The Hidden Principalship: A Practical Handbook for New and Experienced Principals

The Hidden Principalship is a straightforward, practical handbook for principals in the job or for professors to use as a guide for principal instructional programming. Becoming a principal is similar to purchasing a house. It is an investment. A HUGE investment! Consider this book as your “inspection” of the principalship. As others are admiring the paint colors, this text examines the foundation. This book reviews issues of power, change and culture, but unlike the traditional ways that these and other topics may have been previously presented to you. This text will expose the cracks in the foundation so you can see them and decide how you will handle them. (And at a lower price than any home inspection ever cost). This text looks to discover thinking patterns that underlay the work and then provide a clear, practical approach for not only the issue at hand, but the great thinker behind the issue. In addition, the text also lends itself to college classrooms, as it has case studies for each chapter, which are meant to kindle conversation surrounding the topic. Furthermore, the sections “Try It” and “Don’t Try It” give further testimony to the practical application of the information. This book has a practical approach to leadership theory. Each chapter has a “Practical Advice” section which provides solid guidance for future use.

Table of Contents:
Disclaimer Foreword Preface Acknowledgements Chapter 1 - Martial Arts Mentality Chapter 2 - Try It: Making Change More Effective Chapter 3: The Meeting Before the Meeting Chapter 4: How Many is Many? Chapter 5: That’s Why You Make the Big Bucks! Chapter 6: The “How Does That Work” Meeting? Chapter 7: Embrace the Antithesis Chapter 8: Common Threads: A Methodology for Investigations in Schools Chapter 9: What’s the Win? Chapter 10: You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know Chapter 11: The New Competition Chapter 12: The 5’s test Chapter 13: On Saving Face Chapter 14: Don’t Bite the Boss Chapter 15: The “Buy In” Is Out! Chapter 16: Rock and Roll Chapter 17: My Miracle Chapter 18: They Have Forgotten Where They Are From Chapter 19: The Union with the Union Chapter 20: Too Much Good Can Be a Bad Thing Chapter 21: The Number Line of Change Chapter 22: Try It. Chapter 23: Don’t Try It Chapter 24: Case Studies Chapter 25: Situations Summation Bibliography

About the Author :
Anthony P. Barber, Ed.D, is the Director of Teaching and Learning in the Springfield School District. He is also an adjunct professor at various universities instructing in graduate and undergraduate education and leadership courses. Dr. Barber is also a co-author to Common Threads: Investigating and Solving School Discipline, a Rowman and Littlefield publication dealing with assisting administrators in handling school discipline issues.

Review :
Finally, practical and useful advice for the everyday, moment-to-moment scenarios that drain us physically and emotionally. Dr. Barber’s book is like the Maps App for principals to help navigate the ever winding road to success, accomplishment and sanity. Dr. Barber's guide for young and aspiring administrators is the essential missing link in the training of those destined for a career in educational administration. The current training programs for the principalship already include an abundance of information and technique surrounding data and student achievement; although our end result is to positively affect student achievement, we need to be more mindful of the unspoken and quiet subtleties of administrative work that will allow us to collaboratively accomplish this goal. More often than not, our educational goals are accomplished through the management of other professional staff, collaborative problem-solving, and an inventive spirit. Dr. Barber's book begins the conversation and journey into these important, yet seldom discussed topics. I wish I had this practical guide before now! Having spent six years as an assistant principal and now as a principal, I find myself utilizing the lesson from this text often, especially the ones you don’t learn in a principal program. Dr. Barber straightforward approach and real-world connections make this a “must have” for anyone in the principalship. Not only does Dr. Barber's book provide practical approaches to difficult situations, it clearly explains the thinking behind the necessary administrative decisions. This important step allows administrators such as myself, to properly reflect on situations thoroughly. It is almost as if you have an experienced mentor principal alongside of you when presented with a new, tough situation. This is ideal, but sadly not always the case. Dr. Barber has written a wonderful guide for new and experienced administrators as we are and should be life-long learners.