Professional reading for school leaders:

1. What Great Principals Do Differently: Fifteen Things that Matter Most- Todd Whitaker

1. It’s people, not programs
2. Who is the variable?
3. Treat everyone with respect, every day, all the time
4. The principal is the filter
5. Teach the teachers
6. Hire great teachers
7. Standardize testing
8. Focus on behaviour, then focus on beliefs
9. Loyal to whom?
10. Base every decision on your best teachers
11. In every situation, ask who is most comfortable and who is least comfortable
12. Understand high achievers
13. Make it cool to care
14. Don’t need to repair – always do repair
15. Set expectations at the start of the year.

2. If I Only Knew: Success Strategies for Navigating the Principalship- Harvey B. Alvy and Pam Robbins

1. The challenges and problems facing rookie and veteran principals new to their schools:
   • Factors that affect rookie and veteran principals changing school settings
   • The loneliness of the principalship
   • The time juggernaut
   • Expectations of the instructional leader
   • The complexity of relationships
   • Management concerns.
2. Finding solutions to the challenges and problems:
   • Becoming a lifelong learner
   • Human relations and authentic communication
   • Honouring the experienced/veteran staff
   • Balancing leadership and management
   • Expanding the principal’s expertise
   • Implementing a pro-active behavioural program
   • A principal’s vision for teaching and learning
   • The obvious is not always obvious: what school principals often forget.

3. The Culturally Proficient School, An Implementation Guide for School Leaders- Randall B. Lindsay, Lardine M. Roberts and Franklin Campbell Jones

The five principles are as follows:

1. Culture is a predominant force in people’s lives.
2. The dominant culture serves people in varying degrees.
3. People have both personal identities and group identities.
4. Diversity with cultures is vast and significant.
5. Each individual and each group has unique cultural values and needs.

4. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey

1. Be pro-active
2. Begin with the end in mind
3. Put first things first
4. Think win-win
5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood
6. Synergize
7. Sharpen the saw.

5. “What makes a leader?” - Daniel Goleman

The Five Components of Emotional Intelligence at Work:

1. Self-awareness
2. Self-regulation
3. Motivation
4. Empathy
5. Social Skill.