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Reframing the Path to School Leadership: A Guide for Teachers and Principals

Item # 097

By Lee G. Bolman & Terrence E. Deal

The key to becoming a highly effective leader is to develop powerful habits of mind!

The best leaders use multiple frames or lenses to view common challenges and to solve their most difficult problems. Through a series of dialogues between a novice and a master teacher, and between a new and a seasoned principal, best-selling authors Bolman and Deal demonstrate how framing—and then reframing—challenges brings clarity, helps to anticipate problems, and leads to more comprehensive and powerful leadership strategies.

The four frames most commonly used by teachers and administrators are:

The political frame—conflict and compromise are a constant source of renewal
The human resource frame—sharing individual needs and motives nurtures a sense of ownership
The structural frame—clear organizational standards and goals lead to greater productivity
The symbolic frame—culture, rituals, and beliefs cultivate shared values and meanings
By reframing situations, educators ultimately gain more confidence and certainty in their decisions, and reduce the anxieties that can arise with difficult choices. In Reframing the Path to School Leadership, Bolman and Deal provide an optimistic view of what can go right in schools today, and what possibilities lie ahead for classroom and school leadership!
(Corwin Press, 2002)