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What does it mean to lead in a learning environment, as opposed to a system of knowledge transmission? A community, as opposed to a bureaucracy? A customer-oriented organization, as opposed to a public monopoly? To create truly powerful learning environments, school leaders must focus the lens on leadership, school improvement, and leadership for school improvement.

In Leading School Improvement: A Framework for Action, author Joseph Murphy pulls together 14 practitioner-based articles to present a cohesive narrative about the unique and critical role that leadership plays in school improvement. Murphy clearly identifies key factors that shape the future of any school and explains the work that leaders must do to ramp up academic press and foster a supportive culture for school improvement.

He goes on to unpack the concept of leadership practice, focusing on principles and values that define excellence in leadership in schools. Personal characteristics and virtues, such as persistence, passion, courage, and integrity, count more than behavioral descriptors, he argues, and meaningful, productive leadership cannot take place without them. This book guides today’s school leaders toward that ever-essential goal.