Foreword Preface Acknowledgments About the Author INTRODUCTION Success Principle 1 LEADING FOR EQUITY: FOCUSING ON EACH CHILD, EVERY DAY Know What Your Values Are Demonstrate a Strong Appreciation for People Addressing Equity Takes Leadership Addressing Equity Will Guarantee Resistance Equity Is the Work, Not an "Add-on" to the Work Students Want Us to Focus on Equity, Not Equality Success Principle 2 LEADING THE CHANGE: IMPLEMENTING SUCCESSFUL INITIATIVES Understand the History of the Organization Acknowledge the Current State of the Organization Understand the "Players" Within the Organization Ensure People Understand What Change Means Have an Effective Strategy to Implement Change Success Principle 3 LEADING THROUGH COMMUNICATION: TELLING YOUR OWN STORY Communicate Openly, Honestly, and in a Timely Manner Communicate Your Story, or Someone Else Will! Organize Your Communication Efforts Individualize Your Communications Use Every Available Resource to Communicate View Communication as a Two-Way Street Have an Open-Door Policy CONCLUSION Avoiding Pitfalls Mistake 1: Knowing All the Answers Mistake 2: Bashing the Previous Leadership Mistake 3: Speaking Before You Think Index
The book focuses on 3 key success principles - Leading With Equity, Implementing Change Successfully, and Leading Through Communication. After reading this book the reader will feel confident and capable of realizing the loftiest career goals as a leader in education, and even more, that empowerment will be supported with the tools to bring career dreams to pass.
Internationally-renowned educator and speaker, Dr. S. Dallas Dance envisions and leads change that creates opportunities for all young people-including students of color and those living in poverty-to thrive as critical thinkers, thoughtful leaders, and lifelong learners. His calling is motivating teams of all sizes to develop young minds and working with leaders and organizations to build capacity to do greater work for all of the individuals within their community. Numerous national awards and board appointments-from institutions including the White House, Microsoft, and ASCD-recognize his impact on organizational culture, rigorous instruction, vibrant leadership pathways, leveraging technology, and dynamic community engagement. In July of 2017, Dr. Dance became a Partner with the Strategos Group, a value-creating team of public affairs individuals committed to facilitating high-impact business growth and transaction advisory for companies by leveraging our strategic relationships, business expertise, and political and policy insight. In addition, he serves as Senior Vice President of Education for the MGT Consulting Group, a practice which has been providing comprehensive management consulting services to public and private sector clients for over forty years. Prior to joining both groups, Dr. Dance served as the Superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools in Maryland with over 112,000 students, 173 schools, and over 21,000 employees. As leader of the nation's 25th largest school system, Dance pioneered equity-centered shifts in teaching and learning to close the graduation achievement gap between black and white students, while increasing diploma rates overall. Prior to his appointment in Baltimore County, Dr. Dance served as one of three chief school officers responsible for the administration of nearly 300 schools in the Houston Independent School District, the seventh largest school system in the nation. Before his tenure in Houston, Dr. Dance served in executive leadership positions in Virginia that leveraged his expertise in curriculum, instruction, assessment, school improvement, and strategic planning. Dance earned a doctoral degree in educational leadership and a master's degree in administration and supervision from Virginia Commonwealth University. His bachelor's degree in English is from Virginia Union University. Dr. Dance enjoys traveling, music, reading and all sports, especially golf. He is the proud father of one son, Myles Dallas Dance.