The Four Dimensions of Principal Leadership: A Framework for Leading 21st Century Schools

As schools progress, evolve, and change, the ways in which educational professionals lead and organize must also change. The Four Dimensions of Leadership provides readers with an invaluable guide to the latest reforms and modifications to school systems and comprehensively incorporates each major leadership principle advocated for modern-day school leaders at all levels. The text not only gives readers an opportunity to read and study leadership principles, it also provides tools to operationalize those principles and enhance their capacity to lead through the use of inventories, activities, and real life scenarios.

Applicable to courses in general leadership, instructional leadership, participatory governance, and organizational behavior, this companion text confronts the challenges of the recent redefinition of leaderships roles in schools: how it is being informed by competencies, standards, and accountability measures and how this movement forges a connection between school leaders and overall student achievement. Furthermore, the book presents a leadership preparation program that confronts the challenges and complexities of these new standards using a multi-dimensional approach: 1) Understanding Self and Others; 2) Understanding the Complexities of Organizational Life; 3) Building Bridges through Relationships; and 4) Engaging in Leadership Best Practices.

The book is a companion text to Practicing the Art of Leadership: A Problem-based Approach to Implementing the ISLLC Standards.