Staying on Track 2/e

Dale L. Brubaker is Professor of Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He has also served on the faculties of the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. He received his doctorate in foundations of education from Michigan State University. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books on education and educational leadership, including CREATIVE CURRICULUM LEADERSHIP (Corwin), STAYING ON TRACK, (Corwin), and CREATIVE SURVIVAL IN EDUCATIONAL BUREAUCRACIES. Larry D. Coble is Managing Associate with School Leadership Services, A Division of The Coble Professional Group, a leadership and management consulting organization, and Director of the Collegium for the Advancement of Schools at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He provides speeches and seminars on leadership nationwide. He was a Senior Program Associate at the Center for Creative Leadership and served as assistant principal, principal, and superintendent in school systems in North Carolina. His most recent superintendency was in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He received his doctorate in educational administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is coauthor of STAYING ON TRACK (Corwin).

Contents Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors Prologue: A Cautionary Tale 1. Accountability and High-Stakes Testing The National Level The State Level The School-System Level The School Level Conclusion 2. Self-Assessment Checklists Checklist A Checklist B Conclusion 3. What Causes Educational Leaders to Derail? Causes of Assistant Principal and Principal Derailment Causes of Superintendent Derailment Conclusion 4. Antiderailment Strategies The Recommendations Conclusion 5. Professional and Personal Plans for Development What Works and Doesn't Work in Professional Development Professional Development Recommendations for a School or School System A Personal Development Plan for Improvement Conclusion 6. Preparing Teacher Leaders for Tomorrow's Leadership Positions A Grounding for Teacher Leader Development The Realities of Context in Which Teachers Lead The Teacher Leader and the Presentation of Self The Teacher Leader and Meetings The Teacher Leader as Networker Conclusion 7. The Seasons of An Educational Leader's Career Preparing the Way to Become an Educational Administrator Entering Educational Administration Settling In-The Middle Years The Later Years as an Educational Administrator Conclusion Afterword Resources References Index

"An exciting guide to help aspiring educational leaders develop." -- Terrence E. Deal, Professor of Education "Filled with practical, useful ideas to help you get (and keep!) your career going in the right direction. All school administrators should make this book a part of their personal learning plan. We are using it as a part of our intensive leadership training program." -- Richard E. Maxwell, Executive Director (Retired) "This second edition is moving, realistic, and candid. New chapters on how to negotiate accountability pressures and the seasons of an educational leader's life are excellent. Every would-be and present administrator would benefit from reading this book." -- Seymour B. Sarason, Professor Emeritus of Psychology "If all aspiring and practicing school leaders heeded the suggestions in Staying on Track, a tremendous loss of administrative talent to attrition could be avoided. Administrators can discover how to grow their own capacities to sustain their careers rather than to attempt to escape the realities of their jobs by running from one position to the next or resigning in disillusionment. This new edition offers two additional chapters aimed at helping leaders understand the four stages of an administrative career and how to avoid derailment by the high-stakes testing movement." -- Sue F. Burgess, Superintendent of Schools "Offers advice in plain terms, checklists of key points to remember and implement, and a season-by-season overview of what to expect in the career of an educational administrator. A helpful and practical-minded guide to being the best administrator one can be." -- Library Bookwatch, November 2006