The Best Leadership Books For Teachers

In Why It Matters, John A. White draws on a wealth of expertise acquired across his six-decade career as a corporate leader, chancellor, dean, educator, engineer, and consultant to create a thorough and thought-provoking treatise on leadership philosophy. After stepping down as chancellor of the University of Arkansas, Dr. White was encouraged by faculty colleagues to offer a course on leadership. The success and popularity of this course inspired the book. His background in academia and practical nature will appeal to teachers and educators. Drawing on numerous challenging leadership experiences while serving on six boards of directors for publicly traded companies and leading the University of Arkansas, Georgia Tech’s engineering college, National Science Foundation’s engineering directorate, and numerous professional associations, White provides practical guidance on navigating your leadership journey.

Tony Dungy is an effective leader evidenced by his basketball expertise, but his leadership skills are unmatched and unequivocally applicable to all leadership positions. After all, you can only win if you teach well. Mentorship is one of the core principles in teaching, and, in this book, Dungy provides seven mistakes in mentoring leadership and how you can correct them. It’s easy to fall into these pitfalls if you’re not aware of them, so Dungy drives the point home with anecdotes and examples that are easily relatable.

Written by TED Talk speaker Ken Robinson, this book helps readers find their passion, fulfill their creative potential, and find their element. It also teaches school leaders how to help their students find their element.

This book builds on 4 important principles that educators must follow- Be There, Play, Make Their Day, and Choose Your Attitude. It also includes inspirational stories and teaches valuable lessons to educators.

Written by researchers Marzano, Walters, and McNulty, this book contains insights into the best practices for day-to-day management. It also breaks down 21 leadership responsibilities all teachers must have, an 11-factor framework for improving student achievement, and how to craft a five-step plan for school leadership.

After reading through this book and applying several principles to training programs we started in my company, I feel that Northouse shares a lot of practical applications for teachers such as creating a vision and creating a collaborative environment. It also has a really helpful set of surveys to help identify your leadership style. The chapter on developing observation skills is priceless for teachers understanding the differences in learning styles of students and how best to bridge those different styles. Northouse explores how being a good listener and observer allows you to focus on how people are receiving and processing the information you are sharing, and how you can adjust to create the most comprehensive learning experience for those you are seeking to educate.

There are many great books on leadership out there, but we believe the best leadership book for teachers is The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. This book is full of great advice on how to be an effective leader, and it is especially relevant for teachers, who often have to juggle many different responsibilities. In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey outlines seven key habits that all effective leaders share, and he provides readers with practical advice on how to develop these habits in their own lives. If you are looking for a book that will help you become a better leader, both in the classroom and in your personal life, then we highly recommend The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

If you are a teacher and you want to improve your leadership roles, then this is the perfect book for you. It features all aspects of leadership that concerns teachers. The book also contains federal and state laws that is needed for every leadership position that you will partake. Aside from that, the book also offers leadership perspectives and the process on how to implement them. Overall, this is a good leadership book for teachers.

My recommendation would be Every Teacher a Leader: Developing the Needed Dispositions, Knowledge, and Skills for Teacher Leadership by Barbara B. Levin, as it unfolds the different layers of the principle on which the idea of leadership is sustained. Teachers shape the future generation by penetrating good and ambitious thoughts into the minds of their students. This book tells us about the role played by teachers and about the ways of understanding the doctrine of leadership for them. This is written in a very conceptual way without any complexity, which makes it user-friendly too.

The world is changing at an unprecedented rate, and in order to keep up with the digital age, teachers need to evolve and adapt, which is why Sheninger’s book is an invaluable resource for any educator. It explains the way that leadership has changed and the challenges that modern leaders face and offers workable and versatile solutions to both that teachers can incorporate into, and use in their professional lives.

This is a must-read for all stressed head teachers and school leaders! It gets to the heart of what happens to leaders who are in ‘high power, high stress’ jobs. It also has real compassion for what successful leaders need to do in order to avoid becoming victims of the Sacrifice Syndrome. A syndrome that plagues many head teachers… sacrificing their own needs in order to satisfy others. If you want to be a more productive and content school leader, this book should definitely be on your list.

Leaders are created through learning, training and apprenticeship. Teachers can gain much from historical anecdotes that provide narratives on handling critical and complex circumstances among leaders. Robert Greene explores various laws of management, friendship, businesses, relationships and growth through narrations that teachers can equally employ to educate their learners or engage them to improve their understanding of power, management and social interactions. For example, teachers can highlight the value of reputation to instil the values of honour, integrity and kindness to the learners. These values define leaders that are empathetic and respectable in society.

Children grow up with different experiences and manners that may not correspond with the acceptable social behaviours in school or society. This book by Maynard explores ways teachers can employ leadership skills and knowledge to tame irresponsible behaviour and help model the correct characters for society. He introduces nine ways of teaching empathy and responsibility to learners, which include collaboration and communication among the learners. These ways are accompanied using restoring justice and proper behaviour, which not only results in reputable leaders but also inspires the learners to be supportive, mindful and respectful to others in the society.

It’s a book that breaks down the ideology and methodology behind training and teaching and demonstrates how to rebuild from the ground up and become an effective leader in both the training and teaching spaces. And when you do read the book, the first thing that will immediately hit you is that the main difference between trainers and teachers and what their jobs entail is simply the title someone chooses to use.

One of the major roles of a teacher is being able to manage and lead teams even if you aren’t particularly skilled at it. Being a leader helps to shape minds, and make it easier for you to teach any size group. This is why The Art of Coaching Teams is an essential read for educators, as it helps you to become an effective team leader, no matter your skill set. This book talks about how to be organized, manage your emotions, and how to reach your goals effectively. It also goes into detail on how to create a strong team in and outside the classroom in order to lead your team to their own successes. I highly recommend this book, and you probably find you will reference it a lot throughout your career!

We’re living in a fast-moving, technologically driven, and diverse age, and it’s crucial for teachers to consider a multitude of different ideas and philosophies when formulating their individual approaches to leadership, and Syed opens the door to all of those ideologies in ‘Rebel Ideas’. It’s about finding a platform that works by incorporating everything and thinking outside of the box, and that is the type of leadership that we need, now more than ever, to guide the next generation into the future.

The reason why I am recommending this book is that this book shows the right path to the teachers. It helps the teachers map their path, and makes them realize what journey they should have as a teacher. It is a great book for self-development. It’s worth reading.

Irresistible Learning: Embedding a culture of research in schools by Graham Chisnell. Irresistible Learning is must read for individuals in educational institutions. As the name suggests, the book urges you to invoke a research culture in schools. Rote learning is the new norm. Studying is more about cramming knowledge via books instead of exploration. Teachers can help change this mindset. Graham Chisnell showcases his brilliance and understanding of the school system. He introduces a structure of research for the staff of any educational institution. The research cycle acts as a step-by-step guide to enrich your professional life and influence others.

The most favorite book on the shelf when it comes to enhancing leadership quality is the Art of War by Sun Tzu, a source of great inspiration throughout the generations. The book talks about the believes a leader should have discipline, bravery, sincerity, and benevolence. The author was an outstanding war leader and strategist in the Chinese military force. One of the quotes that inspired me from Sun Tzu is The Midst of Chaos; there is also opportunity. The author has mentioned verses with hidden concepts, every word marks wisdom. Take your time and read.

Teacher Leadership, by Ann Lieberman and Lynne Miller, is the best for the new teachers who are trying to adapt to the new teaching communities. This book is available on Amazon. This book discusses the current changes in the teacher’s role. It also talks about the innovative programs that help teachers to develop their leadership skills. This book is worth buying if you want to grow as a skilled teacher in this challenging world.

Teachers are the most crucial guiding souls for our kids. For them, the best book is W*hat Great Teachers Do Differently*. The book is like a guide to excelling in all aspects rather than teaching the subject. The book reminds us to accept the flaws and uniqueness of a child and how they are the founders of children’s life. It even enlightens the teachers toward an optimistic approach to life. In all, the author Todd Whitaker emphasizes the exercises that will create a better teacher for the students.

Mickey Rowe shares his life experience of being a disabled autistic man in Fearlessly Different, He’s a master storyteller guaranteed to broaden your perspective of what it means to create an inclusive, and in many cases functioning, environment. Whether you are disabled or not, it’s impossible to read his book without considering your own unique differences and how they become your strengths. I recommend it for everyone, and highly recommend for teachers, school administrators, and caregivers.

This book relies on research evidence to discover the particular things that expert leaders know and do, arguing for a notion of school leadership based on the leader’s daily experiences. It showcases a case for how school leaders can grow their expertise and, in doing so, places domain-oriented knowledge at the heart of school development endeavors. Leaders with substance isn’t a handbook, but you must not be fooled. It embarks on changing the way we think of leadership improvement.