Leading Holistically
How Schools, Districts, and States Improve Systemically

Leading Holistically explores systems thinking in educational leadership?a comprehensive framework that enables leaders to improve their practice by taking a holistic perspective, instead of relying on a one-size-fits-all solution to discrete aspects of their organization. Aiming to expand the existing literature on systems thinking in educational leadership and policy, renowned educational leadership scholars come together in this valuable book to examine systems thinking at the school, district, and state/national levels, providing strategies to guide educators toward success. This important book unpacks the complexity and nuances of systems thinking in educational leadership and policy, helping educators face the growing complexity, change, and diversity in education to realize the promise of improvement for all those connected to and involved in the important endeavor of education.

Contents

Foreword – Michael Fullan

Preface

Part I – Systems Thinking at the School Level

Chapter 1: System Self-Regulation and Static Equilibria: How Socio-Cognitive Control Processes Regulate School Responses to External Reform – Ebony N. Bridwell-Mitchell

Chapter 2: Systems Thinking to Drive School Turnaround – Sharon F. Rallis & Rachael B. Lawrence

Chapter 3: Schools as Soft Systems: Addressing the Complexity of Ill-Defined Problems – Sharon D. Kruse

Chapter 4: Principals' Systems Thinking: The Meaning and Measure of a Leadership Construct – Haim Shaked, Pascale Benoliel, Nechama Nadav, & Chen Schechter

Part II – Systems Thinking at the District/Regional Level

Chapter 5: Using Hierarchical Growth Modeling to Promote District Systematic Improvement in Ohio and Texas – Alex J. Bowers, Xinyu Ni, & Jennifer Esswein

Chapter 6: Whole District Transformation: Leading Systems Change for Sustainability – Cynthia L. Uline & Lisa A.W. Kensler

Chapter 7: ‘Holistic Engagement’: Framing Theory, Strategic Communication, and the Superintendency – James Coviello & David E. DeMatthews

Chapter 8: System Leadership for Continuous Improvement: The Role of District-Level Leaders in Creating the Conditions for System-Wide Improvement – Christina J. Dixon & David Eddy-Spicer

Part III – Systems Thinking at the State/National Level

Chapter 9: The Impact of the "Social" in Social Media Space: A Systems Perspective on Educational Policy and Leadership – Alan J. Daly, Miguel del Fresno, & Jonathan A. Supovitz

Chapter 10: Using the Systems thinking Approach in Educational Policy Setting: A Choice among Compromises – Adam Nir

Chapter 11: School Turnaround Reform: Optimizing Confluence of Influence and Dynamic Disequilibrium – Andrea Rorrer, Vicki Park, Cori Groth, & Janice Bradley

Chapter 12: Improving Schools in Victoria, Australia: System, Region and School Perspectives – David Gurr & Lawrie Drysdale

Contributor Bios

Haim Shaked is Vice President for Academic Affairs and Head of the Department of Education at Hemdat Hadarom College of Education, Netivot, Israel.

Chen Schechter is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Educational Administration and Professor of Leadership, Organizational Development, and Policy in the School of Education at Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.

Alan J. Daly is Chair and Professor of Education Studies at the University of California, San Diego, USA.