Exemplary Leadership Practices: Learning from the Past to Enhance Future School Leadership

This book shares stories of historical figures from the past as well as contemporary school superintendents and principals. The present nature and complexity of leadership is heavily dependent on the past, as we cannot fully understand or appreciate the current context without going back and exploring the past. To ignore great leaders from the past would run the risk of having current and aspiring school leaders not completely knowing, understanding, and appreciating these exemplary lessons the contemporary context. These stories help us to understand the values, beliefs, and morals of contemporary school leaders; they help us define what it means to be a school leader in contemporary America. We can learn history in terms of stories, either through telling stories or listening to the stories of others. But, it is more than telling and listening. It is learning, for not only those who wish to be school leaders, but learning for those who currently are in positions of school leadership.

Table of Contents:
Dedication Foreword Preface Acknowledgements Chapter 1: Temet Nosce (Know Thyself) Chapter 2: The Magic Behind the Meaning Chapter 3: From Chrysalis to Butterfly Chapter 4: Thinking About Thinking Chapter 5: Surviving and Thriving Conclusion: Looking Back and Then Forward Bibliography End Notes About the Author

About the Author :
Peter R. Litchka is associate professor of Education at Loyola University (Maryland) and Director of the Educational Leadership Program. He has more than four decades of experience in education as teacher, administrator and superintendent, and has written and presented extensively throughout the United States and Europe in this field.

Review :
Exemplary Leadership Practices: Learning From the Past to Enhance Future School Leadership is a must read for all practicing school administrators as well as those aspiring to be school leaders. In this book Dr. Litchka explores great leaders from history and applies the lessons learned to contemporary situations. He provides clear examples how we can learn from historical successes and failures to help current leaders reflect upon their own situations and practice to maximize success. Each chapter in the book also contains a story form a practicing school administer to highlight the timeless connection between effective and ineffective leadership practices. The book serves as a guide for navigating the turbulent waters of school leadership and gives practical advice as well as encouragement, inspiration and hope to everyone who wants to excel as a school leader. Drawing on a range of sources from the wisdom of legacy leaders to intriguing stories from vast personal experience, this tour-de-force guide to leadership is tailored for those who lead, seek to lead, or seek to lead better. Only an experienced teacher/leader/pragmatic scholar like Pete Litchka could assemble such a set of insightful — and delightful — narratives that palpably explain and demonstrate key elements of effective leadership for our current era and for those to come. Rarely has there been a leadership book that examines the inside game of leading. More than ever before, our school leaders are focused on the well being of others. This unique must-read book delves into the mind of the leader revealing their human side, including their own well being. By taking a more intimate path through personal interviews, their stories are told in a realistic and compassionate manner. Peter Litchka presents clearly what real leaders face today; how they learn and grow from, and reflect on their experiences; and provides many useful applications and insights that benefit all leaders. Dr. Peter Litchka has produced an outstanding resource for all school administrators. He has used historical figurers to illustrate how professional educators can and must learn from the past. New and experienced administrators will find this book both practical and inspirational. In line with the notion stating there is much wisdom in practices, this powerful book offers leaders a genuine and insightful perspective on their professional conduct. Using historical examples from great leaders as reference, it brings current school leaders’ stories which tackle the essence of educational leadership. The book offers useful insights for school leaders and a port for their self-reflective journeys. Great book! Today’s issues facing current school leaders appear insurmountable. Litchka's book addresses these issues in a practical, easy to understand but yet with deep profound meaning. The insight and helpful advice is presented in a measured mix of systematic research and anecdotal evidence providing school leaders regardless of experience, a valuable resource. School related Issues are no longer inseparable and this book shows why. School leaders will see their reality reflected in these pages through a healthy dose of real life scenarios, with added value of practical grounding reflections on how to deal with the challenges of the role. This book is written by someone 'who has been there' and designed to help prepare you now and for the years ahead. It's a book to help you understand yourself, and how you and your work connect through the inescapable medium of contemporary leadership. Information provided in this work presents a unique look at the leadership experiences of individual practitioners and include a discussion of these experiences. The discussions, in addition to dealing with traditional subjects, present topics such as, physical fitness, reflecting on emotional self-awareness, interacting with others, and guidance on how to improve readiness through external activities beyond the job. A nice read that blends actual leadership together with theory; a helpful read. As a former superintendent of two rural school districts, I understand very well the balance needed to stay ahead of the day-to-day business of running the district, and the necessity of providing guidance and leadership to the members of the board of education and administrative team. Too often, the former trumps the latter as all involved are being pulled in a multitude of directions. I found that book studies were a perfect way to engage all in meaningful conversations about educational leadership and institutional integrity. How I would have loved to have had Dr. Litchka’s book available to me during my tenure as a school superintendent! His approach of relating the tenets of leadership to great leaders in history, and then providing a parallel story from current practitioners in the field of educational leadership, is brilliant. This book is readable and relevant…a must read for anyone considering a career as a leader in an educational setting. Kudos!