The book is intended to provide practical solutions to everyday problems that principals encounter. It is also a guideline for becoming a true leader and leading for school change. The authors organize the book around three principals of Cognitive Coaching: developing trust, learning, and holonomy. Each chapter will have a theme, research citations for further reading, and anecdotal stories about what worked in real schools. This is not a book of theory, but a book built on the lived experiences of school principals.
Dave Schumaker has been a public school teacher for 21 years, a principal of a high school and middle school for over ten years, and a staff develop for the past four years as the Director of the Central Coast Consortium for Professional Development, Region V in Santa Clara County, California. David is also a mentor on assignment for the National School Conference Institute in Phoenix; his workshops explore brain-based education, teaching strategies, assessment, thinking skills and many other subjects. William A. Sommers, Ph.D. of Austin, Texas, continues to be a learner, teacher, principal, author, leadership coach, and consultant. Bill has come out of retirement five times to put theory into practice. He was on the Board of Trustees for five years and President for the National Staff Development Council now called Learning Forward. Dr. Sommers is the former Executive Director for Secondary Curriculum and Professional Learning for Minneapolis Public Schools, and a school administrator for over 30 years. In addition to being an adjunct faculty member at several universities, he has been a program director for an adolescent chemical dependency treatment center and on the board of a halfway house for 20 years. Bill has co-authored eight books, and co-authored chapters in several other books. In January 2016 Bill and his colleague Skip Olsen launched a website www.learningomnivores.com which includes educational blogs, new rules, and book reviews. Bill is a practitioner who integrates theory into leading and facilitating schools. Dr. Sommers has continued to be a leadership coach for over 25 years to school administrators.
Preface About the Authors 1. Communication--the Foundational Skill 2. Trusting Yourself, Trusting Others 3. Learning to Change (and Liking It) 4. Classrooms Are Not the Only Places to Learn 5. Tsunami--Riding the Wave of Change Without Drowning 6. Mediating Conflict 7. Standing Your Ground (Even in Quicksand) 8. Assessing Students, Staff, and Schools 9. Get a Life! 10. The Principal's Toolbox: Anecdotes and Hints for Survival in a Cruel, Cruel World Resource: Some Must-Read Books for Administrators: An Annotated List References and Further Reading Index
