Distributed Leadership in Practice

What is the true meaning of distributed leadership? How can you look at school leadership from a distributed leadership perspective?

“Distributed leadership” is currently an important term in the field of education worldwide, but not everyone understands the term in the same way. In their new book, Distributed Leadership in Practice, professors James Spillane of Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy and John B. Diamond of Harvard University provide a definitive view of distributed leadership in action. Building on their previous writing on the subject, they show why taking the distributed leadership perspective leads to greater understanding of leadership in schools.

The new book draws on extensive research, with numerous case studies of individual schools providing illustrations of distributed leadership in practice. Its thorough examination is valuable for scholars, policy makers and researchers interested in improving school leadership.

Experts in the field clarify how distributed leadership perspective differs from other frameworks for thinking about leadership. The book also reveals the advantages of this perspective for researchers, who can use it to gain a closer connection to leadership practice.

Please click here to read a review of this book by Cynthia L. Carver, Ph.D., an assistant professor of teacher education at Michigan State University.