Goldberg, M. (2001). Lessons from Exceptional School Leaders.

Alexandria, VA: ASCD (131pp., $22.95 pb, ISBN-0-87120-524-6).

Mark Goldberg's Lessons from Exceptional School Leaders is a practical guide to discovering and fostering leadership skills within a school setting. Written with the teacher or administrator in mind, this book offers detailed examples and clear suggestions about how to define leadership and establish goals through a cooperative approach that includes staff, administration, and parents in the school community.

Goldberg utilized his extensive interview experience with school leaders from a variety of disciplines to synthesize a wealth of material neatly into this easy-to-read volume. As a former New York State educator at the junior high, high school and college levels, and with additional experience in administration, curriculum development, editing, and writing, this educational consultant has stood in most of the shoes he writes about in this book.

Lessons from Exceptional School Leaders is based on interviews that were conducted with educational leaders such as Ernest Boyer, Deborah Meier, and Theodore Sizer. Rather than use this book as a medium to detail the interviews conducted, Goldberg extracted the primary points and merged the commonalties among these leaders into a handbook for leadership development. The reader who is interested in the more detailed interviews may wish to read Leadership in Education by Mark Goldberg, published by Phi Beta Kappa in 2000.

The book begins with a definition of leadership that is embedded in a paradox; despite being intelligent and knowledgeable, some leaders can be effective in one environment or task, yet ineffective in others. Goldberg explains this paradox in terms of situational mastery, which is "the fit" between the individual and the situation. Environments demand that an individual develop or hone the skills necessary to adapt to novel situations. Even familiar situations can introduce new challenges, new people, and demand new skills. Goldberg devotes an entire chapter to this discussion of situational mastery in relation to leadership and how one can best assess his or her own skills as well as identify these skills in others.

The remaining chapters in the book cover a broad range of issues: forming beliefs about excellence as a way to identify and work towards goals; staff development and the importance of strong development programs; broadening leadership to empower the network of staff and administration across a school or district; and coping with issues of class and race. Within each chapter are specific suggestions that can be examined to address the particular needs of the school or district. For example, in chapter 3, "Broadening Leadership," eight primary points are illustrated as ways to expand the leadership roles within a school in detail: form study groups, use action research, distribute the expertise, define the role of the administrator, bring in new teachers, include parents, use problem-based learning, and continue to expend effort. Each chapter is structured similarly, beginning with a clear introduction of the primary points, followed by further explanation with examples and suggestions for implementation.

One of the highlights of this book is an emphasis on allowing time for change. Nothing happens overnight, including the development of educational leadership. Goldberg emphasizes the need to persevere while remaining committed to the goal and he cautions the reader to not expect immediate change. A second highlight is a focus on the inclusion of the diverse members of the school community. The book discusses how to include parents in decision-making, how to incorporate administrators into the process rather than assume they will or should take leadership roles, and how to allow teachers more choice and opportunity to lead. In addition, it encourages teachers and administrators to stay in touch with research in the field of education and to conduct research within their schools.

Those concerned with the education of gifted students (teachers, administrators, and parents) have much to contribute to the development and organization of curriculum and policy concerning education. Through careful negotiation, the individual strengths can emerge, allowing learning from one another during the process of curriculum or program development. Lessons from Exceptional School Leaders encourages harnessing the strengths within the individual on the road to developing leadership among school personnel, and allowing the voices of all to be heard. While not directly related to gifted education, this book should be required reading for those who wish to improve education overall, including the development of strong and able students.

Lessons from Exceptional School Leaders assumes little about the reader with the exception of having some degree of interest in leadership development. Bear in mind that this book is merely an introduction; while it introduces many concepts and challenges and even provides clear examples to address the challenges, it does not provide you with the final answer. Think of this book as a blueprint to follow as you and your school community build the foundation for educational leadership in your school or district.

Reviewed by Leslie Forstadt, a doctoral student in educational psychology at the University of Iowa who works as a research assistant at The Belin-Blank International Center for Gifted and Talented Development.