Coherent School Leadership: Forging Clarity from Complexity

While leaders may desire or have been told that they must put certain structures into place in order to enhance their leadership capabilities, they may not know exactly what structures are needed, or the skills that are required for implementation. Authors Michael Fullan and Lyle Kirtman go beyond simply telling you what you need to put in place to enhance leadership--they detail the route to successful leadership.

Coherent School Leadership will show you how to combine the components of Fullan's Coherence Framework (the Framework) with Kirtman's 7 Competencies for Highly Effective Leaders (the Competencies) to drive coherence--the shared depth of understanding about the nature of the work and how it impacts the results desired for student achievement--to change the culture in schools from reactive to proactive. Fullan and Kirtman, whose work is based in practice, will:

- Show you how to use specific competencies to drive coherence
- Provide examples that show how other leaders have successfully created coherence
- Guide you through the day-to-day distractions/stresses so that you can stay on course
- Show you how to use the Competencies in relation to the Framework

Taking a world view of the forces that could destabilize education and the work of coherence, Coherent School Leadership will show how proven frameworks such as the Framework and the Competencies can help you cope with even the most complex scenarios.

Michael Fullan, OC, is the former Dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and Professor Emeritus of the University of Toronto. He is co-leader of the New Pedagogies for Deep Learning global initiative. Recognized as a worldwide authority on educational reform, he advises policymakers and local leaders achieve the moral purpose of all children learning. Fullan received the Order of Canada (OC) in December 2012. He holds honorary doctorates from several universities around the world. Fullan is a prolific, award-winning author whose books have been published in many languages. His latest books are: The Principal: Three Keys for Maximizing Impact; Coherence: Putting the Right Drivers in Action (with Joanne Quinn); Deep Learning: Engage the World Change the World (with Joanne Quinn and Joanne McEachen); Surreal Change: The Real Life of Transforming Public Education (autobiography); Core Governance (with Davis Campbell); and Nuance: Why Some Leaders Succeed and Others Fail.

Lyle Kirtman has been a leadership development consultant for more than 30 years. As CEO, Future Management Systems Inc., he has worked on developing leaders to increase results for students in 350 school districts in 15 states. Kirtman's publications are influencing educators nationally and internationally. His books, Leadership and Teams: The Missing Piece of the Educational Reform Puzzle and Leadership: Key Competencies for Whole System Change (Fullan), have influenced educational practice throughout the United States. Kirtman's focus on innovation in education is a key element of his presentations, keynotes, and publications. He was able to help former Governor Patrick in Massachusetts by chairing the Governor's strategic planning task force on innovation in education. Kirtman brings a unique background to his leadership work in education through his consulting experience in the federal government (EPA), health care (Massachusetts General Hospital), universities (Harvard University), and in the corporate (Cisco Systems) and nonprofit (United Way) worlds. He has also worked as a senior administrator in the central office for the Boston Public Schools in the organizational development and leadership field for school operations.