The Brain and Strengths Based School Leadership

Sheryl Feinstein's new book, The Brain and Strength Based School Leadership, demonstrates how educational leaders can use a ground-breaking prototype of leadership strengths plus key concepts about the workings of the brain to hone their own school leadership styles. Placing current research from neuroscience within the context of school leadership concerns, this book, co-authored by veteran administrator and instructional leader Robert Kiner, offers guidance on how to identify leadership strengths as falling into one of four domains or styles: executing, relationship building, influencing, and strategic thinking. The book then details how educators can capitalize on these strengths while employing brain-compatible strategies for everything from creating a positive school culture, to mentoring and supervising teachers, keeping track of standardized testing, fostering community partnerships, using data to inform curriculum and instruction, etc . Perhaps the most important chapter is about shared leadership and how to build on the strengths of teachers and staff to create great leadership teams and effect change. Throughout, the links between learning and neural wiring are made clear, with informative asides on mirror neurons, higher level thinking skills, the plasticity of the brain, the effects of stress, and other fascinating and pertinent facts emerging from current research. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter serve both as a review of the rich information presented, and an invitation to explore putting it to use in your own school or district.