Lead Like a Teacher: How to Elevate Expertise in Your School

Summary

For the sake of students, close the empathy gap between the classroom and the front office.

Far too often, teachers and administrators are adversaries within a school or district and display a mutual distrust and disrespect for each other's perspectives. Yet when this dissonance can be overcome, the result is a more-harmonious school environment that promotes student achievement.

In Lead Like a Teacher, instructional specialist Miriam Plotinsky urges secondary school administrators to lead more effectively by actively listening to teachers and welcoming their expertise. Each chapter examines one of nine key aspects of leadership and offers specific, creative solutions to the complex challenge of empowering change.

Moving from a micro to a macro focus as the book progresses—from classroom instruction to schoolwide initiatives—Plotinsky provides administrators with the tools to build and maintain collaborative leadership structures. This thoughtful approach to secondary leadership provides an actionable plan to dismantle some of the biggest barriers to achieving school excellence.