Seven Secrets of the Savvy School Leader: A Guide to Surviving and Thriving
By Robert Evans

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The keys to having an outstanding career as a school leader.

The American educational system is in crisis; trends of recent years have been extraordinarily hard on educators. An entire generation of school leaders is retiring, many of them early, and the number of candidates applying to replace them is plummeting. In many districts, applications have shrunk by nearly two-thirds. Seven Secrets of The Savvy School Leader hopes to counteract these glum statistics by giving both aspiring and experienced school leaders important survival tools, and encouraging long-term leaders to renew their faith in their own abilities.

• Describes the innate tensions inherent in leadership
• Explores the difference between dilemmas and problems
• Encourages leaders to make change by making meaning
• Offers guidance for being your best and bold self

Written an expert on school leadership who has worked closely with thousands of schools over the years, the book will help anyone serving as or considering becoming a school administrator.

School leaders today are working harder than ever, longer than ever, dealing with ever greater complexity, and sacrificing ever more of their personal and family time to their work. At the same time they are subject to increasing criticism, second-guessing, and unrealistic expectations. Adding to this crisis in leadership is the fact that an entire generation of school leaders is retiring, many of them early, and the number of candidates applying to replace them is plummeting. How can we make school leadership more doable and offer hope to both experienced and beginning leaders?

Seven Secrets of the Savvy School Leader tackles this challenge head on. Written by Robert Evans, noted school consultant, former teacher, and psychologist, this book offers concrete help and inspiration for anyone serving as or considering becoming a school administrator. From his experience with many of America's most savvy school leaders, Evans describes the qualities, characteristics, and behaviors that lead to success in today's uncertain environment.

As practical as it is readable, Seven Secrets of the Savvy School Leader offers solid advice for overcoming even the most daunting of school leadership challenges, from dealing with the innate tensions that face all administrators, to learning how to tell the difference between dilemmas and problems, to guidance on where leaders should put their focus. The book also reveals why following the latest leadership fad can lead to ineffective and misguided decisions and practices.

For anyone who wants to serve schools in a leadership position, this book provides an essential survival guide and a road map for excellence.

From the Back Cover 

Praise for Seven Secrets of the Savvy School Leader

"This is a must-read for aspiring and practicing school leaders. Rob Evans provides a uniquely insightful look into what it takes to be a successful school leader—the qualities, characteristics, and behaviors which are necessary to meet today's challenges and obstacles."—Tom Scott, Ed.D., executive director, Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents

"This book confirms the importance and power of leadership. The insights gained through an understanding of 'the secrets' act as a true compass for all who are entrusted with the youth of America in our schools."—John E. Deasy, Ph.D., former superintendent of schools, Prince Georges County Public School District, Maryland

"What an extraordinary and insightful gift this book is to aspiring, current, and future school leaders! Rob Evans has moved away from general and simplistic concepts about leadership to give us timely and unique insights into the complex and highly nuanced facets of leading schools. . . . Evans has, in his own wonderful way, shared with us wisdom gleaned from working with school leaders all over the country." —Reveta Bowers, head of school, The Center for Early Education

"Filled with Evans's typical astute observations and spell-binding anecdotes, this book will help any school leader re-center and focus on getting the impossible done with grace and confidence."—Patrick Bassett, president, National Association of Independent Schools

"Rob Evans's spoken words have had a powerful influence on the personal and professional lives of so many educators I encounter. So will these written words! Highly recommended for all school leaders."—Roland S. Barth, author, Learning by Heart

About the Author 

Robert Evans, Ed.D., is a clinical and organizational psychologist and director of the Human Relations Service in Wellesley, Massachusetts. A former high school and preschool teacher, he has served as a consultant to hundreds of schools throughout the United States and around the world—offering training and long-term support for teachers, administrators, boards, and parents. He is a contributor to key educational publications, including Education Week, Educational Leadership, and Phi Delta Kappan and the author of the books The Human Side of School Change and Family Matters (both from Jossey-Bass).