Closing the Leadership Gap: How District and University Partnerships Shape Effective School Leaders
About this ebook
—Susan Villani, Senior Program/Research Associate, Learning Innovations
Author, Mentoring and Induction Programs That Support New Principals
"Will improve the training and practice of future school administrators and the learning of students across the country."
—Jim Lentz, Superintendent, Augusta Public Schools, KS
Blend theory with real-world practices to develop and sustain effective leadership!
University preparation programs for educational leaders are continually criticized for lack of connectedness to the real world, while school and district leaders face mounting pressure to adopt the latest research-based best practices. Closing the Leadership Gap demonstrates what happens when universities and districts work together to shape and support superior leadership that harnesses the qualities of excellence in both practice and research. The authors, experts in school-university partnerships for leadership development, help close the gap between academic training and day-to-day issues with a program that incorporates collaborative partnerships between university faculty and inservice administrators.
Filled with lessons learned, school leader voices, and reflections throughout, this book illustrates how to cultivate and sustain ethical, effective leadership. Readers will find:
- Field-tested tools, templates, and forms
- Research-based strategies to apply in any leadership development endeavor
- Performance assessment and documentation methods
This resource is ideal for staff developers, leadership coaches, university preparation programs, and prospective or practicing administrators committed to a strong leadership preparation curriculum that inspires leaders to remain in education and have a lasting, positive impact upon student achievement.
About the author
Teresa Miller is an Associate Professor at Kansas State University in the Department of Educational Leadership, serving as a co-liaison for site-based Leadership Academies training prospective principals and teacher leaders. Prior to coming to KSU, she was a public school educator for 28 years, as a teacher of Language Arts, Gifted Education facilitator, and principal at both elementary and secondary levels. As a principal, she received the Excellence in Educational Leadership Award from the University Council for Educational Administration, and was actively involved in her district in the planning and development of Professional Development Schools, a university-public school partnership for preparing teachers.
Mary Devin has been an elementary teacher, library media specialist, director of public information, and chief business official. In the last 12 of her 37 years in school administration, she was superintendent of a very diverse, mobile, high poverty district that became one of the highest academic performers in the state. Under her leadership, the district partnered often with a university, implementing academies to prepare administrators and to build teacher leadership capacity. Dr. Devin is an Associate Professor at Kansas State University in the Department of Educational Leadership, and serves as co-liaison for Leadership Academies.
