Kathryn Riley's book provides a fascinating insight into how these challenges have been conceptualized and tackled in different cultures; the changes described in the book are bound to affect more schools at an increasing rate, making this a valuable book for reflection to help school leaders understand the new challenges they will undoubtedly face in the coming years. * Educational Management, Administration & Leadership *
Kathryn Riley ... presents us with a wide variety of ways in which place is experienced by young people and school leaders - all of which emerge from her decade of work with urban principals and students. The different experiences and definitions of place emerge in an evocative and powerful way in the stories that she tells throughout the book * From the foreword by Karen Seashore Louis, Regents Professor and Robert H. Beck Chair, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, USA *
In opening the door to a richly constructed intellectual space Kathryn Riley invites us to adventure beyond many of our own preconceptions to reach beneath the surface life of school communities, beyond the parameters of the school's containing walls and within the beliefs that are such powerful forces for maintaining 'the way we do things round here' or, alternatively seeing the unseen - what the Jewish theologian Abraham Heschel describes as 'insight' - the beginning of perceptions to come rather than the extension of perceptions gone by. * 'From the foreword by John MacBeath, Emeritus Professor, University of Cambridge, UK *
This is a fascinating 'never stop reading me' book on school leadership by Kathryn Riley. It clearly outlines the importance of context in providing leadership. The global and local factors play a very significant role in shaping how schools are perceived by the young learners and the layered school leadership. Riley displays the interplay between the educational, economic, social, political and cultural factors associated with the school, requiring leadership that not only concentrates on the classroom but which also links it to the external context. The intelligence quotient of the learners and the teachers has to be balanced with the emotional and social intelligence required to manage the place. This is a must read for all who love education. * Mvuyo Tom, Vice-Chancellor, University of Fort Hare, South Africa *
Of all the educational books I have read over recent years, this has had the most impact on the way I think about our urban schools. It draws upon the experiences of schools in three different countries and makes us question who we are, what we are doing in our schools and why we are doing it. In a time of great educational upheaval in our country, Professor Riley has written a book which will be of immense use to any headteachers who might be despairing about the way forward. * Prue Barnes, Headteacher, Newport School and Leyton Children's Centre Cluster, London, UK *
Leadership of Place is a book all Headteachers should read. It tackles the important issues around the notion of belonging, or social identity that is not only important for socially cohesive societies, but also at the heart of how we define who we are. This book takes you on a journey through fresh insights and wisdom. It challenges school leaders to re-think what it means to lead a school community; to ensure that it is that place where trust, integrity, patience, justice, fairness and decency reign and where every person is included and can say that they truly belong to something bigger than themselves. In essence the book looks at how, in a time when people feel that they are moving apart from each other, schools are best placed to bring communities together in a mutually supportive way for the benefit of all * David Porritt, Headteacher, Junior School Leidschenveen, The British School in the Netherlands, The Netherlands *
Place affects education: where a school is located has a multi-layered effect on its character and the challenges it faces. It is a well-known fact that external factors, such as poverty and over-crowded housing or community conflict, create disadvantages for pupils which school leaders have to deal with. This book takes 'place' as the lens through which school leadership is explored. It is a deeply sensitive analysis of the issues which leaders encounter as they shape schools which respond to 'place'. It traces the context-dependent nature of school improvement and shows that effective leadership is linked to highly sophisticated skills in the interpretation of context and the ability to be reflexive and adaptable in response. I recommend it unreservedly for any school leader * Dr V J Ogden, Headteacher, Mulberry School for Girls, UK *
