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What Matters Most for School Leaders
25 Reminders of What Is Really Important
- Robert D. Ramsey - Consultant
January 2005 | 224 pages | Corwin
What Matters Most for School Leaders: 25 Reminders of What is Really Important is a compact guide to 25 fundamental insights and base-line beliefs that never change. The book showcases commonsense cornerstone principles and life lessons for educational leaders, reinforced by practical tips and real-world examples from successful schools.
Preface: Why This Book? Why Now?
Introduction: Some Things Never Change
1. What You Do Is Special
2. Primero Los Ninos: Children First
3. There Are No Throwaway Kids
4. Strong Schools Make a Strong Nation
5. Schools Are Sacred Places of Hope
6. Teaching is the Greatest Profession
7. Passion is the Engine That Drives School Leadership
8. What Matters Most Costs the Least
9. Schools Are Only as Strong as the Community Allows
10. When It's Your Own Kid, It's Different
11. That Pesky Golden Rule Still Works
12. Someone Has to Be the Grown-Up
13. Good Leaders Learn to "K.I.S.S." and Enjoy the Happiness of Subtraction
14. You Can't Have Too Much Integrity
15. Commonsense is Better Than a College Degree: The Grandma Test
16. Sometimes Kids Need Candy More Than Milk
17. A Chicken Doesn't Stop Scratching Just Because Worms Are Scarce
18. The Reverse Side Has a Reverse Side
19. The Best Leader Is a "Servant Leader"
20. Your Mother Didn't Raise You to Be a Bureaucrat
21. Politicians and Armchair Quarterbacks Don't Get It--So You Have To
22. If You're Not Having Fun, You're Doing It Wrong
23. Things Are Never as Bad as You Think They Are; and You're Braver, Stronger and Smarter Than You Imagine
24. You Work to Live, Not Live to Work
25. It's Worth It!
A Final Word: The Ouija Board Effect
Resource A: What Others Say About What Matters Most (In School and In Life)
Resource B: Other Books About What Matters Most
Resource C: Other Lasting Truths That Couldn't Be Squeezed Into This Little Book
Index
The author weaves quotes, inspirational messages, and stories in a masterful way.
South Brunswick School District, Monmouth Junction, NJ
The book's major strengths are its readability and its excellent number of practical, doable suggestions for busy principals and superintendents to implement.
Lamar University
"This compact guide of 25 fundamental insights and baseline beliefs offers a common-sense approach to school leadership, providing practical tips and strategies."
February 2006