The Successful Middle School Leader is not just for the middle school leader, but for leaders at all levels of education who want to learn how to lead from their Heart, Head, and Hands.
School leader is not a job description with a checklist of actions or skills. It is a way of being. Now more than ever, each school, classroom, and team needs a living organism at the helm—one with all its parts strong, healthy, and functioning together.
The successful middle school leader has a distinct anatomy that enables them to join with others in working relationships to produce the results students deserve.
This companion guide to The Successful Middle School: This We Believe will help school leaders in various leadership roles to develop and sustain effective, visionary leadership.
The book is presented in three parts. Each part contains the leadership traits or behaviors resulting from the leadership source as well as a robust collection of hands-on leadership strategies with practices to develop and use that leadership source.
Praise for the Successful Middle School Leader
"If you are looking for abstract philosophies about leadership, you came to the wrong place. This wonderfully practical book is filled with “heart leadership” strategies that will be of use to every leader. Whether you are in your first year as a leader or 30th year, we all need renewal and encouragement, and those qualities are in abundance on every page....I hope that you will follow Dr. Gray’s wise counsel as you embark on the next stage of your career."
Douglas Reeves | Author, Fearless Schools
"I purchased a copy of the Successful Middle School Leader. It became clear that as I read the book it put into words how I feel about leadership and it reinforced how I choose to lead. Some of the challenges I have been facing lead me to share the content of the first chapter with our District Leadership Team. It has been very powerful in assisting me with how I feel the culture of our District should be strengthened. I know that isn't my role but I am very passionate about Leading with the Heart and creating a healthy culture for our students and staff. Thank you for all that you do and know that your work is appreciated and respected."
Chip Schuman | Mattawan Middle School Principal
"As a school administrator, I have read numerous books about effective school leadership, but this one is outstanding for two reasons: the credibility of its author and the practicality of the lessons conveyed. Dr. Cedrick Gray has occupied every position imaginable in a school system, and the experience that he has gained from each of these roles comes out vividly in The Successful Middle School Leader. Dr. Gray’s ideas are authentic, practical, and usable. School leaders who are seeking genuine ideas to effect change in their schools will find Dr. Gray’s lessons tremendously impactful. The Successful Middle School Leader is a tool to transform schools and enhance student achievement."
Antoine F. Gnintedem, ED. D., PH.D. School leader
Author, Doom, Gloom, and the Pursuit of the Sun (2018) and Alien at Home (2022)