Home - Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Reservoirs of Hope: Sustaining Spirituality in School Leaders
Author: Alan Flintham
Date Of Publication: Sep 2011
Isbn13: 978-1-4438-3182-6
Isbn: 1-4438-3182-4
This book is about hope, and how it is sustained by the personal spirituality of school leaders. Defining this not only in religious terms but using a concept of ‘secular spirituality,’ it shows that leadership actions must rest on the foundation of a personal value system, demonstrated as ‘a lived faith in action.’

Drawing on interviews with 150 headteachers and capturing their authentic voices, it uses the metaphor of ‘reservoirs of hope’ to promote practitioner reflection on the value systems, leadership styles and sustainability strategies of headteachers, as they act as the external reservoir of hope for their schools whilst ensuring that their own internal reservoir of hope never runs dry.

It also offers a theological reflection on the spiritual and moral leadership of headteachers, providing a connecting bridge between educational leadership and theology.

Alan Flintham was a secondary school headteacher in Nottinghamshire for 15 years. A Research Associate of the National College, he is now also an Honorary Research Fellow at Liverpool Hope University, where he completed his doctorate, and an Associate Priest in the Derby Diocese of the Church of England.

“Alan Flintham has produced a study that combines academic rigour, scholarship and professional relevance. This is a rare combination and it reflects the integrity and authenticity of this study. He has opened a door into an aspect of school leadership that has been neglected and in doing so has developed a new perspective on leadership effectiveness.”

—John West-Burnham, Professor of Educational Leadership, St Mary’s University College

“At times of change and uncertainty, hope, moral purpose and a deep conviction about the value of the work one does is what sustains leaders and those they lead. Alan Flintham’s book allows leaders to tell their stories of hope for those they serve, of faith in a better future and of the love of the work they do. Leaders will return to its message time and again for nourishment and inspiration as they deal with the daily demands of school leadership.”

—Maggie Farrar, Strategic Director Policy Research and Development, National College for Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services

“We need more research-based books like this to help educational leaders who are greatly challenged by contemporary secular environments to draw energy and courage from their personal spiritual wellsprings and on clear moral and ethical foundations. I especially appreciate the great leadership wisdom contained in the special insights encapsulated by the metaphor of ‘reservoirs of hope.’ The author represents an authentic and inspirational voice on the ethical, moral and spiritual dimensions of leadership and generates wonderful advice for all policy makers and practitioners who dare to hope for a better future for our educational systems, schools and the children in their care.”

—Patrick Duignan, Emeritus Professor, ACU National: the Australian Catholic University

“This is a ground-breaking and original study of educational leadership. It argues that faith, hope and spirituality (expressed in both religious and secular forms) is what produces inspired and inspiring leadership. Without faith, hope and spirituality, school leadership is in danger of being reduced to technical management alone. This is a book for all those who want to be more than just school managers.”

—Gerald Grace, Professorial Research Fellow, Institute of Education, University of London

Price Uk Gbp: 29.99
Price Us Usd: 44.99

Sample pdf (including Table of Contents)

We recommend

Language and Literature
Middle-earth and Beyond: Essays on the World of J. R. R. Tolkien

History
Arctic Discourses

Education
The Supportive School: Wellbeing and the Young Adolescent

Interesting reviews

From Navigating Music and Sound Education

“We rarely have the opportunity and time to engage with the practicalities of music teaching through the lens of evidence-based practice. This book provides us with a wonderful exception that is accessible to beginning and established teachers. It contains a wide range of stimulating and thought-provoking material that draws on real-world experiences and events, which are contextualised, informed and structured by theory. This is a powerful combination that we can visit again and again for insight and inspiration. Congratulations to all involved, particularly the editors for shaping such a valuable contribution!”
—Professor Graham F. Welch, University of London; President, International Society of Music Education

“Navigating music and sound education draws together a range of issues increasingly acknowledged to be at the basis of reflective and effective music learning and teaching: social settings, cultural dimensions, gender, indigeneity, varying cognitive approaches, inter-disciplinary connections, technology, types of learning, and creativity. It opens up areas of pedagogy that go beyond classroom methodology to acknowledge student individuality and encourage music learning and teaching grounded in the reality of students’ musical and social lives. It will be invaluable for those training to become educators and for teachers already in the field.”
—Associate Professor Peter Dunbar-Hall, University of Sydney

“This book brings an important contribution to music teacher education as it challenges the readers to rethink their paradigms of music education. It highlights the importance of preparing a reflective teacher, autonomous, creative and conscious of the multifaceted and multicultural locus in which they will work. The book also draws on the importance for music teachers to consider the context in which they work, and establish a dialog between local musical traditions, informal music practices and global trends of music teaching and learning. Most importantly, all chapters are in one way or another derived from research carried out on specific areas, thus stressing the importance of the research informed practice in music education.”
—Professor Liane Hentschke, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; International Society of Music Education Immediate Past President

Many readers will appreciate Steve Dillon and Kathy Hirche’s description of the future of education in their work with dynamic technological contexts.

Navigating Music and Sound Education is a wonderful guide and resource for pre-service music teachers, for teachers in the field, and for teacher educators.

It offers a range of fresh perspectives on the state of music education as it is and as it might be. Kari K Veblen

Navigating Music and Sound Education is an ambitious project which features current research from 20 individuals whose professional identities run the gamut from musician to songwriter to student to educator to music therapist to ethnomusicologist. The book’s scope is perhaps the most exciting aspect of Navigating Music and Sound Education.
Kari K Veblen
University of Western Ontario
British Journal of Music Education
October 2011