Principals are today's newest superheroes, and every superhero needs a mentor. Daresh and Alexander offer encouragement in a practical hands-on guide to help principals navigate the challenges of leadership. Discover how to: Drive student learning as the primary mission of the school
Deal with others' expectations of you as principal
Master the technical skills needed to run an efficient school
Create and clarify a personal professional growth plan
Work effectively with the greater community and parents
Celebrate instructional and non-instructional staff in a positive school culture
Don't just survive. Read this guide and thrive!

Introduction
Plan for the Book
A Word of Caution
Suggested Readings
A Framework for Understanding the Beginning Principal
Case Study: I'm Not a Politician
Case Study: To Go or Not to Go
Case Study: Figuring Out the Papers
Balance is the Key
Suggestions for Improvement and Professional Development
Suggested Readings and References
PART I: Self Awareness
Affirming Your Ethical Stance
Returning to Elijah's Dilemma
Knowing the Difference between Right and Wrong
Foundations of Ethical Judgments and Behaviors
References
Reviewing Personal Values
Case: Because It's Important to Me
Case: But What About the Children?
What Do You Do with the Platform?
Your Personal Platform
Being a "Boss"
Others' Perceptions
So What Do You Do?
Strategies to Reduce Isolation
Easing into the Principalship as an Assistant
Your Personal Plan
Suggested Readings
A Personal Leadership Checklist
Critical Leadership Skills
Your Personal Plan
References
PART II: Socialization
Seeing Your Invisible Heroes
Office Workers
Custodial Staff
Food Service Workers
Building a Personal Plan
Suggested Readings and References
We're All on the Same Side: Home-School-Community Relations
Traditional Functions of Home-School Relations
Fostering Effective Two-Way Communication as Relational Trust
Utilizing Community Resources
Your Personal Plan
References
Learning Your School's Culture
Don't Just Look...See
Listen... Don't Just Hear
Celebrate the Past
Develop an Action Plan
Others' Expectations
Critical Skills for Beginning Principals: A Survey
So What Does this Mean?
Your Personal Plan
PART III: Technical and Managerial Skills
Understanding the Environment of Accountability
No Child Left Behind
What Happened with NCLB and Where do we go from Here?

John C. Daresh is professor of educational leadership at the University of Texas at El Paso. Over the years, he has held faculty or administrative appointments at the University of Cincinnati, The Ohio State University, the University of Northern Colorado, and Illinois State University. He has also worked as a consultant on high school reform and administrator professional development for universities, state departments of education, national and state professional associations, and individual schools and districts across the United States, and also in Barbados, Canada, France, Holland, Israel, Turkey, South Africa, and Taiwan. By far, the bulk of Daresh's international service has been in the United Kingdom where he served an advisor and trainer for the School Management Task Force that developed and promoted support programs for beginning headteachers, the National College for School Leadership, the Welsh Office of Education, the North West Network for Diploma Development in Cheshire, Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of Lincoln, the University of Hull, CREATE Consultancies, and literally dozens of Local Education Authorities and individual schools across England and Wales.

Daresh recently completed three years of service as the lead consultant on principal mentoring programs for the Chicago Public Schools as that megadistrict was faced with the challenge of bringing in mostly inexperienced principals to serve in nearly of the school system's elementary and high schools.