Leadership Mentoring: Maintaining School Improvement in Turbulent Times [Hardcover]

Although several books discuss administrator mentoring and how to create mentoring programs, Steve Gross's book manages to tell an engaging story of mentoring that positions it in the turbulent and complex world of contemporary school and district life. Instead of viewing mentoring as a panacea for all administrator problems, Gross's book pictures mentoring in its complex and problematic practice, while acknowledging its realistic value. The book identifies the real-life challenges of mentoring in turbulent educational environments. Educational leaders, policymakers, and researchers will benefit from the engaging and complex story of mentoring that Gross has written. (Gary Crow, Ph.D. )

As the expectations for students and educational personnel continue to increase and the work of educational leaders grows increasingly complex, the need for consequential professional learning experiences comes sharply into focus. This volume places mentoring at the very heart of professional learning for school leaders, addressing head on essential questions concerning the purposes and substance of mentoring as well as the process of developing a high quality mentoring programs. Gross's account of moving from an ideal to a successful program, offers not only profound insights into the very essence of mentorship but also suggests a path for building mentoring programs that, if followed, could swiftly craft conditions within the field of education that are much [as John Dewey said] 'better than we found them, so that the next generation may find the best qualities of civilization, more solid and secure, more widely accessible and more generously shared.' (Michelle D. Young, Ph.D. )

[This book] will inspire anyone concerned with the challenge of retaining and nurturing school leaders in the 21st Century. Grounded in a lively chronicle, full of school and community voices, of a school district?s journey in the development of a leadership mentoring program, this book is destined to change the way we think about leadership and our responsibility to the next generation of school leaders. Dr. Gross reminds us of how much can be accomplished when school leaders are supported, mentored, and encouraged to lead in arenas within, and particularly, outside the school walls where root factors exist that impact the ability of students to grow as learners and human beings... (Mary John O?Hair, Ph.D. )

Beset by a cacophonous chorus of critics, we are truly in a turbulent era. National think-tanks, federal and state mandates; colliding with the reality of real schools serving real students with real parents all crash upon school leaders with conflicting and contradictory demands. Steve Gross' latest book addresses these dilemmas head-on. Drawing from the well of philosophical fundamentals of right, fairness and democracy, Gross shows that the crucible for annealing new school leaders is through wise and reflective mentorships. By following the journey of a school district, Steve shows us how it is done through careful, committed, supported and sustained efforts. His contribution is not only to administrator trainers but also to practicing school administrators, school board members, and the entire school community. In a new and turbulent age, no single aspect is as important as the development of democratic and effective leaders. Through experience in the real world, Steve transforms these lessons into an invaluable guide for all who care about the directions of our schools. (William J. Mathis, Ph.D. )

[This book] will inspire anyone concerned with the challenge of retaining and nurturing school leaders in the 21st Century. Grounded in a lively chronicle, full of school and community voices, of a school district’s journey in the development of a leadership mentoring program, this book is destined to change the way we think about leadership and our responsibility to the next generation of school leaders. Dr. Gross reminds us of how much can be accomplished when school leaders are supported, mentored, and encouraged to lead in arenas within, and particularly, outside the school walls where root factors exist that impact the ability of students to grow as learners and human beings. (Mary John O’Hair, Ph.D. )

Today, school systems face the challenge of developing the next generation of school leaders. This means more than simply hiring promising new leaders—it requires developing an effective mentoring program. True leadership mentoring must be carefully crafted with highly educated mentors and prepared protégés. But what are the elements of a quality leadership-mentoring program? This book answers six fundamental questions that school systems interested in creating a leadership-mentoring program should consider:
· How might a district interested in leadership-mentoring organize their work?
· What background is available in current literature on leadership-mentoring? How might the literature serve as an effective basis for program development?
· What theoretical framework can planners use to organize their program so that it will have unity and best respond to the hardest questions facing building leaders?
· What example of leadership-mentoring, which uses this theoretical framework, can be studied so that we can understand the emerging model in a naturalistic setting?
· What are the qualities of a fully-developed model for leadership-mentoring?
· How might such a program be implemented and connected to larger district priorities?

Leadership Mentoring also shows readers how to use new concepts such as Multiple Ethical Paradigms and Turbulence Theory to help new leaders respond to the ethical dilemmas that are a part of their new assignments. Chockful with answers to crucial questions about leadership-mentoring, school districts will finally be able to face the task of developing new leaders with greater confidence.