Why School Leaders Need Vision: Managing Scarcity, Mandates, and Conflicting Goals for Educational Quality

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The concept of visionary leadership is defined and applied in this book, as supervision in schools requires a level of SUPER VISION that can be best developed through quality leadership, mentoring -- and mutual ideas, and support -- for adding more value to the school. This book shows just how vision is important and useful in all schools and districts. Time has thus come to find, build, and use high-quality visionary school leadership in its many dimensions; thus, this book takes at least ten different views (in the chapters) of the visionary roles and functions of education leadership in K-12 -- building on the roles, theories, and visionary actions of key players in the schools. No single perspective is enough, as all views must work in concert to the benefit of teachers and students, today. School leaders, moreover, need to have their own vision about the following: (a) what their work entails; (b) their school should be and look like; and (c) what their staff and students (and schools) can achieve.

Reviews

Visionary leaders must attend to the everyday functioning of their schools, respond to external policies and political pressures, recognize the weaknesses in the school, and, at the same time, understand the inner- and inter-generational perspectives and strengths of the key stakeholders. Armed with this information from this book, the visionary leader can imagine a different future for the school and its students. Combining the visionary leaders plan with the collaboration of teachers, parents, and students help to make that vision a reality. -- Virginia Roach, Dean, Fordham University
Why School Leaders Need Visionis a thoughtful book that cogently illustrates how visionary leadership is the sine qua non in education. Building on the writing of over a dozen authors, the book is filled with insightful and concrete ideas for leaders facing a world of ambiguity and change. Its a must read for leaders at all organizational levels. To see why Visionary Leadership is more than a catchword, read this book. -- Toby Tetenbaum, Professor and Division Chair, Fordham University
In this amazing book, the authors have attempted the impossible. They have successfully summarized the most relevant literature on leadership as it intersects with a visionary management style. The book does a magnificent job of capturing the essence of the huge body of theoretical and practical thought produced by the scholarly community. A must read for those who want to have a solid basis for understanding this vital management topic. -- Lyndon G. Furst, Dean Emeritus of The School of Graduate Studies, Andrews University

Author Bio

Bruce S. Cooper, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus, Education Leadership, Administration and Public Policy, Graduate School of Education, Fordham University, New York, New York. He also taught at University of Pennsylvania and Dartmouth College, after receiving his doctorate at the University of Chicago, with Donald A. Erickson, as his mentor. Carlos R. McCray, EdD, is an associate professor at University of Louisville in the Educational Leadership and Administration Program. He teaches qualitative research to aspiring educational leaders. Professor McCray is the co-author of the books, School Leadership in a Diverse Society: Helping Schools Prepare All Students for Success and Cultural Collision and Collusion: Reflections on Hip-Hop Culture, Values, and Schools. Stephen Coffin is a Ph.D. candidate in education at the Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University; teaches school finance as an adjunct professor for the Graduate School of Education, Montclair State University and as a part time lecturer for the Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University; teaches school and higher education finance and economics as an adjunct instructor for the Graduate School of Education, Fordham University; publishes articles, chapters and books; serves on three editorial review boards; is a former school business administrator; has earned an MBA in finance and MPA in public administration; and focuses on education finance and policy, charter schools, community economic development, school business administration, and equal educational opportunity and equity.