The Impact of Politics in Local Education: Navigating White Water

(Paperback)

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Today, administrators must assume a different mindset if public schools are to remain viable and functional. Changing populations resulting in heterogeneous communities, diversity of community values, and finite resources meeting the infinite desires of a demanding constituency have created the necessity for political acumen on the part of local educational leaders. The primary reason for the upheaval occurring in schools today is not that the instructional element is being neglected, but that the building-level administrators have a woeful lack of proficiency in managing the politics that impact schools. This book gives administrators a better grasp of educational politics at the campus level as the school interacts with the community in which it is embedded.

Through theory, application, and personal reflection, The Impact of Politics in Local Education will show administrators how to "read" the political climate of a community, how to make meaning from the information, and how to proactively manage political issues so that a stable school environment can be maintained.

Reviews

Quite possibly, Jane Owen has crafted a first: a book that reads like a novel but contains powerful lessons for each and every school administrator. As each chapter leads to the next, the reader will find it impossible to put this book down, waiting to see what happens next to Maggie. The implications for a book study for practicing administrators, a book review by the superintendent, or a textbook for aspiring administrators are endless. The very best, however, may be the wonderful indulgence of curling up with a book that will evoke joy and sorrow as you travel with Maggie on her journey. -- Karen Simpson, former deputy superintendent of Keller ISD, Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Texas

Author Bio

Jane C. Owen, Ph.D. has devoted almost thirty years to the field of education at the public school and college levels. She currently teaches at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas.