A new, effective, and low-cost professional development program for school principals

This book describes a powerful, professional development model for new and experienced principals—a collaborative leadership inquiry seminar. The authors combine existing models of structured professional conversations about education into an on-going leadership development experience that will work in large, urban school districts. They examine how to develop and manage collaborative inquiry with principals, the facilitator’s role in guiding inquiry, and outcomes that can be expected. Featuring a user-friendly presentation with many practical examples, the book:

• Presents an effective, low-cost program for successful professional development with school principals (K–12).
• Describes in detail the steps required to implement a collaborative leadership inquiry seminar.
• Encourages administrators at the school and district level to contribute to constructive, practical dialogues about significant issues.
• Provides a clear alternative to present models that frequently foster unproductive, adversarial relationships.
• Includes case studies that demonstrate how the program can benefit principals, schools, teachers, and students.

Mónica Byrne-Jiménez is a professor of Foundations, Leadership and Policy Studies in the School of Education and Allied Human Services at Hofstra University. Margaret Terry Orr is a professor at Bank Street College and co-founder of a NYC-focused school improvement initiative.