Renewal: Breathing New Life into School Leadership

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Unquestioned educational practices must be re-examined. Now, more than ever, we need to breathe new life into school leadership to bring much-needed hope for renewal into our classrooms and schools. Our humanitys future rests on the shoulders of our young people who deserve the most effective, empowered collective of teachers possible. Working and learning together with teachers across corridors, departments, and disciplines, school leaders can make this a reality.
In this one-of-a-kind exploration into the practice of school leadership, Dr. Carolyn Cameron moves beyond leadership theory or prescriptive how to be a leader guidelines. She courageously addresses the gap between knowing and doing, and takes a deep dive into the space of being a school leader dedicated to the work of nurturing the authentic learning of students and their teachers.
Cameron draws on her own lived experiences as a teacher, principal, and district principal. She adds to this personal journey the insights of colleagues, scholars, philosophers, and researchers, and takes inspiration from poets, writers, and students. This ground-breaking book weaves all of this together in a way that will cause the reader to think differently about teaching, learning, leading, and perhaps even life itself.

Reviews

A valuable book that mixes personal and professional day-to-day realities. Makes you stop and think about the deeper meaning of what you are doing. A chance to get new insights about your work and life in leading educational change. -- Michael Fullan, Professor Emeritus, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto, Author of Leading in a Culture of Change
Carolyn Camerons Renewal provides a clarion call to school principals to see their schools with new eyes distanced from the day-to-day routines and open to new possibilities. Drawing on her rich experiences as a school, district and provincial leader, Cameron builds a compelling argument that school leadership cannot be defined by a set of standards for professional practice. Rather, the case studies of Joe, Christine, and Reia point to the complexity of school leadership that is embedded in relationship and grounded in learning. She asks leaders to consider the ways in which they can slow down to be curious observers of their learnersboth young and not so young. Rich with poetry from Maya Angelou to Rumi and Emily Dickinson, a strong research base, and practical reflections from school principals, this book creates pictures of possibility for a school system where every learner belongs and succeeds. -- Judy Halbert, EdD, Transformative Educational Leadership Program, University of British Columbia, Co-author of Leadership Mindsets: Innovation and Learning in the Transformation of Schools and The Spiral of Inquiry: For Equity and Quality
School leadership is entering a new phasemore central, more important than ever, but faced with critical challenges. Energy, commitment, inspiration, and capacity are all required but as Cameron makes clear Renewal is the lifeblood of influential, impactful leadership. Trust and humility and collaboration are essential, but above all to lead a transformation agenda involving people, institutions, and systems you need to renew yourself. Educators, read this book. -- Anthony Mackay, board co-chair, National Center on Education and the Economy, Washington, DC
This book is a gift to all educators seeking to create schools with the capacity to change livesstudents and teachers. Unlike books with simplistic prescriptions and lists of pragmatic steps, this book models the very nature of change, in its style and content. The stories here and their wisdom shine light on the complexity of leadership, on the need for and challenges of changing old ways of doing school, and of the very habits, dispositions, and attitudes school leaders should seek to embrace if they are expecting to breathe new life into their schools. Carolyn speaks to leading with soul and presents this remarkable book with genuine humility and authenticity. Its a reading for a future of hope and renewal. -- Nancy Doda, PhD, Professional Development Coach, Teacher to Teacher, Burlington, Vermont

Author Bio

Carolyn Cameron draws on her rich experiences spanning over 30 years as a classroom, school, district, and provincial leader in education, identifies the complexity of school leadership that is embedded in relationship and grounded in learning. Cameron has presented at local, provincial, national, and international conferences on the power of collaboration among all members of the school community and it is this approach to leadership that earned her provincial recognition for excellence in teaching and leading.