Leading with Vitality and Hope provides a practical resource for educators who want to move beyond the challenges schools are facing today. It both provides inspirational ideas from an impressive group of educational leaders and also practical ideas that you can take back to your local schools and communities for implementation. What is needed to move beyond the chaotic scenes we are continuing to face as schools reopen for in-person learning? The voices we hear from in Leading with Vitality and Hope suggest that we must first re-introduce a sense of vitality and hope. This can be done with mindfulness, visioning, and strategic leadership that attends to self-care, advocacy, and collective efficacy. Each of these themes is woven throughout case study scenarios presented by 20 leaders as they describe their vision, how they garnered support, and how their visions have set the stage for transformational change to enhance equity, reduce discrimination, alleviate trauma, and lead to greater well-being for students and staff in schools.
Christine Y. Mason, an educational psychologist, an assistant clinical professor at Yale University, and the founder and executive director of the Center for Educational Improvement, has developed Heart Centered Learning (R) and joined with others to foster innovations and uplift schools and staff. Recognized as a "Pioneer in Well-Being" by the Robert Wood Foundation and Ashoka, she continues to lead the way, addressing student mental health needs, and collaborating with others to foster compassionate school practices, alleviate childhood trauma, and stimulate creative solutions to bring a sense of meaning and purpose to staff, families, and communities.
At its core, this book accepts as truth that education must meet the demands of our youth for a more equitable, sustainable, and community-nurturing existence. Nothing short of our survival depends on educating children in this way. Despite what a vocal minority have screamed for us all to believe, educators are - and must be - sensitive, visionary, and creative to approach the daily task of teaching children. This is a book for now. Education practitioners and leaders will find practical and deep value from the examples, exercises, and motivations of this work. -- Melanie Kadlic Meren, , School Board Member, Hunter Mill District, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA Our world seems to be so disconnected, even though we have countless ways to connect, and what we know all too well is that we are polarized based on political beliefs. All of this leads to a feeling of hopelessness, and that is the very reason why this book is so important. Our schools are places where we need to be more human, and in Leading with Vitality and Hope, the authors help us do just that. -- Peter DeWitt, EdD, author, blogger and leadership coach Leading with Vitality and Hope: Embracing Equity, Alleviating Trauma, and Healing School Communities is a welcome call to action from an eclectic group of author collaborators. In the aftermath of COVID-19, it's emphasis on moving beyond why schools need to change to the how change is done is on point: we spend far too much time lamenting current conditions or building a case for why we need to change and far too little attention on how change happens. In Leading with Vitality and Hope, each of the 20 coauthors adds an essential element of insight into best practices that schools can and should use to serve their students, staff, and communities. -- Ken Wallace, PhD, superintendent, Maine Township High School District 207, Park Ridge, Illinois In Vitality and Hope, Mason, Patschke, and Simpson use the power of vision to paint a compelling picture for compassionate and equitable school community cultures that provide hope and renewal for adults and students. This book is a modern-day leadership bible. Use it to reflect on your most urgent change needs, focus your change efforts, and engage everyone you lead toward successful and sustainable change. -- Tim Kanold, PhD, is an award-winning educator and author, and a national thought leader in mathematics This is a momentous time in our history when challenges are profound and yet opportunities are limitless. It is through this paradox that Leading with Vitality and Hope: Embracing Equity, Alleviating Trauma, and Healing School Communities provides educational leaders with real stories, strategies, and provocations to vision and navigate transformational change. In this text, Mason, Patschke and Simpson have woven a tapestry of narratives from 20 authors who convey their optimistic visions for student success through authentic reflections. These threads provide relevant themes and topics that inspire and encourage. The book's vision-practice-change model equips and empowers leaders to deliberately, yet urgently, address today's challenges and opportunities for a better future. -- Johnna L. Weller, Chief Academic Officer, Learning Care Group A must read for today's educators committed to being successful with all students during these challenging times. The authors give us concrete steps for developing relationships in times of trauma and stress and to ensure that hope, joy and love are in the lives of all our students in our schools. This book will make a positive difference in the lives of students and educators. -- Kendall Zoller, Global consultant in Educational Leadership and Communicative Intelligence Educators will find much inspiration and support in this book, one that offers a heart centered approach to healing. This compassionate work addresses the roots of the growing crisis in our schools. The solutions offered, based on a deep understanding of human development, provide a path towards change that is both profoundly human as well as practical. A comprehensive resource for educators that wish to grow joyful, resilient learning communities. -- Hannah Beach, Co-author, Reclaiming Our Students: Why Children Are More Anxious, Aggressive, and Shut Down Than Ever-And What We Can Do About It
