M. Gene Newport
The responsibilities of administrators in K -12 school systems
seem to increase with the start of each school year. Many of these administrative
positions have become pressure cookers due to the increased demands coming from
students, parents, teachers, board members and a host of other individuals and
groups. Consequently, school administrators are typically covered up with meetings
and paperwork, leaving little time for anything else.
This book recognizes the limited time available to school administrators
for reading books that can contribute to their continued professional development.
Therefore, it excludes pet theories, survey results, case analyses and quantitative
data. And it doesn't have to be read chapter by chapter. That's because there
are no chapters. Instead, the book presents 450 proven guides for initiating
action and getting results, with the guides organized around sixteen topical
headings focused on major responsibilities of all school administrators.
Guides presented throughout the book will reinforce some of
your thoughts about school administration. You will also get some new ideas,
experience lots of positive reinforcement, and find that you can still enjoy
reading a book about school administration. It's as close to a win- win situation
as you will find anywhere.
M. Gene Newport earned the B.S. degree in Education from
Eastern Illinois University. His M.S. in Management and Ph.D. in Business are
from the University of Illinois. Dr. Newport served as a professor and administrator
in higher education for some forty-five years. Most recently, he completed over
twenty-two years as Dean of the School of Business at The University of Alabama
at Birmingham (UAB).
Dr. Newport has remained active as a consultant throughout
his career, completing assignments for educational institutions, banks, insurance
companies, utilities, construction firms, fast-food chains, hospitals, and governmental
agencies. He is also the author, co-author or editor of thirteen books about
administration and management, as well as numerous articles appearing in business
journals across the United States and abroad.
This book recognizes the limited time available to school
administrators for reading books that can contribute to their continued professional
development. It doesn't have to be read chapter by chapter, because there are
no chapters. Instead, the book presents 450 proven guides for initiating action
and getting results, with the guides organized around sixteen topical headings
focused on major responsibilities of all school administrators. The following
examples illustrate the book's format.
Administration & Leadership
Leaders may be charismatic, but charisma is not leadership.
Successful school administrators give instructions, not orders. Leading by example
requires the ability to distinguish between good and bad examples. Swimming
with the current is not the same as being swept downstream.
Change
School administrators who spend time reliving the past probably
have no future. Successful school administrators know the future begins today,
not tomorrow. Global warming won't help school superintendents who vow to stay
the course until hell freezes over. Wishing for change is no substitute for
making it happen.
Mission. Vision. Planning & Plans
If you don't know where you're going, don't expect others to
follow. A plan without a vision is like a journey without a destination. If
school administrators stay focused on the worst that can happen, it usually
will.
Attitudes & Behavior
Some school administrators believe they can, and they do. Others
believe they can't, and they don't. Administrators with big egos are on the
road to becoming small persons. To some school board members, a logical point
of view is the one they are expressing. Climbing a tree is one thing. Going
out on a limb is quite another.
Interpersonal Relations
It's hard for teachers and staff members to take things with
a grain of salt when they are being peppered with criticism. Teachers and staff
members sometimes play matador when their administrators are acting bull- headed.
School administrators who deliver big don't have to make big promises.
Teamwork
School administrators who follow the "me first" principle
often come in last. School administrators who aren't willing to carry the ball
shouldn't expect others to run interference for them. Accept those who work
with you for what they are, not what you'd like them to be.
Communication
The most effective school administrators spend more time listening
than talking. Don't ask questions if you don't want to hear the answers. It
is easier to speak angry words than to eat them. School administrators who shoot
from the lip are as dangerous as those who shoot from the hip.
Financial Management and Control
Budgetary shortfalls can be caused by a shortage of ideas as
well as a shortage of money. Implementing controls too late is like having the
family cat declawed after your furniture has been shredded. School administrators
who do a job nearly right have still done it wrong.
