What separates good leaders from brilliant ones? How do you successfully move your school or district from mediocrity to brilliance? Drawing on their expertise in business and education, the authors provide a simple, sustainable framework that will help you overcome educational inertia to reach new heights of achievement. The authors use the forces of flight as a powerful metaphor: Weight: Discover your Personal Brilliance through self-discovery Lift: Engage Collaborative Brilliance through collaboration with all stakeholders Thrust: Drive Team Brilliance by encouraging smart risks and designing potent changes Reduce Drag: Expand Student Brilliance by unleashing imagination, resilience, and hope Download the free study guide at releasingleadershipbrilliance.com

The premier guide to acing the exam—completely revised! When the toughest test in Texas gets updated, it’s a big deal. Luckily, this best-selling preparation guide—the secret weapon Texas educators use to take their careers to the next level—has been updated right along with it. Now in its third edition, it’s the resource you need to be at your best for the test. In her trademark friendly style, Elaine Wilmore gives you the information you need and helps you make the transition from thinking like a teacher to reflecting, reacting, and responding like a learner-centered principal. As you explore each element of the exam’s new structure—eleven competencies within six domains—you’ll also find: An overview of the updated TExES philosophy In-depth analysis of the new domains and competencies Real-life stories and applications to ground each concept in reality Test-taking strategies, online and offline, to suit any style Tips for time management and stress relief before, during, and after the exam You already know you’re principal material—you just need to prove it to Texas. With this hand-on preparation guide, you’ll be ready to ace the exam, get certified, and change the world—one school at a time.

Step out of Your Comfort Zone and Really Help Kids To meet the needs of today’s learners, fearless leadership is required to support and empower the adults who work with these learners. Anchored in research, Fearless Conversations is a guide to recognizing and using strategies that encourage staff to work at their full potential, build trust, and strengthen collegiality. Strong, courageous, focused, collaborative leadership is a win-win approach for all stakeholders. Readers will find • interviews and case studies to illustrate effective practice • strategies to help them move from traditional methodologies toward stronger transformational leadership • vignettes and examples to ignite additional thinking to facilitate achievement for all students Written for aspiring, new, and experienced school leaders, this is a must-read for anyone who wants practical strategies that they can use immediately to build a culture of learning and improve academic achievement for all students. "Fearless Conversations School Leaders Have to Have is a professional "toolbox" for aspiring as well as experienced school administrators and teacher leaders or any educator who cares about meeting the needs of today’s student learner. How to address difficult issues in a leadership role, for example, is presented in a realistic perspective through real-life examples, vignettes, and personal reflections that come not only from the authors themselves but also from school leaders currently in the field. These proven strategies bring credibility to the authors’ work. It is a practical guide that can help school leaders stay on the forefront of success in their schools." Linda Pincham, Associate Professor Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL "This book is timely, practical, and clearly anchored in the rich leadership and coaching experiences of the writers. This book is a must read for all leaders and aspiring leaders at the building and central office level. This book will also be useful at the university level where new leaders are being prepared and inspired." Lynda C. Wood, Ed.D, Retired Superintendent Southfield Public School District, Southfield, MI

Inspire the data discussion! Data is a valuable resource for improving education. Unfortunately, many school data teams struggle to make sense of new and often overwhelming data. What Does Your Data Team Sound Like? provides an approach that gets teams talking about and applying data effectively in a variety of setting and scenarios. Written to help data teams navigate the confusing world of data analysis for on-going school improvement, this book offers a framework that is rigorous yet easy to follow. Readers will find: Easy, step-by-step discussion & analysis techniques Case studies that demonstrate different approaches Checklists and flowcharts to help visual the process

Break the cycle of surface-level change and failure How do leaders become clearer as complexity increases? We live in a world where decisions require judgment, getting people on board, drawing on local knowledge, ingenuity, and commitment. As leaders, how do you get beneath surface-level change to tackle complex challenges with depth and clarity. Nuance is the answer. Michael Fullan returns with an eminently readable, compelling and practical guide on the three habits of nuance: joint determination, adaptability, and culture-based accountability. Learn how you can: Combine the power of networks and humanity to get to desired destinations Embrace complexity and understand context to develop better judgmenChange the culture of your organization to harness the forces of nuance Develop quality change that sticks

Ensure Conversations About Collaboration Get Results. This book lays out the theory and practice of Collaborative Professionalism. Through five international case studies, the authors distinguish Collaborative Professionalism from professional collaboration by highlighting intentional collaborative designs and providing concrete examples for how to be more purposeful with collaboration. Additionally, the book makes Collaborative Professionalism accessible to all educators through clear take-aways including: Ten core tenets, including Collective Efficacy, Collaborative Inquiry, and Collaborating With Students. Graphics indicating how educators can move from mere professional collaboration to the deep and transformative work of Collaborative Professionalism. Analysis of which collaborative practices educators should start doing, keep doing, and stop doing Collaboration can be one of your most powerful educational tools when used correctly, and turned into action. This book shows you how.

Shared knowledge between educators breeds shared success in all systems and schools Comprehensive in scope, this book demands that educators and school leaders come together to bolster student achievement in the 21st century. Through emphasizing a collaborative process, Lyn Sharratt’s design demonstrates how shared knowledge and expertise can make every classroom more impactful and every teacher more effective. 14 essential parameters guide educators and school leaders toward building effective collaborative learning environments Case studies, vignettes and firsthand accounts from gifted teachers bring these important theories to life Date-driven activities and exercises challenge educators to tackle improvements in all facets of education

To make a lasting impact, redefine your leadership. Discover a new model of educational leadership, one that ensures growth for all students in both core academic content and 21st-century skills. With practical examples, stories from the field, and numerous activities and reflective questions, this insightful book takes you step-by-step through the work of the learning leader, helping you meet the unique learning needs of staff and students—and get the biggest impact from your own limited time. You’ll also find ways to: Ensure clarity in strategic planning Establish coherence throughout the system Enact system-wide capacity-building processes Craft your personal leadership skills

A school leadership model for surviving hyper-change From social media to evolving safety issues to constant school reform, today’s school leaders face unprecedented disruption. How can educators prepare students for a globalized world when many institutions are not ready for the constantly changing 21st century? With an eye on the past and a vision for the future, Carter and White draw the blueprint for adapting schools to ever-changing times. • A comprehensive history of disruption in American schools as a lens for understanding accelerated change • Practical exercises and real-life examples for reshaping education in the 21st century • A grounded examination of radical disruptions schools will face in the years to come

Make change humanly possible When we ask schools to change, we are asking human beings to change and this requires special tools and a human-centered approach. Change the heart of the system by enabling the hearts and minds of those who make schools work. Learn to make sense of challenging change journeys and accelerate implementation with this practical framework that includes human-centered tools, resources and mini case studies. Understand why resistance is to be expected and how to get through it. Discover three different kinds of change strategies and when to use which one Learn how to use the “messy middle” of change, where real transformation happens. "Julie Wilson dares to turn common sense into an action plan. This is an urgent, important book for all educators and parents." Seth Godin, Author "Julie Wilson is both a visionary and a pragmatist. Her book is a wonderfully clear and concise guide for leaders who seek to navigate the road to educational transformation." Tony Wagner, Author