Caring School Leadership
- Mark A. Smylie - University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
- Joseph F. Murphy - Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Karen Seashore Louis - University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
Principles and possibilities to inform and inspire caring in your leadership practices!
Do you feel like something is missing in today’s schools? Do you feel student success is too focused on academic accountability, test scores, and college readiness? Recalibrate your leadership with the help of this book to promote the practice of caring which, with academic rigor, is essential to effective schooling.
Caring School Leadership is a research-based collection of ideas, principles, and values illustrated with numerous examples and stories that will inform, inspire, and guide you. Evaluate your current leadership practice and evolve to lead in the way to which you aspire. In addition to insights and lessons about caring from educators and human service professions like nursing and ministry, readers will be introduced to themes of
· Caring in interpersonal relationships with students
· Cultivating schools as caring environments
· Fostering caring in families and communities
“Caring is fundamental for learning. Ask any child. This book explores caring as a ‘quality of relationship’ that points educators in the direction of professional involvement to enhance the school and learning experience. Through an exploration of caring as a leadership responsibility the authors not only make the case that caring is crucial to learning, but that every adult in a school makes a difference in the life of every child entrusted to that school.”
“Smylie, Murphy, and Louis employ research-based examples to lucidly explain and translate what they mean by ‘caring school leadership’ and they encourage exploring reflection and redefining school structures to facilitate integrating caring into current practice. They call on leaders to embrace caring by providing a range of approaches that include relying on norms and values of communities served, storytelling, positive modeling, and culturally responsive approaches to do their work.”
“Caring School Leadership is what has been missing from both leadership theory and practical leadership studies. Without addressing the questions posed in this book, leaders are left unable to answer a central question: ‘Why are you an educational leader?’ Beyond the rich and timely theoretical contributions, this work guides practicing school leaders in their journey of becoming caring and nurturing toward the communities they serve.”
“There are times when wisdom cannot be found in the academy but rest assured that you will find wisdom in this book, which presents a compelling model for caring school leadership. Smylie, Murphy, and Louis offer the most incisive, analytical, and yet practical approach to developing school leaders who are caring leaders. This is an excellent resource for faculty teaching aspiring and current school leaders—a must-read!”
“There are many international contexts today where the ‘push-me-pull-me’ approach to schooling outweighs the wisdom of compassion. This timely book offers a much-welcomed counter-narrative to that trend. The book is bursting with ideas—not surprising given the track record of the authors. I would encourage school principals to gobble up the book’s many insights into the practice of caring leadership. Caring leadership—as the authors argue so powerfully—is a dynamic ministry. It is also the kind of moral endeavor so needed in our troubled times.”
“For anyone interested in the difficult and vital work of creating caring school communities, this is a deeply thoughtful, humane and highly practical book. Drawing on a large body of research and the stories and wisdom of practitioners, Caring School Leadership compellingly articulates what caring is, how it functions and why it is at the core of human flourishing in so many aspects of our academic, social, emotional and ethical lives. There are no checklists or ‘one size fits all’ approaches here. This book provides a vision of caring school leadership that is contextual, fluid, and contingent upon the most basic aspects of human interaction and relationships. It is a vital resource for school administrators interested in both interpersonal and systematic ways of create caring and inclusive communities. It makes me hopeful that many more young people can develop the motivation and skills needed to recognize our shared humanity, support and help others in ways that are true and meaningful, and develop the sustained, caring relationships at the heart of a wonderful life.”
“Finally, a book that gets at the heart and soul of school leadership. Smylie, Murphy, and Louis describe what caring leadership looks and feels like, and how leaders create trust, build relationships, and develop a culture of caring so that students can focus on academics. Our schools need leaders who lead from the heart.”
“Caring School Leadership goes straight to the heart of what it takes to be a great and good leader in today’s schools: caring. Smylie, Murphy, and Louis provide a compelling vision for care-centered schools and support this vision with instructive examples and practical guidance. Although meant for the education community, the book provides valuable lessons for anyone in a leadership
position in today’s complex and demanding world.”
