Moral Leadership: At the Core of School Improvement

Author: (American) Joseph A. Sanewski
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-12-01
Features: This book is written for principals, superintendents, and other school administrators who face moral dilemmas every day. Its intention is to inspire and awaken a less academic or disruptive awareness. The book critiques traditional leadership perspectives, examines unconventional methods to motivate educators, and explores topics such as expanding the management value system, diversifying sources of leadership authority, unlocking higher levels of human potential, providing substitutes for leadership, building faith, and understanding teamwork as a form of professional virtue. The practical significance of this book lies in its ability to introduce a series of ideas that positively influence how people think and feel about leadership practices. In this book, Chapter 1 critiques traditional leadership perspectives and discusses why traditional leadership approaches have not been effectively implemented in the past. Chapter 2 examines unconventional methods to motivate and inspire teachers and principals. The sources of leadership authority are crucial, as different sources can lead to different outcomes. Chapter 3 explores these sources and points out that we now rely almost exclusively on bureaucratic authority, psychological authority, and techno-rational authority. Chapter 4 discusses substitutes for leadership and argues that the more we integrate various substitutes into schools, the more likely teachers and other staff will become self-managers, and leadership itself will become less important. Chapter 5 examines another substitute for leadership: the potential satisfaction derived from schoolwork itself. Chapter 6 discusses the distinction between placing teachers in a subordinate role and helping them become believers as leadership practices, exploring the connection between building belief and fostering self-management, and offering suggestions for cultivating belief. Chapter 7 explores the importance of teamwork in building a school community that responds morally. Chapter 8, while discussing virtuous schools, re-examines topics such as expanding the management value system, diversifying sources of leadership authority, unlocking higher levels of human potential, providing substitutes for leadership, building faith, and understanding teamwork as a form of professional virtue. In Chapter 9, it is explained that with moral responsive leadership, principals and teachers will become stewards and servants.