Stronger Leaders, Stronger Teachers, Stronger Schools
Recommended Reads
Top Recommendations
Leadership Plain and Simple (2nd Edition)
Steve Radcliffe, 2012
Hugely popular book on leadership effectiveness, unpacking his successful leadership formula of Future – Engage – Deliver (FED).
A clear, hands-on companion to practical leadership with engaging activities to help leaders realise their leadership potential.
Useful for leaders at all levels to help review practice and improve performance.
Leadership Matters
Andy Buck, 2016
User-friendly leadership manual for school leaders in post. Bringing together the work of Radcliffe and Pendleton, the author gives useful tips and focused reflective questions to support better leadership and better leaders in schools.
Persuasion (4th Edition)
James Borg, 2013
A rich feast of tips and techniques, verbal and non-verbal to help you get the best from others. Pearls of wisdom are presented in sections making it user-friendly and easy to dip in to and out of the relevant sections.
Useful for school leaders in providing what might be considered the ”magic formula” that makes the difference between people not going with you and people going with you.
Recommended Reads
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Stephen Covey, 2004
A classic book and a must-read for anyone interested in reflecting on and committed to improving their behaviours and personal effectiveness.
Unpacking seven habits common to effective people, the author takes the reader through dependence, independence and interdependence to gain both private and public success.
Useful for school leaders in providing reflection material on personal effectiveness. In improving ones' own effectiveness, the effectiveness of the school is improved.
The 12 Week Year
Brian P. Moran, 2013
Excellent book for people needing to improve their time management. The book throws out the rule about thinking in “years” and offers a smaller, more concentrated time frame, which suits school leaders very well, 12 weeks.
The book provides tips and techniques that enable the reader to focus more effectively, stay on track and achieve their goals.
The Chimp Paradox
Steve Peters, 2012
A great book helping everyone better understand how their mind works.
With visuals and clear explanations, the book helps the reader better understand and better manage their mind, their emotions and their barriers to success.
Useful in helping leaders develop their confidence, success and happiness.
Persuasion (4th Edition)
James Borg, 2013
A rich feast of tips and techniques, verbal and non-verbal to help you get the best from others. Pearls of wisdom are presented in sections making it user-friendly and easy to dip in to and out of the relevant sections.
Useful for school leaders in providing what might be considered the ”magic formula” that makes the difference between people not going with you and people going with you.
Leadership Teams: developing and sustaining high performance
Geoff Sheard and Professor Andrew Kakabadse, 2009
More of a leadership handbook, the book details a step-wise and practical approach to leading teams that leaders can pick up and apply. Six stages of team development are outlined: Mobilizing, Confrontation, coming together, one step forward two steps back, Behaving as one, facing the future. Each chapter then has key learning points to summarise each stage. Useful for leaders who lead teams (and which leader doesn’t?) and want to do something to help develop their effectiveness.
Spectacular Teamwork: How to develop the Leadership Skills for Team Success
Robert R. Blake, James H. Moulton, R. Allen, 1987
Excellent book on teamwork offering 12 characteristics of teams. Uses lots of descriptive dialogues to unpack what each one means to get spectacular teamwork.
Useful for leaders at any level to consider how well their team matches the outlined profile and clarify what needs to be done next.
Managing the Mist: How to develop winning mind-sets and create high performing teams
Excellent book on leadership, coaching and teamwork, offering a wealth of information and tips around having a winning mind-set, as well as 5 golden rules to setting up a high performing team.
Useful for leaders at any level to consider how well you manage yourself as much as managing the team.
He uses inspiring leadership stories, original frameworks and an innovative road map to success to put his points across in a highly engaging way.
Senior Leadership Teams: What it takes to make them great
Ruth Wageman et al., 2008
In today's world of neck-snapping change, demands on senior leaders in schools are rapidly outdistancing the capabilities of any one person - no matter how talented. Result? Headteachers are relying more and more on their senior leaders for help.
In this book, the authors draw on their study of 100+ top teams from around the world, they explain how to create a clear and compelling purpose for your team, get the right people on it, provide structure and support, and sharpen team members' competencies - and your own. Timely and practical, this book enables you to create and sustain a leadership team whose members learn from one another while collaborating to pursue your school's objectives.
Mindset: Changing the way you think to fulfil your potential
Carol S. Dweck, 2017
An updated version of this hugely influential work.
This book is about growth. Personal growth.
As such, there are fewer more pertinent books from the field of psychology for schools.
Unpacking the difference between a fixed and a growth mindset, this book is useful for teachers in enabling their students to have a growth mindset
Useful for all in revisiting how we and our students, perceive ourselves, our world and how we might move a step closer to realising our own potential in whatever we do.
Leadership Plain and Simple (2nd Edition)
Steve Radcliffe, 2012
Hugely popular book on leadership effectiveness, unpacking his successful leadership formula of Future – Engage – Deliver (FED).
A clear, hands-on companion to practical leadership with engaging activities to help leaders realise their leadership potential.
Useful for leaders at all levels to help review practice and improve performance.
Leadership Theory and Practice (7th edition)
Peter Northouse, 2016
A comprehensive book that presents the different theoretical frameworks around leadership, their strengths as well as their possible shortcomings. A meaty tome that is especially useful for (potential) headteachers and executive headteachers who want answers as to why certain leadership styles work the way they do. There is also a particularly interesting section on women and leadership.
Leadership for Dummies
John Marrin, 2011
A hands-on guide for all leaders giving practical advice and guidance to being a leader. Sections include Introducing leadership, leading yourself, leading others, leading people through change and leading different teams. A useful section on coaching, the book concludes with thirty top leadership tips.
Useful for any leader needing a go-to book for immediate advice and guidance.
A very short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book about studying Leadership (3rd Edition)
Brian Jackson and Ken Parry, 2018
It may be a small book, but it packs a big punch. A book looking at leadership from seven perspectives: through the leader, the follower, the process, performance, place, purpose and future leadership.
Useful for school leaders in being a contemporary overview of leadership generally, enabling school leaders to compare the world of school leadership with the world of business and political leadership.
The Myth of the Strong Leader
Archie Brown, 2014
A book analysing the different predominant political leadership styles of the (mainly) twentieth and twenty first centuries, their successes and failures. Useful for school leaders in being able to compare the micro-political world of school leadership with the macro-political world of state leadership.
This Much I Know about Love and Fear
John Tomsett, 2015
A from-the-heart account of school leadership exploring a passion for teaching and learning. A great book for (re)igniting inspirational teaching and learning. Each chapter has pearls of wisdom which make it a great, rich read.
Much Promise: Successful Schools in England
Barnaby Lennon, 2017
A really useful book for school leaders in providing a comprehensive review of education and the journey of how we got to be where we are today.
The first half of the book offers a review of current research about what we do (and do not do) in schools that affect our most vulnerable students.
The second half of the book offers us a number of case study schools where we can see best practice in action.
Useful for leaders who need a go-to book for the latest research on education or to find a school to visit for further ideas and inspiration.
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Teachers: The Michaela Way
Edited by Kathariine Birbalsingh, 2016
An inspiring book for leaders in providing a window into how Katharine Birbalsingh and her team innovatively lead education at their school in Wembley.
The book offers around 30 reflections on the freedom we have to dream in education , make a difference to students' lives and use that freedom to make that difference in our schools.
Useful for leaders who need a fresh perspective in the form of a book, to help reinvigorate the notion of what is possible in our schools.
Leadership (for) Teacher Learning
Dylan William, 2016
A book focused on the American education system offering insights into what makes effective teaching and learning in the classroom. Persuasively makes the case for formative assessment and provides clear evidence as to which pedagogical techniques are effective. Useful for school leaders in exploring the current view of classroom practice, questioning and offering alternatives as to what makes effective classroom practice and practitioners.
Making Good Progress? The Future of Assessment for Learning
Daisy Christodoulou, 2016
A really useful book for school leaders in providing a research-informed examination of formative assessment practices that analyses the impact Assessment for Learning has had in our classrooms.
Making Good Progress? outlines practical recommendations and support that Primary and Secondary teachers can follow in order to achieve the most effective classroom-based approach to ongoing assessment.
Really useful for leaders in that it offers clear, up-to-date advice to help develop and extend best practice for any teacher assessing pupils in the wake of life beyond levels.
Frames of mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences
Howard Gardner, 1993
If you haven’t read the book, but have heard of it or of Howard Gardner’s work, here it is. A ground-breaking work in its time, demonstrating that there may be other ways of learning beyond “chalk and talk”.
Part 1 gives the background, part 2 unpacks his theory of multiple intelligences and part 3 explores the implications and application of his work.
This book is useful for teachers and leaders on how to more effectively differentiate in lessons. Also useful for teachers in providing a psychological underpinning for their subject area.
A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy
Anderson and Krathwohl, 2013
Since the original Bloom’s taxonomy framework was published in 1956, much has changed in the educational world. And some things haven’t.
If you have never read in detail one of the foundation stones of contemporary education, here is an updated version.
Still relevant today as it was then, in making the words “challenge” and “progress" explicit in the classroom.
Useful for leaders in clarifying exactly what progress and challenge look like in lessons and help ensure the expectations for these with teachers and students are as clear as they can be.
Leading, Teaching and Learning the Common Core Standards
Rosemary Taylor, Rebecca Watson and Joyce Nutta, 2014
A great book from across the pond that unpacks effective pedagogy in the classroom for learners, teachers and leaders.
Looking at how U.S. teachers deliver the equivalent of their National Curriculum for English and mathematics, there are some particularly useful sections on the current thinking around effective research-based teaching.
There are also some good sections on the increasing difficulty of work in the classroom and how we can demonstrate, measure and observe progress.
Especially useful for leaders of teaching and learning who want a go-to book either for ideas or to triangulate their own practice.
Leadership Matters
Andy Buck, 2016
User-friendly leadership manual for school leaders in post. Bringing together the work of Radcliffe and Pendleton, the author gives useful tips and focused reflective questions to support better leadership and better leaders in schools.
Brave Heads
Dave Harris, 2012
Sixty-four tips on what bravery is in leading a school and how to be courageous and brave when leading it. The book challenges accepted orthodoxies around leadership and encourages school leaders to be comfortable with their own leadership style and choices.
Useful for headteachers by offering strategies to help with the unique set of challenges posed by being a headteacher, or providing inspirational activities to make the school experience even more special.
Leading For Results
Dennis Sparks, 2006
A useful book for leaders of staff development in providing a reflective self-help book.
The book positions itself as a tool for educators and leaders to transform their own beliefs and thinking in three ways: through clarity and creation; through interpersonal influence and through professional learning and doing.
Useful for leaders who need a leadership coach in the form of a book, to support independent leadership growth around teaching and learning.
How to Run Your School Successfully
Adrian Percival and Susan Tranter, 2006
A good introduction to the complex world of Headship where you have to be the master of everything. Useful tables, charts and bibliographies make it a useful book for those starting out on their first headship or those existing heads that want to compare what they do with the authors’ suggestions.
The School Leadership Journey
John Dunford, 2016
A good overview of education at a local and national level from an author who has been at the top of education in the UK for many years.
Useful chapters on the education of disadvantaged students (he has national experience of this) and leadership styles.
Passionate Leadership in Education
Tim Brighouse and Brent Davies (Editors), 2008
A series of think-pieces about passionate leadership from some of the best educational thinkers and researchers of our generation. Outlines the beliefs, habits and behaviours of passionate teachers.
Useful for school leaders in (re)igniting their passion for teaching and learning in the classroom and for education in general.
Headstrong: 11 Lessons of School Leadership
Dame Sally Coates, 2015
Personal journey of an outstanding headteacher, her experiences in leadership and the 11 lessons she implemented to great success, that any school leader may benefit from also learning.
Clearly laid out with helpful observations and guidance.
Especially useful for Headteachers who need a go-to manual in dealing with the challenges that come with the role.
Preparing Teachers and Developing School Leaders for the 21st Century
Andreas Schleicher (Editor), 2012
An excellent book with a good international overview of school leadership and teaching for 21st century schools. Data, tables and graphs galore help illustrate the state of teaching and leadership around the world.
Useful for school leaders in providing a detailed overview of the state of international education.
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