The Path to School Leadership: A Portable Mentor (Roadmaps to Success)
by Lee G. Bolman, Terrence E. Deal
Category: Education

This guidebook presents four decision frames--political, human resource, structural, and symbolic--that can be used by administrators to understand troublesome situations, anticipate trouble before it arises, and develop more comprehensive and effective strategies for leadership. The book is presented in the form of an ongoing dialogue between a new principal and his experienced, female mentor to illustrate the use of these frames in practical onsite situations. The four subsequent chapters are each built around a specific challenge facing the new principal. For each problem, the mentor uses ideas from one of the frames to help the beginning principal understand the situation and respond appropriately. Chapters 6 and 7 show how all four frames can be applied to the same issue--to create a Total Quality Management program and to understand ethics in school leadership. In the final chapter, the principal becomes a mentor to another generation of school leaders. The epilogue recaps the book's lessons: (1) map the school politics and follow the map; (2) empower your people; (3) align the structure with the job at hand; (4) celebrate your culture; and (5) reframe (use multiple perspectives to understand the situation). (LMI)