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Leading With Intention - Book Cover Look Inside
Bestseller!

Leading With Intention

How School Leaders Can Unlock Deeper Collaboration and Drive Results

Foreword by John Hattie
Afterword by Shelley Harwayne

Filled with research and stories, this book explores how educators think, the choices they make, and how they develop deeper academic and social-emotional connections.

Full description

Leading With Intention - Book Cover Look Inside
Product Details
  • Grade Level: PreK-12
  • ISBN: 9781071924419
  • Published By: Corwin
  • Year: 2024
  • Page Count: 168
  • Publication date: May 30, 2024
Price: $37.95

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Description

Description

Deepen your connections with students, staff, and your larger community.

Behind every thriving school or district are deeply interconnected teams that consistently engage in a reciprocal transfer of learning. Leading With Intention aims to make this process visible by helping leaders and teachers understand how their thinking impacts their decision-making and the overall well-being of their learning communities. Through five highly practical chapters, authors DeWitt and Nelson explore self-awareness, nurturing human interconnectedness, collective inquiry, establishing a learning network, and crafting a personal learning environment.

Filled with research, stories, and places to process information, this timely book is focused on how educators think, the choices they make, and how they develop deeper academic and social-emotional connections. Other features include:

  • Success criteria to help readers identify personal goals
  • Suggested activities to apply knowledge
  • Reflection sheets with guiding questions
  • In-depth examples to illustrate content

School-leaders will come away with a deeper understanding of the importance of self-awareness in leadership and the pedagogical knowledge required to focus initiatives on student learning. Leading with Intention helps education leaders go from being merely ‘on task’ to deeply engaged and reconnected with why they entered the education profession in the first place.

Author(s)

Author(s)

Peter M. DeWitt photo

Peter M. DeWitt

Peter DeWitt (Ed.D) is the founder and CEO of the Instructional Leadership Collective, and approaches everything with a learner's mindset. He was a K-5 teacher for 11 years and a principal for 8 years. For over 12 years, he has been facilitating professional learning nationally, and internationally, based on the content of many of his best-selling educational books.

DeWitt's professional learning relationships are a monthly hybrid approach that includes both coaching and the facilitating workshops on instructional leadership and collective efficacy. His work has been adopted at the state level, university level, and he works with numerous school districts, school boards, regional networks, ministries of education around North America, Australia, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the U.K.

Peter writes the Finding Common Ground column for Education Week with Michael Nelson and they host Corwin’s Leaders Coaching Leaders podcast. In 2020 DeWitt co-created Education Week's A Seat At the Table where he moderates conversations with experts around the topics of race, gender, research, trauma and many other educational topics.

Peter is the author, co-author or contributor of numerous books and his articles have appeared in educational research journals at the state, national and international level. His books have been translated into numerous languages.

Michael Nelson photo

Michael Nelson

There is no more noble profession than that of an educator was what Michael Nelson’s mom said almost every day while he was growing up. For almost 40 years, Michael has been an educator. His mom would be pleased.

Even though Michael still considers “teacher” as his primary title, he has served in roles of principal, district instructional leader, superintendent, assistant executive director developing professional development for the state of Washington, and currently as the Thought Partner for the Instructional Leadership Collective.


Michael has received many state and national awards during his time as a principal and superintendent. As principal, his school received the National Blue Ribbon Award from the United States Department of Education. As a superintendent, he was named Washington state’s 2019 Superintendent of the Year. During his tenure as superintendent, Michael was elected President of the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) by his peers.


Michael Nelson co-facilitates coaching, keynotes, and workshops with Peter DeWitt. Their first book “Leading with Intention” was released in May 2024.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Foreword by John Hattie

Glossary of Terms

Chapter 1 Self-awareness

Chapter 2: Human Interconnectedness

Chapter 3: Collective Inquiry

Chapter 4: Engaging in Intentional Professional Learning to Impact Student Learning

Chapter 5: Creating Your Own Learning Environment

Afterword by Shelley Harwayne

Reviews

Reviews

Quote by Michael Fullan, Professor Emeritus, OISE/University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Leading With Intention delves into a complex topic, but makes it a “tight” read. Every chapter has charts, focused checklists, and reflective tools. Systemness is always helped by “interaction” effects of core factors. This book will help you focus and integrate through self-awareness and self-efficacy, connection and inquiry, and intentional professional learning that generates impact.
Leading With Intention delves into a complex topic, but makes it a “tight” read. Every chapter has charts, focused checklists, and reflective tools. Systemness is always helped by “interaction” effects of core factors. This book will help you focus and integrate through self-awareness and self-efficacy, connection and inquiry, and intentional professional learning that generates impact.
Michael Fullan
Professor Emeritus, OISE/University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Quote by Kimberly M. Fry, Assistant Executive Director, Professional Learning; Former School Principal and District Superintendent, Washington; Association of School Administrators, Olympia, WA: Leading With Intention provides valuable insights that encourage “leaning in rather than leaning away” from our collective responsibility for student learning. DeWitt and Nelson have crafted a powerful guide inviting readers to harness thoughtful and genuine relationships to cultivate a legacy of learning.
Leading With Intention provides valuable insights that encourage “leaning in rather than leaning away” from our collective responsibility for student learning. DeWitt and Nelson have crafted a powerful guide inviting readers to harness thoughtful and genuine relationships to cultivate a legacy of learning.
Kimberly M. Fry
Assistant Executive Director, Professional Learning; Former School Principal and District Superintendent, Washington; Association of School Administrators, Olympia, WA
Quote by Danny Bauer, Ruckus Maker & Do School Different™ Designer, Better Leaders better Schools, Bestselling Author, Syracuse, NY: Education is in a tough spot. The only sustainable way out is through intentional leadership and connection. Peter M. DeWitt and Michael Nelson provide the roadmap here in Leading With Intention.
Education is in a tough spot. The only sustainable way out is through intentional leadership and connection. Peter M. DeWitt and Michael Nelson provide the roadmap here in Leading With Intention.
Danny Bauer
Ruckus Maker & Do School Different™ Designer, Better Leaders better Schools, Bestselling Author, Syracuse, NY
Quote by Valerie Page Truesdale, Senior Assistant Executive Director, The School Superintendents Association Alexandria, VA: Leading With Intention is an excellent resource for educational leaders aiming to deepen their impact on student learning and build stronger connections within their school community. Through a skillful blend of practical insights, research, and personal stories, authors Peter M. DeWitt and Michael Nelson articulate a vision for leadership that underscores the importance of self-awareness and human interconnectedness, providing a foundation for effective decision-making.
Leading With Intention is an excellent resource for educational leaders aiming to deepen their impact on student learning and build stronger connections within their school community. Through a skillful blend of practical insights, research, and personal stories, authors Peter M. DeWitt and Michael Nelson articulate a vision for leadership that underscores the importance of self-awareness and human interconnectedness, providing a foundation for effective decision-making.
Valerie Page Truesdale
Senior Assistant Executive Director, The School Superintendents Association Alexandria, VA
Quote by G. Joel Aune, Washington Association of School Administrators: Through a skillful blend of practical insights, research, and personal stories, DeWitt and Nelson articulate a vision for leadership that underscores the importance of self-awareness and human interconnectedness.
Through a skillful blend of practical insights, research, and personal stories, DeWitt and Nelson articulate a vision for leadership that underscores the importance of self-awareness and human interconnectedness.
G. Joel Aune
Washington Association of School Administrators
Quote by Helen Butler, Education Consultant: Each chapter has been intentionally designed for the reader to think deeply about their leadership and transfer their learning into their context. I wish I knew half of what is covered in this book when thinking about becoming a school leader.
Each chapter has been intentionally designed for the reader to think deeply about their leadership and transfer their learning into their context. I wish I knew half of what is covered in this book when thinking about becoming a school leader.
Helen Butler
Education Consultant
Quote by Michael Butler, New Brunswick Teacher’s Association: DeWitt and Nelson clearly describe the foundational importance of self-awareness and interconnectedness -- but also how to leverage those strengths to achieve meaningful school improvement. From collective inquiry to creating learning networks, this book provides opportunities for both reflection and action.
DeWitt and Nelson clearly describe the foundational importance of self-awareness and interconnectedness -- but also how to leverage those strengths to achieve meaningful school improvement. From collective inquiry to creating learning networks, this book provides opportunities for both reflection and action.
Michael Butler
New Brunswick Teacher’s Association
Quote by Sylvie Arseneau, Provincial Improvement Framework Provincial Learning Specialist: DeWitt and Nelson take the readers on a leadership journey through compelling and powerful stories that will connect and guide leaders in their professional practices. The authors share evidence-based practical strategies that will help leaders build knowledge related to the importance of interconnectedness and self-awareness. DeWitt and Nelson provide a space for the leaders to intentionally engage in deep reflection by connecting these strategies with their own practices and their own stories. This book will empower the leaders in growing their professional practices to lead with intention.
DeWitt and Nelson take the readers on a leadership journey through compelling and powerful stories that will connect and guide leaders in their professional practices. The authors share evidence-based practical strategies that will help leaders build knowledge related to the importance of interconnectedness and self-awareness. DeWitt and Nelson provide a space for the leaders to intentionally engage in deep reflection by connecting these strategies with their own practices and their own stories. This book will empower the leaders in growing their professional practices to lead with intention.
Sylvie Arseneau
Provincial Improvement Framework Provincial Learning Specialist
    Price: $37.95

    Review Copies

    Review copies may be requested by individuals planning to purchase 10 or more copies for a team or considering a book for adoption in a higher ed course. Request review copy

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