structures that take the strain and reduce stress, encourage autonomy while accepting associated risks, and sponsor moderate experimentation and innovation emerging from communities of professional practice. Educational Leadership and Organizational Irony is essential reading for all concerned with improving education: advanced course students, leaders and managers, trainers, administrators, policy-makers and academics. It also offers insights for the study of public service and business organizations.