Redefining Instructional Leadership

Redefining Instructional Leadership: The Skills and Energy Required of an Instructional Leader focuses on how principals must be instructional leaders by first making building relationships a priority. Then, with those relationships that are built, the leader will earn trust from their teachers, which will give them the influence they need to lead them to better levels of performance—and better performance leads to greater depths of student achievement.Redefining Instructional Leadership goes beyond simply stating theory and summarizing research about what schools need from instructional leaders by emphasizing what instructional leaders should do and how to do it. This book explains the steps instructional leaders must learn and put into practice if their desire is to become a truly dynamic leader that will have a positive impact on teaching and learning.

Redefining Instructional Leadership: The Skills and Energy Required of an Instructional Leader is a must-read. Jones and Henry redefine instructional leadership in our schools, focusing on the roles and procedures impactful instructional leaders ought to uphold to promote improvement for teaching and learning. They state, "If schools are to succeed in the years to come, school leaders must not only have their heads in the right places, but their hearts as well." This book is a compelling read which will spark light and knowledge into future and current leaders, resulting in improved instruction and student achievement in today's schools.--Hailey Couch, 2nd grade teacher, Adams Elementary, Norman Oklahoma Public Schools, and recipient of the national Milken Educator Award, In Redefining Instructional Leadership: The Skills and Energy Required of an Instructional Leader, John R. Jones and Misty Henry present a common-sense approach to leading. They offer a framework built on the foundation of relationships and trust as a way to leverage influence and support teachers, students, and community members moving in the same direction--school improvement. The expression, "Still waters run deep" comes to mind while reading this book. The authors present the best thinking on leading aspiring and in-service leaders in understanding not only what they should do but more importantly how to enact practices that result in better learning opportunities for students and teachers.--Sally J. Zepeda, PhD, College of Education, University of Georgia, To say there's a lot to focus on with the contemporary principalship is an obvious understatement. The work is increasingly complex and demanding but to lead as a principal means knowing your stuff when it comes to teaching and learning, which is the very heart of the schooling enterprise. There's really no way around this. In Redefining Instructional Leadership Jones and Henry set out a framework for understanding and carrying out the multifaceted dimensions of instructional improvement and intentional teacher formation that is desperately needed in most of our schools today. This is an essential read for both aspiring and incumbent educational leaders.--William C. Frick, Rainbolt Family Endowed Presidential Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Oklahoma

John R. Jones has been in education for over fifty years as a public-school teacher and principal. He has also served as a professor on educational leadership as well as a university vice president, graduate dean, and dean of a college of education.Misty Henry has taught for many years in public schools and has dedicated herself to being a master teacher. She has written and published numerous articles on teacher and student performance as well as lectured on, conducted, and published research on teacher excellence and instructional leadership.