Everyday Courage for School Leaders

Cathy Lassiter, Ed.D., is an international consultant with over 35 years of combined experience as a public school teacher, principal, central office administrator, and consultant. Her areas of expertise are in Visible Learning, Teacher Clarity, and all aspects of school leadership. Before this role, she held various positions including Executive Director of Middle Schools and Senior Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Staff Development. She also was a successful middle school principal and was named Virginia's Middle School Principal of the Year. Cathy has served as an adjunct professor at The George Washington University, teaching graduate courses in educational leadership.

PREFACE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR INTRODUCTION PART I. FOUNDATIONS FOR EVERYDAY COURAGE CHAPTER 1. WHAT IS EVERYDAY COURAGE? The Evolution of Courage Modern Science Studies Courage Everyday Courage for School Leaders Defined Moral Courage Intellectual Courage Disciplined Courage Empathetic Courage The Neuroscience of Courage and Fear Conclusion CHAPTER 2. MAKING THE CASE FOR EVERYDAY COURAGE The Unspoken Requirement Professional Standards for Educational Leaders Losing Our Leaders Overcoming Fear Impacting Our People The Impact of Courage at Work Conclusion PART II. PRACTICING EVERYDAY COURAGE: THE THREE CUPS CHAPTER 3. CUP OF COURAGE: TRUST PRACTICES Overview of Trust Consequences of Distrust Benefits of Organizational Trust Conclusion CHAPTER 4. CUP OF COURAGE: ACCOUNTABILITY PRACTICES Overview of Accountability Accountability That Works Conclusion CHAPTER 5. CUP OF COURAGE: RISK-TAKING PRACTICES Overview of Risk-Taking Taking Smart Risks How to Take Risks The Benefits of Taking Risks Characteristics of Innovative Leaders Becoming an Innovative Leader Benefits of Innovative Leadership Conclusion PART III. ACTIVATING EVERYDAY COURAGE: PERSONAL REFLECTION AND DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 6. ADVANCING YOUR EVERYDAY COURAGE Natural-Born Leaders Believe in Yourself Without Limits Keep Worry at Bay Be Optimistic The Right Kind of Practice From Purposeful to Deliberate Practice Creating Your Practice Plan Conclusion CHAPTER 7. ASSESS AND STRENGTHEN YOUR EVERYDAY COURAGE Scoring Your CQ Lessons Learned/Observations Courageous Practices for School Leaders Strategy Starters for Purposeful Practice Trust Cup Practices Accountability Cup Practices Risk-Taking Cup Practices FINAL THOUGHTS REFERENCES INDEX

"Leadership is about fostering growth, building capacity, and collaboratively working with stakeholders to create new ideas - this takes a great deal of courage. Cathy Lassiter creates a pathway for leaders to develop that courage, and shows them how to do it with empathy. Everyday Courage for School Leaders is an outstanding read for anyone new to leadership and those who need to revitalize their thinking." -- Peter DeWitt, Ed.D., Author/Consultant "A great resource to support leaders as they revise priorities, reflect on their mission , and reassure staff, students, and community. Through their courageous leadership we can accomplish our learning goals and achieve success." -- Brenda Yoho, Director of Educational Support Programs "There has never been a time where we need more courage from educational leaders than right now. The ESSA provides new opportunities to rethink school improvement and accountability, but only the courageous need apply. Principals must be courageous lead learners willing to collaboratively inquire and develop themselves and their staff. This book tells you why and how to do this. It is a must read and a must do!" -- Brian A. McNulty, Partner "Dr. Lassiter has drawn upon her own experience as a principal, district administrator and national educational consultant to write a book that is relevant to the immediate needs of school leaders. She clearly knows the many challenges, obstacles, stresses, and opportunities that school leaders face daily and provides clear guidelines for the development of courageous, effective leadership that anyone can learn who wants to learn. Her work is grounded in research, best practices, her extensive experience, and examples of courage from principals around the country, and includes a call to action for school leaders to take smart risks! This book should be on every superintendent's reading list for every principal, assistant principal, and district leader. It provides a guiding light to show the way to success and provides hope to all those school leaders who work so hard daily to improve the quality of teaching and learning for all." -- Linda O'Konek, Consultant "It is often said, 'how goes the principal, goes the school.' In Dr. Lassiter's second book, Everyday Courage for School Leaders, the critical role of the school principal is the focus. With inspiring examples and deeply rooted research, Lassiter demonstrates the importance of everyday courage in leading a school. "In interviews for school administration, one often must demonstrate skills such as decision-making, communication, instructional knowledge and organizational skills. What goes unsaid is the critical need to be able to apply courage to the decisions, communication and organization in the best interests of students. Lassiter reminds her readers that schools are for students and courageous leaders often must make decisions about adults and their actions that are not popular or supported. Everyday courage cannot be learned in a degree program. It must be nurtured and developed through trust, accountability and risk taking. These 'three cups of courage' empower leadership and form the basis of this encouraging and thoughtfully written book for school leaders." -- Karen Branscombe Power, President "This material is comprehensive, extensive, focused, and practical. The personal anecdotes of real principals helped to illustrate the essentials of the chapters' main themes. This book certainly makes a strong case to point out the importance of leadership courage. School leaders need this type of thinking more now than ever before and have little in the literature from which to draw. This book will fill that void." -- Ainsley B Rose, Author/Consultant