Heads of schools are responsible for nurturing the entire school community — students, staff, parents, and other stakeholders. A school leader is constantly thinking of ways to improve teaching and learning, how the school functions, while boosting school morale. The ultimate goal is to create a space where everyone feels cared for, is given dignity, and feels protected. The following are books that school leaders should consider adding to their professional reading collection.
- If You Don’t Feed the Teachers They Eat the Students!: Guide to Success for Administrators and Teachers by Neila Connors
Provides practical tips to improve the school climate, communicate with stakeholders, and help make a difference in students’ lives
- What Great Principals Do Differently: 18 Things That Matter Most by Todd Whitaker
Whitaker explains the qualities and practices that characterize great principals (head teachers)
- Motivating & Inspiring Teachers: The Educational Leader’s Guide for Building Staff Morale by Todd Whitaker, Beth Whitaker, and Dale Lumpa
Gives strategies for motivating staff and maintain a high level of energy at your school
- Whatever It Takes: How Professional Learning Communities Respond When Kids Don’t Learn by Rebecca DuFour
Examines what happens when, despite best efforts, a student does not learn and how a professional learning community can provide the support needed
- Hacking School Discipline: 9 Ways to Create a Culture of Empathy and Responsibility Using Restorative Justice by Nathan Maynard and Brad Weinstein
A blueprint for how to eliminate punishment and build a culture of responsible students and independent learners
- Being a Successful Principal: Riding the Wave of Change Without Drowning by David R. Schumaker and William A. Sommers
A collection of anecdotes, guidance, and insights on shared leadership in schools
- School Leadership that Works: From Research to Results by Robert J. Marzano, Timothy Waters, and Brian A. McNulty
Present a list of 21 leadership responsibilities that have a significant effect on student achievement, based on the analysis of studies conducted since 1970
- The Schools Our Children Deserve: Moving Beyond Traditional Classrooms and “Tougher Standards” by Alfie Kohn
Kohn tells stakeholders how schools can help students explore ideas rather than focusing on facts and standardized tests
- A Better Approach to Mobile Devices: How do we maximize resources, promote equity, and support instructional goals? By Susan Brooks-Young
Offers practical advice on how to set up a hybrid technology program or shift an existing BYOD program to the more flexible, learning-focused hybrid approach
- Authentic Learning in the Digital Age: Engaging Students Through Inquiry by Larissa Pahomov
Suggests a framework for learning structured around five core values: inquiry, research, collaboration, presentation, and reflection
