Cage-Busting Leadership

Hess (education policy studies, American Enterprise Institute) contends that statutes, policies, rules, regulations, contracts, and case law make it difficult for school and system leaders to drive school improvement and lead schools, but also that leaders have more freedom to transform teaching, learning, and schooling than most believe and are not as restricted as they think they are. He describes how leaders can "bust" their limited, or caged, version of leadership and cultivate and sustain the cultures of teaching and learning they desire. He explains why cage-busting is necessary, how to think about it, and what the cage looks like, including getting rid of bad habits, how to tackle problems, and understanding obstacles, then how leaders can think differently about using talent, tools, time, and money to combat obstacles and handle challenges. Annotation c2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)