"Cage-Busting Leadership" (Harvard Education Press) is of profound interest and value to school and district leaders, as well as everyone, with a stake in school improvement.
Author Frederick (Rick) M. Hess aptly describes his aims at the start of this provocative book: "I believe that two things are true. It is true, as would be reformers often argue, that statutes, polices, rules, regulations, contracts, and case law make it tougher than it should be for school and system leaders to drive improvement and lead. However, it is also the case that leaders have far more freedom to transform, reimagine, and invigorate teaching, learning, and schooling than is widely believed."
Own Your Beliefs
Cage-busting requires clarity on what you're trying to do and what you think a great school or school system looks like. Saying "Raise test scores" or "Make AYP" are bad responses here. They're bad because they're secondhand goals, defined for you by policy makers and test developers. A good response identifies the destination and lights a path forward. Knowing what you care about frees you to push back on the stuff that you don't think important.
Think Bang-for-the-Buck
Educators make a well-meaning mistake when they focus on academic outcomes without also focusing on cost-effectiveness of programs and personnel. The relationship of results to costs is sometimes referred to as ROI (return on investment), but it's fine to just think of it as the bang you're getting for each buck you spend.
Today, it's easy to find out how well a school or system is faring in terms of academic outcomes, but it's harder to gauge bang for the buck. Performance outcomes are generally discussed without much regard for whether they're achieved while spending 20 percent more or 20 percent less. Consequently, school and system leaders focus on boosting achievement but pay far less attention to cost-effectiveness.
Yet, getting the same achievement results for 10 percent less means a district is freeing up millions to add services or invest in programs, staff, and practices that can drive improvement.