Chapter+Summary+Handout


 * THE MORAL IMPERATIVE OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP – MICHAEL FULLAN **
 * CHAPTER ONE SUMMARY – CHANGING THE CONTEXT **


 * Introduction **

ü The leader’s job is to help change context – to introduce new elements into the situation that are bound to influence behaviour for the better ü Basic point – CHANGE THE CONTEXT, AND YOU CHANGE BEHAVIOUR ü Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point) o power of context is an environmental argument o behaviour is a function of social context o presents message that it is not the heroic actions that count, but that it is the little things o change the situation and you have a chance to change people’s behaviour in the short run as well as beyond o the leader’s job description is to help change immediate context ü key to change is new experiences ü people rarely change through a rational process of “analyze-think-change”; more likely to change through a “see-feel-change” process


 * The Public Schools We Need **

ü moral purpose is always at the heart of the matter ü best case for public education has always been that it is a common good ü quality of the public education system relates directly to the quality of life that people enjoy, with a strong public education system as the cornerstone of a civil, prosperous and democratic society ü publicly funded schools must serve all children ü both academic achievement and personal and social development are core purposes pf the public school system ü high quality public school system is essential, not only for parents who send their children to these school but also for the public good as a whole


 * The Principals and Teachers We Need/Level 5 Leadership **

ü cannot produce and sustain a vital public school system without a dedicated, highly competent teaching force, working together for the continuous betterment of the schools ü cannot get teachers working like this without leaders at all levels guiding and supporting the process; the principal is pivotal in this equation ü failure to generate passion, purpose and energy – intrinsic motivation – is a sure-fire indicator that the strategy will fail sooner rather than later ü 4 quadrants o uninformed professional judgment (knowledge-poor professional judgment) o uninformed prescription (knowledge-poor external prescription) o informed prescription (knowledge-rich external prescription) o informed professional judgment (knowledge-rich professional judgment) ü Jim Collins “Good to Great” o 6 core factors organized into 3 themes


 * ** Level 5 Leadership ** || ** First Who **
 * Then What ** || ** Confront the Brutal Facts ** || ** Hedgehog Concept ** || ** Culture of Discipline ** || ** Technology Accelerates ** ||
 * ** Disciplined People ** |||| ** Disciplined Thought ** |||| ** Disciplined Action ** ||

o good to great leaders: self-effacing, quiet, reserved, shy – a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will o first get the right people ON the bus, the wrong people OFF the bus, then the right people in the right seats – and then they figured out where to drive it o to paraphrase “the RIGHT people are your most important asset” o 5 level hierarchy – see many level 1-3 leaders and even some 4’s but these leaders are good, not great; they do not help change the system; only level 5 leaders build enduring greatness