Improving Education in a World of Politics

Dr. M. Scott Norton is a former public school teacher, coordinator of curriculum, assistant superintendent and superintendent of schools. He has served as professor and vice chair of the Department of Educational Administration and Supervision at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and as professor and chair of the Department of Educational Administration and Policy Studies at Arizona State University, where he is professor emeritus.

Despite the lack of formal training regarding the political aspects of their positions, newly appointed school and district leaders quickly learn from experience that public education is directly tied to local, state and national political systems. Superintendents, in particular, find themselves tenuously juggling their district responsibilities along with numerous outside political pressures, assumptions, agendas, and 'improvements" initiatives. Managing political aspects of the job can be daunting. In his most recent book on politics and power structures, Scott Norton captures the importance for public educational leaders to competently navigate the currents of political thought, influences, and agendas that influence the work of school leaders and the success of their school systems. Norton thoughtfully identifies strategies that assist educational leaders in their efforts to work collaboratively with political partners. This must read book addresses important aspects of school and district leadership that are commonly overlooked in formal training.

• PrefaceIntroductionChapter 1: Politics of Education: A Backward Glance and a Look to the FutureChapter 2: Boards, Governments, Organizations, Associations, and other Groups: Politics of Education and Policy DevelopmentChapter 3: Politics and Power Structure AnalysisChapter 4: Improving the Ability to Understand and Participate in the Political World of EducationGlossaryAbout the Author