From Legends to Legacy 19superbly mentored; solved and posed problems rather than lectured to students; and had
longer internships to learn their craft, particularly in coping with what she calls the “rub”
between theory and practice. Greater teacher collaboration in schools and classrooms is also
advocated, particularly given the classroom isolation so many scholars have cited. Think
about our own isolation within university classrooms.... my first speech as an educator was
on team teaching back in 1965! I loved it and always valued the chance to work with my
colleagues in the classroom, despite the extra work-- I finished my career teaming with
Connie Fulmer and Mike Murphy, at UCD along with many dedicated school district leaders.
- SUPERIOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP, ESPECIALLY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS
“The leaders new work: building learning organizations.” Peter Senge
During doctoral work at UCLA in the esteemed Anderson School of Business, I learned
that both business scholars and practitioners had a lot to say on leadership such as Warren
Bennis, Robert Greenleaf, Peter Senge, Chris Argyris, Tom Peters, Douglas McGregor,
William Ouchi, and many others, too numerous to name here. They have had considerable
influence on my own thinking about leadership...how leaders can transform organizations; can
make a difference; can be change agents within organizations; and, how they can rely on the
positive attitudes of their staff-- trusting and giving them the freedom to do their work, thus
building loyalty and interest in teamwork and in the organization. This is a part of both
Theory Y and Z management. (Bennis, 1965; McGregor, 1960); Ouchi, 1981). I tried to
emulate that style throughout my career in education and it usually worked although there are
always “Theory X” people out there who love to measure life solely by the rule and the
square!
Tom Sergiovanni has had great impact on my thinking about schools and leadership,
having worked with him off and on for over 20 years (1992; 1994; 1996; 2000; 2005; 2006).
He has given much thought and study to the topic of successful leadership in schools,
particularly in regard to leadership for learning and sustained school improvement. He, along
with Glickman and Goodlad are brilliant synthesizers of information and always attempting to
bridge the theory-practice “rub”. He clearly believes that value-added leadership enables
students and teachers to be successful, and that effective leaders must be: moral; focused on
achievement; culture builders; collaborative; and, focused on continuous learning and school
improvement. He talks a great deal in his work about “lifework” which is the essence of hope,
and, “systemsworld,” which is the means to achieve hope. Building a community of learners
whether they are parents, teachers, or students is paramount in his belief system about
superior school leadership. He distains the corporate model of leadership and suggests that
we need to design our own theories and practices about leadership that suit the needs and
culture of each school. Incidentally, he believes both principal and teacher development is the
key to school success and that such leaders must foster the development of a community
committed to learning and inquiry. This will take place in faculty meetings, staff
development activities, community forums, and the like. He espouses the idea of a school
becoming a “community of mind,” with shared ideas, ideals and purposes, with school leaders
building extensive relationships with all in the school community. He and his colleague Bob
Starratt (Starratt, 1994) have been pioneers in the notion of “moral and ethical leadership” for
school leaders and they both note the importance that “heart, head and hand” have in
understanding the emotions, values and connections with others in the school community who
might have diverse ideas about student learning. Of course many other educators have written