The Human Touch in Education Leadership: A Postpositivist Approach to Understanding Educational Leadership

by Robert Palestini

Overview

Palestini advances a new theory of educational leadership seen through the dual lens of critical theory and the Ignatian vision and its practical implications. A truly novel approach, the author strives to acquaint administrators and students of educational administration with a different way of thinking about education and its administration. Possessing the knowledge and skills of leadership is only half the story, one must also develop a value system or philosophy that guides the leader's actions and provides the leader with the 'human touch.' To advance his theory, the author includes chapters that outline the Ignatian vision of leadership, discuss the critical approach to leadership and the integration of theory and practice, explore an organizational change process, and assess the effective implementation of positivism, the critical theory, and the Ignatian vision. The final chapter contains a practical application of this approach to a case study involving the very controversial topic of education tuition vouchers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780585455372
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	01/14/2003
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	972 KB

About the Author

Robert Palestini is dean of Graduate and Continuing Studies at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has been a teacher, a principal, and a superintendent and has written six books on educational administration.
Robert Palestini has been an educator for almost fifty years, serving as a high school science teacher, principal, superintendent of schools, and university dean. He is currently dean emeritus and professor of educational leadership, as well as the founding executive director of the Education Leadership Institute and Center for Catholic Urban Education at Saint Joseph’s University.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction: The Human Touch in Educational Administration
Chapter 2 1 Educational Leadership
Chapter 3 2 The Positivist/Functionalist Approach to Leadership
Chapter 4 3 Critical Theory and Leadership
Chapter 5 4 Educational Administration as a Moral Science
Chapter 6 5 The Ignatian Vision
Chapter 7 6 Implications for Organizational Development
Chapter 8 7 Implications for Institutional Change
Chapter 9 8 Educational Choice and Vouchers: A Case Study
Chapter 10 Index
Chapter 11 About the Author

Editorial Reviews

This book provides a great reminder of why we chose education as our career and how we should strive to meet each individual's needs.

School Administrator

This book provides a great reminder of why we chose education as our career and how we should strive to meet each individual's needs.--School Administrator

From the Publisher