Leading the Strategically Focused School: Success and Sustainability

Drawing upon Brent Davies′s extensive experience in presenting nationally and internationally to school leaders, this book distils the collective wisdom from educationalists across the globe. Updated with new international examples and references and a significant new chapter on developing strategic talent in schools, the book has been described as a ′must read′ for existing and aspiring school leaders. The book focuses on: " establishing processes for building whole school involvement " strategic approaches to build capacity in your school " building and sustaining strategic leadership throughout the school " developing strategic talent in schools " characteristics of strategically focused schools This book is an indispensable read for school leaders who want to focus on bringing sustainable improvement to their school. Dr Brent Davies is Professor of Leadership Development at the University of Hull.

Table of Contents:
Introduction What Is Meant by Leading for Sustainable Strategic Success? Start with Values and Beliefs Strategic Processes: Overview Strategic Processes: Conceptualizing Strategic Processes: Engaging the People Strategic Processes: Articulating Strategic Approaches Strategic Leadership Developing Strategic Leadership Deploying and Implementing Strategy A Strategically Focused School

About the Author :
Dr Brent Davies is Professor of International Leadership Development at the University of Hull . He is also a Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Visiting Professor at the Institute of Education (University of London), Special Professor at the University of Nottingham and a Faculty Member of the Centre on Educational Governance at the University of Southern California. He is an Associate Director of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.  Brent spent the first ten years of his career working as a teacher in South London. He then moved into higher education and now works exclusively on leadership and management development programmes for senior and middle managers in schools. He was Director of the International MBA in School Leadership at Leeds Metropolitan University. He then took up a post at the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside to establish the first Chair in Educational Leadership and create the International Educational Leadership Centre in Lincoln. He moved to the University of Hull in 2000 to establish the International Leadership Centre. In 2004 he transferred within the University to become a research professor in leadership development at the Hull University Business School.

Review :
′With an ever widening circle of followers among school principals and headteachers, Brent Davies has an enviable capacity to write engagingly and is one of those all-too-rare educational writers whose theory springs from the close and discerning observation of practice. For me, as reviewer there′s cause to think more critically about measures of schools success. You can′t ask for much more from a book that it contributes and extends your own thinking. It will have a similar effect on all those who read it′ - Sir Tim Brighouse, Educational Consultant and & Visiting Professor, Institute of Education, London, UK ′Brent Davies tackles the much misunderstood and abused concept of strategy and achieves great results. Linking strategy with sustainability, Leading the Strategically Focused School is full of wonderful conceptual tools, and practical case vignettes. This book is both conceptual and practical, and takes all the excuses off the table. An inspiration and invitation to take action for the good of all′ -Michael Fullan, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto Praise for the first edition: ′With an ever widening circle of followers among school principals and headteachers, [Davies] has an enviable capacity to write engagingly and is one of those all-too-rare educational writers whose theory springs from the close and discerning observation of practice. For me as reviewer there′s cause to think more critically about measures of schools success. You can′t ask for much more from a book that it contributes and extends your own thinking. It will have a similar effect on all those who read it.′ Sir Tim Brighouse, Educational Consultant and & Visiting Professor, Institute of Education, London, UK ′Brent Davies tackles the much misunderstood and abused concept of strategy and gets great results. Linking strategy with sustainability, Leading the Strategically Focused School is full of wonderful conceptual tools, and practical case vignettes. This book is both conceptual and practical, and takes all the excuses off the table. An inspiration and invitation to take action for the good of all′ Michael Fullan, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto