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A Fork in the Road
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eBay item number:195686116411
Item specifics
- Condition
- ISBN
- 9781475846324
- EAN
- 9781475846324
- Subject Area
- Education
- Publication Name
- Fork in the Road : Narrative Problem Solving for School Leaders
- Publisher
- Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated
- Item Length
- 8.8 in
- Subject
- Leadership, Administration / General, Professional Development
- Publication Year
- 2018
- Type
- Textbook
- Format
- Trade Paperback
- Language
- English
- Item Height
- 0.5 in
- Item Weight
- 8.3 Oz
- Item Width
- 6 in
- Number of Pages
- 150 Pages
About this product
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated
ISBN-10
1475846320
ISBN-13
9781475846324
eBay Product ID (ePID)
26038380448
Product Key Features
Number of Pages
150 Pages
Publication Name
Fork in the Road : Narrative Problem Solving for School Leaders
Language
English
Subject
Leadership, Administration / General, Professional Development
Publication Year
2018
Type
Textbook
Subject Area
Education
Format
Trade Paperback
Dimensions
Item Height
0.5 in
Item Weight
8.3 Oz
Item Length
8.8 in
Item Width
6 in
Additional Product Features
Intended Audience
Scholarly & Professional
LCCN
2018-027706
TitleLeading
A
Dewey Edition
23
Reviews
When I first became superintendent and was responsible for ten schools, 450 employees, etc. etc., one of the first things I recognized was my need to get clear definition from the people I worked with. What came to my desk tended to be issues, events, problems, etc. that others couldn't deal with themselves, they needed the help of the superintendent. In these cases, it was clear I had to began all my meetings with people to clearly define "what are we talking about?" Often times, highly educated building principals, teachers etc. were not operating on clear definitions. RTI, Proficiency, Standards-Based, all terms used on a daily basis in our profession, yet the definitions of those terms were not unilaterally agreed upon or understood. I am currently in a school district where thousands of hours have been spent on creating a grading system for "proficiency" but no one has a clear understanding of what a common assessment is, what a formative assessment is, or how the RTI system is linked directly to an effective proficiency-based system. The institution is applying a solution (grading system) to a problem it has neither defined nor understands. The Narrative Problem solving approach is a breath of fresh air because it is thoughtful, deliberate, and reflective. It also honors all stories, the administrators, the students, the parents, or whomever the stakeholder may be. The problem that one must consider is "how do we apply the narrative problem solving approach when people demand immediate answers and immediate solutions with no patience or opportunity for clear thought and reflection?' The public demands immediate responses and solutions, shortchanging the administrators and other educators the time and opportunity to ask "what if" and "what about?" when trying to (a) define the problem, and (b) test the validity of possible solutions., My career in education has spanned over 50 years, with thirty of them as a Superintendent of schools. As I reflect on this book, it's familiar stories and interesting process of problem solving, I have considered the decisions I have made, the methods I used to resolve them, and the resulting impact. Had I been familiar with and used the narrative approach to problem solving, I feel my decisions would have been better and that the results would have been contributive to the betterment of the whole organization. This book needs to be read by all leaders, veteran and emerging. It should be a part of a leadership development program., When I first became superintendent and was responsible for ten schools and 450 employees, one of the first things I recognized was my need to get clear definitions of the issues we faced from the people I worked with. What came to my desk tended to be issues, events, and problems that others couldn't deal with themselves--they needed the help of the superintendent. In these cases, it was clear I had to begin my meetings with a better understanding of what we were talking about. The narrative problem solving approach is a breath of fresh air because it is thoughtful, deliberate, and reflective. It also honors all stories - those of the administrators, the students, the parents, or whoever the stakeholder may be. The problem that one must consider is how we apply the narrative problem solving approach when people demand immediate answers and immediate solutions with no patience or opportunity for clear thought and reflection?, J Michael Wilhelm's new book delivers an interesting and thought-provoking read based on his experience of working in the American education system. . . . Overall, "A Fork In The Road", encouraged me to re-examine my role as a mediator and reflect on how I can develop my skills to work with the narratives that people in dispute have, to enable them to consider a wider perspective and find alternative solutions., J. Michael Wilhelm has written a very different, very practical, and very important addition to the professional bookshelf for educational leaders on problem solving in organizations. Using a concept borrowed from clinical therapists and professional mediators, Wilhelm has created an alternative approach to the traditional step-by-rational-step technique for problem solving used in most organizational behavior literature. He notes that humans create and use stories and story telling - narratives - to make sense of their world and the challenges within them, and that in a complex organization peoples' stories may vary from one another. Wilhelm borrows from the concept of narrative therapy to explain how any educational leader can use it to view an organizational problem that faces her as a complex story with several possible narratives. He then offers a series of twelve stories developed from actual incidents in school settings from the classroom to the school board to the wider community itself. Each story involves multiple actors in conflict over what has gone "wrong;" and the actors hold differing ideas about how the leader should make it "right." Wilhelm does not offer a "right" answer, but through the use of guiding questions for each story based on the constructs of narrative therapy, helps the reader construct his own means of resolving the problem. As I read through the stories, I recognized several that resonated with similar problems from my own past, and I winced, knowing that if I could have a "do over" with Wilhelm's guiding questions to help my leadership team and me, we could have achieved better outcomes for our school communities!, Everyone loves a good story. Veteran superintendent, Mike Wilhelm has captured the essence of a day in the life of a School Superintendent. Through 12 relevant and timely case studies, Mike dives into the complexity of the role of a School Superintendent and the myriad of issues they face ranging from relationships with School Boards, Administration, policy development and current issues such as the perennial presence of technology in our schools. Easy to read, and easier to relate to; the case studies provide real life issues of running a district which are followed by essential questions to provide the reader with the opportunity to explore similar situations they may face in their own districts, with a better understanding of the social and emotional context that underline many of the issues Superintendents face., A great deal of prior theory on educational leadership has relied upon linear thinking and objective problem solving. Author and former superintendent Mike Wilhelm provides a very intriguing and necessarily helpful approach to exploring situations that present themselves on a regular basis to superintendents and school board members alike. Mike's approach is inclusive. It is reflective. It can be collaborative. Today's schools bring with them complex issues. School district leadership today requires skills and practices to successfully navigate through choppy waters. Mike provides such an approach. This is a must read and reference for school district leaders. It won't stay on the shelf., Books on school leadership all too often present the work of leaders too neatly and simplistically, leaving the reader wondering why her or his own experience is so different and, often, resistant to solutions described in those books. Mike Wilhelm's volume will feel like home to practicing leaders, and particularly to central office and school board leaders. Its twelve stories are a pleasure to read: their characters come alive in the narrative; the core parts of each leadership challenge are made plain; and the reader is invited inside the problem-solving process to engage in deeper thinking about resolution. Wilhelm's descriptions, drawing on his own long experience as superintendent, will resonate with readers' own stories. Discussing them with colleagues offers powerful opportunities for leaders - whether practicing or aspiring - to make sense of the very real challenges of their work. This book is a much-needed resource that district-level leaders and professional learning programs, whether pre-service or in-service, will find engaging, provocative, and extraordinarily helpful in practice.
Illustrated
Yes
Dewey Decimal
371.2
Table Of Content
Preface Acknowledgements Introduction Narrative Problem Solving Chapter 1: "The Petition" - A superintendent is confronted by his new board chair who has demands for systemic change. Chapter 2: "A Christmas Story" - A school board and its new chair are confronted with opposition to a change in holiday policy. Chapter 3: "The Drive to the Small School" - A superintendent must address a hostile work environment in an elementary school. Chapter 4: "The School is the Community" - An attempt to close a school meets with resistance. Chapter 5: "If I Had My Way" - A new superintendent is confronted by an angry teacher who wants his coaching position restored. Chapter 6: "The Parent's Voice" - A principal and superintendent must respond to a situation created by a special education student whose behaviors disrupt the school. Chapter 7: "This Whole Thing" - A superintendent is faced with problems revealed by the annual audit. Chapter 8: "I'll Help If I Can" - A new principal must address school culture issues originating from administrative and school board decisions made years before. Chapter 9: "This Is Crazy" - A superintendent responds to a teacher's accidental intranet transmission within a middle school. Chapter 10: "The Accident" - A superintendent's decision to retain a school bus driver after an accident resurfaces years later during budget preparations. Chapter 11: "Take a Break" - A superintendent struggles to mediate a conflict between a high school principal and a department head that has disabled their professional relationship. Chapter 12: "The Open Door" - A superintendent finds that his behavior has made him vulnerable to a complaint by a new employee. Analysis References
Synopsis
This book argues for a narrative approach to problem solving as it relates to the many challenges facing school boards, superintendents, principals, and other school leaders, A Fork in the Road presents the narrative approach to problem solving often employed by mediators and therapists as lens through which school system leaders can view the component parts of the difficult issues they face to better define and resolve them. Narrative problem solving is based on the precept that humans construct an understanding of their problems from the stories they hear and tell about those problems. Therapists and mediators deliberately mine these narratives to understand the origin, nature, and the extent of their client's problem, and to reveal the alternative storylines and possible resolutions embedded in those stories. This same approach can allow board members, practicing and aspiring superintendents and other school administrators to view an institutional problem from a distance and learn the differing perspectives of those involved and affected to better under the problem's reach and risks, and explore possible solutions. The book provides an explanation of narrative problem solving and a series of essential questions to guide the reader through the process. It offers twelve stories in narrative form that invite the reader to explore institutional challenges through the narrative lens. An analysis of each story explores the possible path to resolution embedded in the stories.
LC Classification Number
LB2805.W5145 2018
Item description from the seller
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