Bloomsbury Educational Leadership for a More Sustainable World

Educational Leadership for a More Sustainable World argues that current crises in educational policies and practice, including the recruitment and retention of educational leaders, ultimately derive from the interactions between four key challenges which also underpin current global and societal issues of sustainability: A culture of consumption Global energy demands Climate change Emerging population patterns Mike Bottery argues that problems in dealing with these four global challenges, as well as many crises in education, are in large part due to a failure to appreciate their complex interactions and effects, and of the need for sufficiently complex responses. The result is that many policies in many areas hinder rather than facilitate appropriate solutions. However, by showing that the dynamics of crises in educational sustainability have many similarities to those of global systems, this book argues that the adoption of a number of core practices and values can help educational leaders develop greater sustainability, not only in their own area of activity but can also help them make a valuable contribution to greater sustainability at the global level as well. Review By the end of the book hardly any of the conventional assumptions about what makes for effective educational leadership are left standing. The book is nothing less than a call for the role of educational leaders to be radically re-framed and for them to consider what world-view to project to their students. - Ron Glatter, Emeritus Professor of Educational Administration and Management, The Open University, UK, and President of BELMAS, UK Educational Leadership for a More Sustainable World fills a space largely ignored in educational research. Ambitious in its scope, this book traverses the wicked challenges of our times. It calls for a radical re-framing of educational leadership to foster new forms of personal, institutional, societal and global sustainability as fundamental objectives. If education is to play a leading role in the creation of a more sustainable, equitable world as it should then a focus on educational leadership is key. Mike Bottery s scholarly analysis and powerful arguments are timely, thought provoking, auspicious and impelling. - Karen Starr, Professor and Inaugural Chair of School Leadership and Development, Deakin University, Australia A powerful insight into leadership and management and the complex challenges faced by school leaders and the global issues which ultimately impact on their role. This highly readable book traces these challenges. The author argues persuasively about the importance of school leaders broadening their understanding of leadership and sustainability to include preparing their schools for the global as well as government policy challenges that face them. --- Sue Robinson, former headteacher and now educational leadership consultant About the Author Mike Bottery is Professor of Education and Director of Research in the Faculty of Education at the University of Hull, UK. His books include Education, Policy and Ethics (2001) and The Challenges of Educational Leadership (2004).