Product reviews for Leadership Dialogues II

Education is a continuously evolving profession that requires leaders to be up to date with the changing environment to fully equip their students for their futures and help them achieve their aspirations and goals in their educational and social lives.

There are many changes to teaching on a weekly basis and new areas of focus are introduced, especially to aid their students to become happy and successful learners and global citizens. I work in an Academy whose main vision is to help the young people to climb the mountain to university and encourage open dialogue between all levels of the management structure.

Teaching in affluent areas or not the same issues arise that need to be addressed at the start of a student's educational experience and continued throughout all the years that they are at school.

Leaders have to work through many permutations to engage as leaders. Relationships with leaders is the only way to allow professional growth and improvement for all people involved.

This book is the second of two looking at the dialogues that need to happen in leadership at educational establishments.

-˜Leadership Dialogues II: Leadership In Times Of Change' offers many sections on current relevant issues that should be addressed by all leaders in education beginning with the education of vulnerable and disadvantaged children a regular item in the media at the moment. Each section of the book has key quotes related to research and findings and provides clear guidance on the ways to have the discussions with leaders on this topic. This also is supported by electronic downloads that are available to access online and show a format of having to analyse and evaluate your own place of work in relation to the topics discussed in the chapter. This allows all leaders to meet on the same level to discuss and open a dialogue on important aspects of their school and look towards the future with help to achieve their vision.

Many other areas of a school are introduced such as cross-curricular communication and its importance to supporting the vision of the school and encourages the meeting of subjects and leaders to discuss best practice and how they can move towards their department and overall goals in the long term.

I especially liked the regular references to the importance of middle leaders and their essential input and support for the whole school's future. As work-life balance is particularly important the section addressing this is enlightening and extremely helpful given the current Ofsted announcement in the press.

There are many sections in the book looking into the effects of the outside environment on the success for learners and this is also a current discussion that has been made in the public eye recently and again comes with the necessary tools to evaluate a schools impact on the communities and how to open a dialogue with them to help disengaged parents and learners.

This book stands out as it addresses many current education topics that are being discussed a great length in all areas of the UK including the government and many schools at the moment. The various key quotes from research that are included in each part of the book illuminate the discussion within. The templates and proformas to help with leadership discussions are imperative to help leaders open their dialogues especially in areas that they are not familiar.

As a leader in a fast-paced academy, this is an enlightening journey through up to date relevant discussion on leadership and should be an essential tool to encourage open dialogue between all members of staff in education and not just those in senior leadership positions.

It has encouraged me to not only re-evaluate my department but also the input I receive from other subjects and parents to help my subject become part of the one vision for education and the future of those within the system.

This is a no-brainer for any school CPD library or aspirant leaders/teacher's bookshelf.



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