The Boss of the Whole School

Elizabeth Hebert uses her 21 years of experience as an elementary school principal to offer inspiration and guidance to aspiring and practicing administrators. Using real-life stories from an outstanding career, this book examines the responsibilities, demands, and challenges principals manage on a daily basis; demonstrates how qualities of leadership mature over time and the conditions that both nurture and suppress it; and provides a heartfelt and compelling rationale for becoming (and staying!) a school principal. New and veteran administrators will recognize the authentic school scenarios and appreciate the sincere voice of the author as she passes on valuable lessons learned.

Elizabeth A. Hebert served as principal of Crow Island Elementary School in Winnetka, Illinois, for 21 years.

“What shines through this account for me is a leadership imagination and spirit I have yearned to find in a book on the principalship.”
— From the Foreword by Richard H. Ackerman

“In ‘The Boss of the Whole School,’ Elizabeth Hebert shares her accumulated wisdom and welcomes new principals into the fold.”
Marge Scherer, Editor in Chief, Educational Leadership, ASCD

“A powerful book that shows how essential craft knowledge is to effective leadership practice. This is a must-read for those who aspire to the principalship, teach it, and practice it.”
Thomas J. Sergiovanni, Lillian Radford Professor of Education, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas

“Wise and insightful….deserves to be studied by every new and aspiring school administrator in the country. Here are a host of valuable lessons, applicable to veteran administrators as well, that few can afford to overlook.”
Philip W. Jackson, Distinguished Service Professor of Education and Psychology Emeritus, University of Chicago