Transforming the Culture of School Leadership

Joseph M. Giancola has been a public school educator for the past 27 years. Four of these years were spent as a secondary school administrator, whereas 18 of these years have been spent as the assistant superintendent in two different Ohio school districts. After graduating from Kent State University with a bachelor's degree in music education, his studies resulted in certificates to teach music, mathematics, and business in secondary schools. After receiving his Master of Arts degree in Music, he continued his studies in the doctoral program at Kent State's College of Education, where he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1988. For the past 12 years, Joseph has been the Assistant Superintendent of the Kent City School District in Kent, Ohio. In addition, Joseph is an adjunct professor of Educational Administration at Kent State. Joseph has coauthored numerous journal articles on educational administration. Along with coauthors Pat E. Crisci and Cynthia A. Miller, he has been published in several issues of the Government Union Review. In addition, he and Janice K. Hutchison have been published in the Ohio ASCD Journal. His written works and presentations focus on leadership and sharing decisions and power with educators to contribute to school transformation and reform. The Giancola family consists of Joseph and his wife, Helen, and their three children, Katie, Jerry, and Annie, whose leadership qualities continue to emerge in their high school and college careers. Janice K. Hutchison has been a classroom teacher for the past 29 years. After graduating from Ohio University with a degree in secondary math, English, and reading, she taught reading for five years in a state institution for incarcerated young men. For the past 25 years, Janice has taught reading and English at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent, Ohio, while earning advanced degrees in Education Foundations and Curriculum and Instruction at Kent State University, where she was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1997. Janice now serves as the Coordinator of Staff Development for Kent City Schools and teaches English classes at the high school and graduate classes in Curriculum and Instruction at Kent State. Janice has coauthored the past two editions of Dynamics of Effective Secondary Teaching. She also contributed a chapter, "Maxine Greene and the Current/Future Democratization of Curriculum," in William Pinar's (Ed.) The Passionate Mind of Maxine Greene. Her written work and presentations tend to focus on power relations in school reform and classroom democracy. The Hutchison family consists of Janice and her two children, Cassidy and Mitch, who genuinely explore the alternative conception of power with others in their lives.

Foreword by Richard Hawthorne Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors 1. Introduction to the Humane Dimension 2. Humane Dimension Component 1: Communication Based on Trust 3. Humane Dimension Component 2: Empowering Relationships 4. Humane Dimension Component 3: Other-Centered Purpose 5. Humane Dimension Component 4: Personal and Organizational Transformation 6. Elements of a Transformed Leadership Culture 7. Elements of a Transformed Teacher Culture 8. Handling Challenges and Pitfalls 9. Evidence of the Humane Dimension in Schools Resource A. Staff Development Activities for Component 1: Communication Based on Trust Resource B. Staff Development Activities for Component 2: Empowering Relationships Resource C. Staff Development Activities for Component 3: Other-Centered Purpose Resource D. Staff Development Activities for Component 4: Personal and Organizational Transformation Resource E. Adventure Education Center: Overview Resource F. A Generic Process of Procedures for Win/Win References and Suggested Readings Index

"Transforming the Culture of School Leadership is a must-read for teachers and administrators who want to transcend roles so often found in today's schools--roles that produce noncooperation, mistrust, and isolation between teaching and administrative staff." -- Jeffrey Harr, Teacher/Curriculum Leader "In an era of accountability, it is all too easy for school leadership initiatives to dehumanize the culture of the educational workplace. Yet Giancola and Hutchison provide an alternative view of school leadership-one that supports a humane dimension which will transform the culture of school leadership, even in the most challenging of times. This book belongs in the hands of every school leader whose goal is to make a difference in the lives of students, teachers, and administrators" -- Richard and Jo Anne Vacca, Emeriti Professors "To read this book is to understand that education's passage from semi-professional to professional status must necessarily traverse the human dimension so ably mapped by the authors." -- James Henderson, Professor of Curriculum Studies "This book is for everyone in administration as well as those who would like to be. It will make you want to be a better administrator and in the process make you a better leader." -- Stephen Thomas, Professor and Coordinator, Educational Administration "In my years as a high school principal, I have read countless books and journals about leadership and school building. What Giancola and Hutchison have done is to move the conversation about school leadership away from managing people to building a culture where everyone is valued." -- Roger Sidoti, Principal "The authors see schools as they should be and ask 'why not?'" There are no limits to what we can accomplish together using this humanistic approach." -- Rebecca Dunlap, Third Grade Teacher "'Humane administration...', sadly, that sounds like an oxymoron to some on the teachers' side of the equation. How exciting, then, to read such an innovative and thoughtful proposal for school reform. Giancola and Hutchison present ideas and strategies that should resonate strongly with current and prospective school administrators and faculty." -Wendy L. Sims, Professor of Music Education & Associate Chair Department of Learning, Teaching & Curriculum -- Wendy L. Sims, Professor of Music Education & Associate Chair