The complexity of the work involved in leading schools can be overwhelming to administrators who simply seek to make a positive difference in the lives of their students. The school principal faces situation specific challenges nuanced in details that can be disparaging even to veteran administrators. With respect to school leadership, there is no recipe or cookbook that could offer principals certainty of outcome. Ronald Williamson and Barbara Blackburn, authors of The Principalship from A to Z, however purposed to provide a (p. xix) “set of tools that can be immediately used to improve their practice”.
This collaborative work is informed by the practical experience. Williams is a former practicing principal, consultant, and professor and Blackburn is a teacher, consultant and associate professor. Their combined experiences serve as multicolored thread throughout the fabric of the manuscript. It is through their collective experiences, that they are able to offer clarity from a variety of viewpoints as they address the multifaceted prism of educational leadership. Having received national recognition, the authors share their wealth of knowledge in a simplistic and palatable compilation of relevant topics. The focus of this practical guide was to (p. xix) “provide specific strategies that will help navigate the many tasks principals face” complete with Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium standards (ISLLC) and Educational Leaders Constituent Council (ELCC) standards.
The Principalship from A to Z is a collection of chapters organized around topics of high interest and relevance for today's practicing administrator. The chapters are not sequential as the guide serves to provide a synopsis of information germane to one of 26 (A‐Z) cleverly organized topics. Each chapter begins with a quote, a question (something to think about), then moves into simple discussion, followed by a summary of “Skills for Principals” all related to the topic. Following the “Skills” section there is a section dedicated to providing more resources on the topic of review. Because the authors of The Principalship from A to Z were brief in their treatment of topic, this section is very important and could have been even further developed to offer a broader repertoire of literature.
As an introduction to each chapter, a quote is offered to prepare the reader for a creative and impacting view of the topic and corresponding issues. Systematically then, a provocative and apropos question is posed which serves to advance the platform of the topic focus. The discussion of the topic ensues within the context of school leadership. Each question foreshadows and leads into the chapter discussion.
In the discussion section of each chapter, a variety of instruments are used to aid in understanding as well as simplifying the presentation of the material. The various instruments of choice include checklists, rubrics, charts, strategy maps, pneumonic devices and prompts which the authors have made available to the buyer in free downloads accessible by a book‐buyer access code. The discussions provide a broad stroke of basic information without too much time consuming detail. The sub‐sections of each chapter are divided into bite size, visually attractive components for ease of use. There are little nuggets of gold offered in each of these topic areas that range from the most basic functions, i.e. conducting a staff meeting, to more challenging demands, i.e. developing strategies for learning how to effectively communicate in the face of opposition and presenting yourself to the media. There are also topics included that would draw the interest of more senior principals who may want to work toward improving their practice, i.e. key lessons from award‐winning schools, norms of collaboration, and learning how to strategically focusing on instruction to name a few.
The sample strategies and tips are practical and Williamson and Blackburn's approach to their treatment is pragmatic – concise and to the point. The skills identified for principals to target typically ranged in number from 4‐7 that offer specific “to do's” for principals in their role as educational leader. They are all simplistic, brief statements supported by a reference list of additional information that concludes each chapter. In several instances, the authors make a point to acknowledge the importance of including teachers as leaders in the work of enhancing student learning as the primary role of schools. While differing and competing demands are identified relative to the work of effectively leading schools, student learning remains the consistent focus throughout the text and the inclusion of teacher and staff participation is emphasized.
The Principalship from A to Z could be of great benefit for any practicing administrator. However, the breadth of topic and the simplicity of format seem to make it an especially useful resource guide particularly well‐suited for an administrator in training or an early career administrator. That being said, a couple of things surfaced in consideration of the best audience for this book. Because of its attractiveness and usefulness for an early career principal, more attention could be paid to the understanding, value, importance and sensitivity of highly educating diverse populations, issues of inclusion and more specifically, the achievement gap. I would have liked to have seen work authored by John Ogbu, Mano Singham, or even Beverly Tatum in the reference sections as they bring unique, research‐based and valuable perspectives to the issues around conversations of race in school and student achievement. These voices at the very least would help to provide balance to the perspective of authors such as Thernstrom and Thernstrom.
In addition to a slightly undernourished balance of voice with respect to achievement, diversity and the achievement gap, the reference section is scant on decision‐making, climate and culture, the work of Miskel and Hoy, and others who offer tremendous insight from years of dedicated research and authorship on these very same issues. While an early career principal would undoubtedly regard this book as a meaningful guide and reference resource, a more seasoned administrator may find The Principalship from A to Z a bit thin on substance relative to a few select topics. Because the book is designed to be a guide for the principalship, perhaps an attempt to provide greater balance and inclusion of diverse thought would have been helpful. Balance of perspective is relevant particularly with respect to key discussions around decision‐making, leadership, climate, culture, diversity, achievement and the achievement gap.
Williamson and Blackburn offer sage advice and strategic planning with great clarity in this book making it ideally suited to benefit the new administrator seeking guidance and direction through the complexities of school leadership. With the exception of a few omissions in the “resource sections” as mentioned, this book is indeed an important resource and highly recommended tool for school leadership.
