Kathryn S. Whitaker

On Becoming a School Leader: a Person-centered Challenge Kathryn S. Whitaker

The work of educational leaders depends on relationships with people--faculty

and staff members, students, other administrators, parents, and community members. This book

presents a new way of viewing leadership: how to become person-centered leaders. Rather than

relying on outdated ways of managing schools, principals and other leaders must take up the

challenge of paying attention to the people issues of the school.

Through many examples, the authors show how school leaders must

- consciously seek the appropriate type of data to respond to;

- increase their capacity for empathy;

- develop healthy personal self-concepts; and

- learn how to develop healthy self-concepts in others, both students and teachers.

School leaders also should be committed to a broad purpose for schooling, should be informed

about how their beliefs and behavior influence the organization of the school, and should be able

to participate in interactions with authenticity. They also must be able to help create authenticity

in their school organizations.

In these ways, school leaders will create schools that are learning organizations for everyone.

Universities that prepare future school leaders should spend more time developing leaders who

are person centered in their approach to leading schools. This new way of thinking will require

leader preparation programs to change their priorities for curriculum, academic activities, and

field experiences.