Beginning the Assistant Principalship

John C. Daresh is professor of educational leadership at the University of Texas at El Paso. Over the years, he has held faculty or administrative appointments at the University of Cincinnati, The Ohio State University, the University of Northern Colorado, and Illinois State University. He has also worked as a consultant on high school reform and administrator professional development for universities, state departments of education, national and state professional associations, and individual schools and districts across the United States, and also in Barbados, Canada, France, Holland, Israel, Turkey, South Africa, and Taiwan. By far, the bulk of Daresh's international service has been in the United Kingdom where he served an advisor and trainer for the School Management Task Force that developed and promoted support programs for beginning headteachers, the National College for School Leadership, the Welsh Office of Education, the North West Network for Diploma Development in Cheshire, Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of Lincoln, the University of Hull, CREATE Consultancies, and literally dozens of Local Education Authorities and individual schools across England and Wales. Daresh recently completed three years of service as the lead consultant on principal mentoring programs for the Chicago Public Schools as that megadistrict was faced with the challenge of bringing in mostly inexperienced principals to serve in nearly of the school system's elementary and high schools.

Acknowledgments About the Author Dedication 1. Neither Fish Nor Fowl Problem with Definition The Invisibility Factor So Why Do the Job? Plan for the Book References Additional Suggested Readings 2. It Begins With Values Case Study: Because I Believe It's the Right Thing to Do Building a Platform What Do You Do With the Platform? Your Personal Plan References Additional Suggested Readings 3. A Personal Leadership Checklist Leadership Skills Another Approach to Leadership Analysis So What Is Educational Leadership? Your Personal Plan References Additional Suggested Readings 4. Carrying Out Your Management Skills Apparent Contradictions Formal Requirements Informal Tasks Throughout the Year Planning for the School Year Before the Year Begins After the Year Starts Toward the End of the Year Building a Personal Plan 5. Cool Your Ego Maintaining Balance and Your Perspective Talk With Your Principal Count to Ten ... Again and Again Closing Thoughts Summarizing the Chapter 6. Assist the Principal Know Your Job Communication is the Key Developing an Action Plan Summarizing the Chapter 7. Reflect Before Talking and Acting Why? Why Not? Tips for Effective Disagreement Summarizing the Chapter 8. Listen, Listen ... Then Listen Some More Listen Before Deciding Can You Listen Too Much? A Few Tips Summarizing the Chapter 9. Ask to do More Building Your Profile as a Leader Where Do You Begin? Volunteering to do More Summarizing the Chapter 10. Stay Alive Professionally Read, Read, Read Summarizing the Chapter 11. Stay Positive Positive Attitude is a Career Builder Final Observations Index