Beyond Theory and Degrees: The Alley Smarts of Educational Leadership

This book is a must read for anyone who has a passion for leadership. Fitzpatrick’s style and story presentation could be a blueprint for any leader in any profession. His insights into building a culture of leaders, through mentoring and distributing responsibility in growing the capacity of an organization while celebrating and affirming people are the tenants of his approach to authentic accountability, where people when feeling valued become invested and perform at a high level! In the book Fitzpatrick shares the POCDICE theory, the seven key processes of Leadership that every aspiring and seasoned leaders must become good at, while never becoming complacent in improving in their roles. They are: planning, organization, communication, decision-making, influence, coordination, and evaluation. School Leadership and Governance in American schools is at a crossroads. Fewer candidates are entering this noble and honorable profession. We need great leaders for our schools and districts to flourish. This book is designed to inspire candidates to consider school and district leadership while giving insight into school governance from the principalship, superintendency, and Board of Education levels.

Table of Contents:
Foreword- The Honorable James E. Doyle, Governor of Wisconsin (2003-2011) Preface: What I can offer you in your quest to be an Educational Leader! Introduction Chapter 1: Do I have the Pedigree to Lead? Chapter 2: Everything Starts with Culture Chapter 3: POCDICE: The Processes of Educational Leadership Part 2: Leadership at the Building Level Chapter 4: The Principalship: Instructional Leader or Manager? Chapter 5: Hiring Great People: From Recruitment to Induction Chapter 6: Selecting and Developing Assistant Principals Chapter 7: Teacher Evaluation: A Reflective Look at Current Practice Chapter 8: The Importance of Support Staff, Visibility, and Supervision in a Building. Chapter 9: Decision Making –When the Tough Ones Come Your Way! Part 3: The Superintendency, Board of Education and Life Balance: Chapter 10: The Superintendency-Cannot do it alone! Chapter 11: The Board of Education and Superintendent: Roles and Relationships! Chapter 12: Life Balance Bibliography About the Author

About the Author :
Dr. James E. Fitzpatrick served over forty years as a teacher, coach, principal, and superintendent, in rural, urban, and suburban schools and districts. He is now an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at National Louis University in Chicago, Illinois.

Review :
Jim Fitzpatrick embodies educational leadership with every bone in his body. I am thrilled that he authored this book to help our colleagues across the country enhance their leadership capacity. I have had the privilege and honor to count Jim as one of my first mentors twenty years ago when I first became a superintendent. His insight, perspectives, context, and wisdom shaped my understanding of the role of an educational leader and I will always be indebted to him for his mentorship and counsel. While I found the entire book incredibly enlightening, I would draw readers’ focus to the final third of the book. Throughout Jim’s time as a superintendent, he was absolutely masterful at making and communicating tough decisions along with focusing on School Board relationships. In addition, those of us who have been educational leaders for extended periods of time know that we can only survive, and thrive, by creating networks of colleagues with whom to collaborate and by achieving a life-work balance (I know most people call it a work-life balance, but I believe at my core that life should come first). This is an awesome book, written by one of the top educational leaders of our time. I hope you learn as much from Jim’s writings as I have learned from him over the years. Great leadership entails being an influencer of people. Jim has captured this beautifully in his book Beyond Theories and Degrees: "The Alley Smarts of Educational Leadership" with his authentic storytelling of his leadership experiences. Jim’s encouraging voice reminds us that we all can learn and should learn from one another in our respective leadership roles. He candidly shares the need for all leaders to develop confidence, self-discipline, and resilience as the tools for successful leadership. This book is a practical reflection of various entry points into leadership as an aspiring or practicing leader. Most importantly, Jim reminds us of the importance of relationships not only to one another but also to a place of shared responsibilities and benefits to serve all children and families and serve them well through our excellent leadership. This book is a must read for aspiring school administrators. It is also a valuable "refresher" for veteran administrators who want to be reminded of the essential principles of their profession so that they can lead and mentor their administrative teams. Dr. Fitzpatrick has captured the essence of what it takes to be a successful school leader. Read it and you will have a solid foundation for your career in the noble profession of school administration. Beyond Theories and Degrees: The Alley Smarts of School Leadership distills what is great about Dr. Fitzpatrick’s teaching, including his legendary sense of humor, and puts it in an accessible package. Now everyone can benefit from his mentorship and practical wisdom! Beyond Theory and Degrees: The Alley Smarts of Educational Leadership is a must read for administrators considering the superintendency as well as current superintendents. Jim Fitzpatrick’s deep, personal knowledge garnered throughout his long and successful career are just what aspiring and practicing superintendents need to understand in order to help them navigate the complexity and pitfalls all district leaders face at various points throughout their careers. As a seasoned professional, Jim shares his wisdom on all the key topics that school district leaders need to address. His folky writing style coupled with multiple pragmatic tips ring true for me as a former superintendent. In fact, I wish I had read this book before I stepped into my superintendency. This book is a must read that will appeal to a wide audience. In addition to aspiring school leaders, Fitz’s book would provide an insightful book study for administrative teams, Board of Education members, and anyone with an interest in school leadership and governance.