At its core, this book accepts as truth that education must meet the demands of our youth for a more equitable, sustainable, and community-nurturing existence. Nothing short of our survival depends on educating children in this way. Despite what a vocal minority have screamed for us all to believe, educators are - and must be - sensitive, visionary, and creative to approach the daily task of teaching children. This is a book for now. Education practitioners and leaders will find practical and deep value from the examples, exercises, and motivations of this work.
— Melanie Kadlic Meren, , School Board Member, Hunter Mill District, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
Leading with Vitality and Hope: Embracing Equity, Alleviating Trauma, and Healing School Communities is a welcome call to action from an eclectic group of author collaborators. In the aftermath of COVID-19, it’s emphasis on moving beyond why schools need to change to the how change is done is on point: we spend far too much time lamenting current conditions or building a case for why we need to change and far too little attention on how change happens. In Leading with Vitality and Hope, each of the 20 coauthors adds an essential element of insight into best practices that schools can and should use to serve their students, staff, and communities.
— Ken Wallace, PhD, superintendent, Maine Township High School District 207, Park Ridge, Illinois
Our world seems to be so disconnected, even though we have countless ways to connect, and what we know all too well is that we are polarized based on political beliefs. All of this leads to a feeling of hopelessness, and that is the very reason why this book is so important. Our schools are places where we need to be more human, and in Leading with Vitality and Hope, the authors help us do just that.
— Peter DeWitt, EdD, author, blogger and leadership coach
In Vitality and Hope, Mason, Patschke, and Simpson use the power of vision to paint a compelling picture for compassionate and equitable school community cultures that provide hope and renewal for adults and students. This book is a modern-day leadership bible. Use it to reflect on your most urgent change needs, focus your change efforts, and engage everyone you lead toward successful and sustainable change.
— Tim Kanold, PhD, is an award-winning educator and author, and a national thought leader in mathematics
This is a momentous time in our history when challenges are profound and yet opportunities are limitless. It is through this paradox that Leading with Vitality and Hope: Embracing Equity, Alleviating Trauma, and Healing School Communities provides educational leaders with real stories, strategies, and provocations to vision and navigate transformational change. In this text, Mason, Patschke and Simpson have woven a tapestry of narratives from 20 authors who convey their optimistic visions for student success through authentic reflections. These threads provide relevant themes and topics that inspire and encourage. The book’s vision-practice-change model equips and empowers leaders to deliberately, yet urgently, address today’s challenges and opportunities for a better future.
— Johnna L. Weller, Chief Academic Officer, Learning Care Group
A must read for today’s educators committed to being successful with all students during these challenging times. The authors give us concrete steps for developing relationships in times of trauma and stress and to ensure that hope, joy and love are in the lives of all our students in our schools. This book will make a positive difference in the lives of students and educators.
— Kendall Zoller, Global consultant in Educational Leadership and Communicative Intelligence
Educators will find much inspiration and support in this book, one that offers a heart centered approach to healing. This compassionate work addresses the roots of the growing crisis in our schools. The solutions offered, based on a deep understanding of human development, provide a path towards change that is both profoundly human as well as practical. A comprehensive resource for educators that wish to grow joyful, resilient learning communities.
— Hannah Beach, Co-author, Reclaiming Our Students: Why Children Are More Anxious, Aggressive, and Shut Down Than Ever—And What We Can Do About It
An invaluable resource for any leader working with today’s youth! In the best of times, educators are challenged to meet all students where they are and provide instruction and curricula that enables them to thrive in the 21st century workforce. The pandemic has disrupted our society in ways that have reverberated from across the globe to our communities, schools, and homes. Mason, Patschke, and Simpson have gathered the insights of educational visionaries who are leading the way to address systemic inequities and societal issues that impact cognition and student achievement. With practical strategies, optimism, and hope, these thought leaders provide a sound roadmap to revolutionize the educational experience with vitality, hope and healing.
— Melissa Hughes, PhD, author, “Happy Hour with Einstein” and “Happier Hour with Einstein: Another Round”
Leading with Vitality and Hope is a strategy-filled resource that educators need right now as they lead our schools out of the pandemic. The stories of successful change include voices of those in the field and even students as they help lead us forward to engage and include all stakeholders. The best part of the book, though, is the insight from leaders and references to research that ground the work so that we can better understand the underlying issues of trauma and advocacy. Schools have the amazing power to heal and connect so don’t miss this amazing tool to help you make this happen in your school community!
— Andrew M. Jacks, The Nokesville School Principal, NAESP Fellow, author, and podcast host of Discipline Win
Vulnerability. Hope. Vision. Student voice. As school leaders how do you embrace these concepts in building systemic cultural shifts to maximize student learning? This dynamic team shares the research and application of these ideas - and more - to build that student-centered learning environment you’ve always wanted. You’ll find this to be a powerful read that’ll be on your favorite shelf to reference again and again.
— Adam Drummond, Associate Partner, International Center for Leadership in Education
A thought-provoking collaboration and collection addressing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice in schools today. Out of crisis comes opportunity, and the authors share how they are turning their visions into reality, each of them making a difference in the lives of students, staff, and communities. This book is for educational leaders who desire change but may feel “stuck.” It gives both hope and inspiration to those in education who are ready to lead transformational change and have a sustainable impact within our educational institutions. I highly recommend this book to school leaders and anyone else who has the courage and compassion to begin the hwork of repairing the systemic inequalities that exist in education.
— Ann Little, International Consultant
Leading with Vitality and Hope is a much-needed book of wisdom, frameworks, resources, recommendations, stories, and provocations for leaders who are seeking pathways for real transformation in education. It curates wisdom from diverse identities, experts, and elders who have rooted and centered their work on humanity, especially those who have been historically and systematically marginalized. It pulls together research and narratives that are historical, contextual, relational, and intersectional.
It offers us a radical shift in leadership centered on liberation, by challenging us to examine self and systems, as well as our collective historical truth, harm, and trauma. It offers us a different way of seeing, holding, and enacting power, a kind of power anchored on compassion that has leverage, intention, and impact on our collective liberation. It challenges us to re-evaluate our moral imperatives, responsibilities, and obligations as current caretakers of our world, to be fearless in asking hard questions, as well as to value and harness the powers, purposes, peoples, and practices of our communities. This book will inspire leaders to humanize and mobilize action; to be bold and agentic in designing for radical shifts in school and organizational cultures, as well as ground us on the fundamentals of our shared existence and humanity.
— Joel Jr LLABAN, MeD, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice, International Schools Services
Dr. Christine Mason, Kevin Simpson, and Dr. Melissa Patschke have put together a robust collection of articles that provides a pathway to a more equitable, compassionate, and sophisticated future for our schools. The book is equally evidence-based and practical with strategies and solutions that educators can put into action right away. Highly recommend this book to anyone who works in schools who believes in and is committed to change.
— Ellen Mahoney, CEO, Sea Change Mentoring
Leading with Vitality and Hope is chockfull of operational wisdom about deep human problems and potential. Full of powerful, clear ideas and examples of how to address short-term problems as you develop long-term solutions. Every time I thought the authors might have omitted an important aspect it appeared in the next chapter. The book is comprehensive, but it reads like a targeted set of specific considerations that ends up being comprehensive. 'Leading with vitality and hope’ is inspirational throughout with great tools and ideas for taking action. Read it and act!
— Michael Fullan, Professor Emeritus, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto, Author of Leading in a Culture of Change
The teacher shortage is real. The pandemic caused the most significant drop in educator employment in US schools (AP News)--the pandemic however was the proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back." As a teacher of 20+ years, the writing was on the wall. Teaching in a society that shows little value for teachers and education- in terms of pay, professionalism, and supportive structures from facilities to planning and collaboration time; the profession at times felt inhumane. This book is timely and much needed as we reimagine how teaching and learning can be when we bring a humanistic and dignified lens to our beautiful profession. I hope that every leader and teacher has access to these stories as a source of healing and inspiration.
— MaryAnn DeRosa, EdD, Independent Educational Consultant, Washington, DC