Dennis R. Dunklee – författare

"Effective, timely, and engaging! A practical approach to transforming educators into successful and reflective school administrators." John C. DareshAuthor of Beginning The Principalship

Insight into the perceptions, personal values, and personalities that help principals succeed!

A successful principal is more than a good manager. Becoming an effective school leader means understanding the culture as well as acquiring the technical skills.

If You Want to Lead, Not Just Manage tells you what the Masters programs don't—about the personalities and value systems that school leaders need to succeed. First-year administrators and graduate students will find this a practical gauge in determining 'what it takes' to become a successful principal. More experienced administrators will find it a useful tool for reflection and validation of their own practices and approaches within the school and district.

Key issues include:

Matching your personality with the role of principal Navigating the school culture successfully Changing the organization without alienating the culture Blending the best of management and leadership Fitting in – marketing yourself as well as your school Culture shock – when teachers become principals

This is the book that closes the gap between theory and practice, teaching prospecting and current administrators how to lead at every level.

This hands-on guide to being a principal is disguised as an engaging novel. It's filled with real situations that happen to school leaders every day. The main character's common sense, sensitive intuition, and passion for his students' welfare propel and underscore his actions. Through the actions of Grant Sterling you'll learn to:

Examine what effective school leadership means to you Blend the crucial skills of leadership, management, and administration into your Principalship See how the best decisions always involve what's right for students Build your solutions from the tools and materials in the community

Use the "real-life' scenarios here to help you polish the talents you need as a school leader. Get comfortable with having to present and defend your viewpoint and having to persuade and convince others. Fine-tune your abilities in collaborative work and building on the ideas and knowledge of others.

You'll learn how to look for the best answers — rather than the right ones — to resolve situations. Find out how to use your own good instincts, knowledge, and courage to enhance your daily decision-making process.

For school leaders who want to understand how they can better serve students, community, and staff, this book is a must read. For courses in educational administration, it will stimulate ideas and further reflection. Questions at the end of each episode invite debate and discussion.

This hands-on guide to being a principal is disguised as an engaging novel. It's filled with real situations that happen to school leaders every day. The main character's common sense, sensitive intuition, and passion for his students' welfare propel and underscore his actions. Through the actions of Grant Sterling you'll learn to:

Examine what effective school leadership means to you Blend the crucial skills of leadership, management, and administration into your Principalship See how the best decisions always involve what's right for students Build your solutions from the tools and materials in the community

Use the "real-life' scenarios here to help you polish the talents you need as a school leader. Get comfortable with having to present and defend your viewpoint and having to persuade and convince others. Fine-tune your abilities in collaborative work and building on the ideas and knowledge of others.

You'll learn how to look for the best answers — rather than the right ones — to resolve situations. Find out how to use your own good instincts, knowledge, and courage to enhance your daily decision-making process.

For school leaders who want to understand how they can better serve students, community, and staff, this book is a must read. For courses in educational administration, it will stimulate ideas and further reflection. Questions at the end of each episode invite debate and discussion.

"The author′s observation and analysis of the various aspects of listening certainly point out the ′art of administration′.′Knowing how to listen and accurately interpret what is heard is a true art. Readers should study this very closely."Richard Flynn, Assistant ProfessorCollege of Education, Murray State University "The author understands and listens to the needs of the educational leader and provides useful tools for coping with the diverse needs and challenges of the educational environment."Michael Purdy, Professor of Communication Governors State University "Tate and Dunklee provide insights into the needs of the speakers and strategies to improve listening effectiveness, illustrating how enhancing listening skills would benefit the entire school culture."Katherine Taber, Principal Jefferson Elementary School, Norman, OK Develop strategic listening skills to help advance your overall communication expertise! The ability to communicate effectively with multiple constituencies is recognized as an essential characteristic of effective leaders. Listening strategically is a way of showing parents, students, faculty, staff, and others that their ideas and beliefs are of value. Jeannine Tate and Dennis Dunklee′s practitioner-friendly book concentrates on the importance of listening as a critical interpersonal skill for school leaders in guiding their organizations. Strategic Listening for School Leaders offers valuable, practical insights and research on how listening, serious conversation, and thoughtful dialogue strengthen school leaders′ ability to understand others′ strengths, motivations, and weaknesses. By learning to listen, the authors demonstrate how a leader can bring out the best in everyone. Focusing on an effective style of listening, the authors present:The basic theories underlying strategic listening Succinct examples of strategic listening in practice The positive impact of strategic listening on school leadership and school climate Strategic Listening for School Leaders will help advance your overall communication expertise and open up a whole new world of possibilities for student success. A powerful way to build a professional learning community is to build a community of strategic listeners!

"The author's observation and analysis of the various aspects of listening certainly point out the 'art of administration'.'Knowing how to listen and accurately interpret what is heard is a true art. Readers should study this very closely."Richard Flynn, Assistant ProfessorCollege of Education, Murray State University "The author understands and listens to the needs of the educational leader and provides useful tools for coping with the diverse needs and challenges of the educational environment."Michael Purdy, Professor of Communication Governors State University "Tate and Dunklee provide insights into the needs of the speakers and strategies to improve listening effectiveness, illustrating how enhancing listening skills would benefit the entire school culture."Katherine Taber, Principal Jefferson Elementary School, Norman, OK Develop strategic listening skills to help advance your overall communication expertise! The ability to communicate effectively with multiple constituencies is recognized as an essential characteristic of effective leaders. Listening strategically is a way of showing parents, students, faculty, staff, and others that their ideas and beliefs are of value. Jeannine Tate and Dennis Dunklee's practitioner-friendly book concentrates on the importance of listening as a critical interpersonal skill for school leaders in guiding their organizations. Strategic Listening for School Leaders offers valuable, practical insights and research on how listening, serious conversation, and thoughtful dialogue strengthen school leaders' ability to understand others' strengths, motivations, and weaknesses. By learning to listen, the authors demonstrate how a leader can bring out the best in everyone. Focusing on an effective style of listening, the authors present:The basic theories underlying strategic listening Succinct examples of strategic listening in practice The positive impact of strategic listening on school leadership and school climate Strategic Listening for School Leaders will help advance your overall communication expertise and open up a whole new world of possibilities for student success. A powerful way to build a professional learning community is to build a community of strategic listeners!

Arm yourself with the facts educators need to respond effectively when litigation is imminent! While jury trials are popularly construed as criminal matters, it is civil litigation that increasingly involves the participation of school educators. In recent instances, education leaders have been parties to, or participants in, legal cases ranging from employee discrimination to alleged criminal negligence. In response to this trend, legal experts and frequent consultants to attorneys Robert Shoop, a network news program regular on legal topics, and Dennis Dunklee, a 2005 participant in the Oxford University Roundtable on Education Law, have authored this indispensable text to arm educators with the essential information they need to understand and prepare for potential litigation. Five sections cover the legal basics necessary to:

Understand the court and jury system Support and work effectively with attorneys Appreciate the nuances of litigation Reduce the potential risk of litigation by understanding and practicing preventive law Assist in the legal process by serving as an expert witness

With this essential resource, educational leaders can learn how to prepare effectively, respond appropriately, and help achieve positive outcomes when faced with litigation.  

"This book is the perfect guide for those administrators and teachers who are truly interested in equalizing educational opportunities at all levels."—Rebecca S. Compton, Professor of Elementary EducationEast Central University

Proven strategies for increasing the academic performance of students with low school-readiness skills!

Children of low socioeconomic status often enter school with low school-readiness skills, leading them to be misidentified as learning disabled. Educators in Grades K–12 can allocate resources for special education services more effectively and meet the needs of low SES students by preventing students from being placed in the wrong program and by providing readiness supports.

Offering an in-depth look at schools that have realized effective results in remarkable time frames, the authors challenge educators and parents to consider how low expectations can affect student achievement—and emphasize optimism as a necessary tenet of schools' day-to-day teaching/learning programs and school-community relationships. This resource provides:

Training resources for teaching low SES studentsAssessment tools for identifying learning needs Strategies for building relationships of trust and collaboration throughout the school communityData charts that illustrate the increase in student achievement from schoolwide initiativesA bibliography and glossary of pertinent research and terminology

With these strategies and tools, schools can meet the developmental and environmental needs of their most vulnerable students and watch student achievement and confidence soar!