Description
"Who is an effective leader?" has been a question posed by scholars, educators and practitioners of leadership for centuries. Historically, leadership positions, as well as research on leadership and effective leadership, was primarily reserved for men or masculine characteristics With most societies traditionally following a patriarchal hierarchy, few people questioned inequalities in leadership attainment, largely because of supernatural and/or natural explanations of men's natural ability and desire to lead. This book runs counter to that culture and examines the experiences and leadership enactments of ten historically famous women leaders in hopes of gaining insight into their uniquely female leadership styles. The ten leaders include Catherine the Great, Jane Addams, Queen Victoria, Marie Montessori, Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir, Mother Teresa, Margaret Thatcher, Pat Summit, and Hillary Clinton. The idea, of course, is to reflect upon these great women's leadership styles in order to inform one's own leadership behavior.
About the Author
Robert Palestini is graduate dean emeritus and professor of educational leadership emeritus at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. He is also the founding executive director of the Educational Leadership Institute and Center for Catholic Education at SJU. In almost fifty years in education, he has served as a teacher, principal and superintendent of schools of one of the largest school systems in the United States. He has written more than a dozen books on various aspects of educational leadership.
Reviews
Scholarly research has shown that women leaders tend to follow a more transformational and collaborative style rather than the more traditional command and control model preferred by many male leaders. In Feminist Theory and Educational Leadership, Dr. Robert Palestini profiles ten great female leaders from the past and present to discern the commonalities in their leadership behavior that could be helpful in enhancing our own leadership styles. This book should be required reading for those leaders and aspiring leaders who wish to improve upon their leadership behavior. -- Rosalie M. Mirenda, president, Neumann University
In Feminist Theory and Educational Leadership, Dr. Robert Palestini posed the question as to whether women leaders have a distinctive leadership style and whether their leadership behavior may be instructive to both male and female leaders who are in the process of honing their own leadership styles. By studying the leadership styles of ten great women leaders ranging from Golda Meir to Indira Gandhi to women's basketball great Pat Summitt, Palestini concludes that women leaders have enlightening and useful stories to tell, whether one is a current or aspiring educational leader. -- Patricia Fadden, president, Immaculata University
Dr. Robert Palestini is true to his respect for gender equity in his book Feminist Theory and Educational Leadership: Much Ado about Something! As an administrator when Dr. Palestini was Superintendent of Schools, I once asked him if I could share at an upcoming meeting an article about what a leader should be? He cautioned me that the female administrators may take exception to the fact that the article was written in the male perspective. I assured him that we, the female administrators, were above the use of pronouns and more interested in doing what was best for students. The female leaders portrayed in Dr. Palestini's new book are examples of this mentality. Whether past or present, their use of collaboration attests to their respect for the "we" pronoun to get the job at hand completed. -- Joanne Walls, principal, Ocean City Primary School
The study of leadership has come a long way from the "great man theory." In his examination of ten great women leaders, Dr. Palestini focuses on the transformational, situational and moral leadership qualities that ground current leadership theory. Current and aspiring educational leaders, regardless of gender, will benefit from refection on the frames of leadership, emotional intelligence, and relationship-building practices of these highly effective leaders. -- Elizabeth Weber, director, human resources, Exeter (PA) School District
Book Information
ISBN 9781475800661
Author Robert Palestini
Format Paperback
Page Count 184
Imprint Rowman & Littlefield Education
Publisher Rowman & Littlefield
About the Author
Robert Palestini is graduate dean emeritus and professor of educational leadership emeritus at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. He is also the founding executive director of the Educational Leadership Institute and Center for Catholic Education at SJU. In almost fifty years in education, he has served as a teacher, principal and superintendent of schools of one of the largest school systems in the United States. He has written more than a dozen books on various aspects of educational leadership.
Reviews
Scholarly research has shown that women leaders tend to follow a more transformational and collaborative style rather than the more traditional command and control model preferred by many male leaders. In Feminist Theory and Educational Leadership, Dr. Robert Palestini profiles ten great female leaders from the past and present to discern the commonalities in their leadership behavior that could be helpful in enhancing our own leadership styles. This book should be required reading for those leaders and aspiring leaders who wish to improve upon their leadership behavior. -- Rosalie M. Mirenda, president, Neumann University
In Feminist Theory and Educational Leadership, Dr. Robert Palestini posed the question as to whether women leaders have a distinctive leadership style and whether their leadership behavior may be instructive to both male and female leaders who are in the process of honing their own leadership styles. By studying the leadership styles of ten great women leaders ranging from Golda Meir to Indira Gandhi to women's basketball great Pat Summitt, Palestini concludes that women leaders have enlightening and useful stories to tell, whether one is a current or aspiring educational leader. -- Patricia Fadden, president, Immaculata University
Dr. Robert Palestini is true to his respect for gender equity in his book Feminist Theory and Educational Leadership: Much Ado about Something! As an administrator when Dr. Palestini was Superintendent of Schools, I once asked him if I could share at an upcoming meeting an article about what a leader should be? He cautioned me that the female administrators may take exception to the fact that the article was written in the male perspective. I assured him that we, the female administrators, were above the use of pronouns and more interested in doing what was best for students. The female leaders portrayed in Dr. Palestini's new book are examples of this mentality. Whether past or present, their use of collaboration attests to their respect for the "we" pronoun to get the job at hand completed. -- Joanne Walls, principal, Ocean City Primary School
The study of leadership has come a long way from the "great man theory." In his examination of ten great women leaders, Dr. Palestini focuses on the transformational, situational and moral leadership qualities that ground current leadership theory. Current and aspiring educational leaders, regardless of gender, will benefit from refection on the frames of leadership, emotional intelligence, and relationship-building practices of these highly effective leaders. -- Elizabeth Weber, director, human resources, Exeter (PA) School District
Book Information
ISBN 9781475800661
Author Robert Palestini
Format Paperback
Page Count 184
Imprint Rowman & Littlefield Education
Publisher Rowman & Littlefield
