Developing Effective Principals Through Collaborative Inquiry

This book describes a powerful professional development model for new and experienced principals—a collaborative inquiry leadership seminar. The authors combine successful models of structured professional conversations about education into an ongoing leadership development experience that will work in all districts, particularly larger, urban ones. They examine how to develop and manage collaborative inquiry with principals, the facilitator’s role in guiding inquiry, and outcomes that can be expected. Featuring a user-friendly presentation with many practical examples, the book:

• Presents an effective, low-cost program for successful professional development with school principals (K–12).
• Describes in detail the steps required to implement a collaborative inquiry leadership seminar.
• Encourages administrators at the school and district level to contribute to constructive, practical dialogues about significant issues.
• Provides a clear alternative to present models, which frequently foster unproductive, adversarial relationships.
• Includes case studies that demonstrate how the program can benefit principals, schools, teachers, and students.

Mónica Byrne-Jiménez is on the faculty of Hofstra University School of Education and Allied Human Services. Margaret Terry Orr is on the faculty of Bank Street College and is the co-founder of a New York City–focused school improvement initiative.

"A must-read for anyone who designs continuing professional development for principals."
—Tricia Browne-Ferrigno, University of Kentucky

“Professors Byrne- Jiménez and Orr do everything right…As most of us have learned, there is no one way to achieve our goals for education. But I have no doubt that future Collaborative Inquiry participants will agree that this is one way that works.”
–From the Foreword by Thomas Sobol, Teachers College, Columbia University

“Enables principals to reconceptualize their own leadership and consequently to lead effective school change and improvement. This is a clearly written, optimistic, useful, and much-needed book.”
-- Robert B. Kottkamp, Professor Emeritus, Leadership and Policy Studies, Hofstra University