AI for School Leaders - by Vickie F Echols (Paperback)

About the Book

This practical guide helps school leaders leverage the power of AI to explore possible solutions to problems and generate actionable steps toward positive change.

Book Synopsis

This practical guide helps school leaders leverage the power of AI to explore possible solutions to problems and generate actionable steps toward positive change.

Imagine a world where educators can boost their productivity, task management and overall well-being with the aid of an AI assistant. In this groundbreaking book, an experienced school leader offers practical strategies for leveraging AI to support a more efficient and effective way to work.

The 62 strategies in this book will help leaders - including those with limited technical knowledge - use AI tools to address critical aspects of leadership in education, such as collaborative decision-making, building relationships and trust, personalized professional learning, data analysis and improvement, and parent and community engagement.

Featured examples show how using AI can speed up or eliminate administrative tasks, leaving more time for human interaction. With detailed prompts and instructions on how to write them, the book offers fun, innovative ideas that promote work-life balance and sustainable wellness in leadership roles, with strategies for managing workload and fostering personal growth.

The book:

• Follows a structured format, with each example offering a problem, solution, action steps, acceleration tips and cautions.
  
• Shows how to formulate effective AI prompts that yield accurate and meaningful responses from AI tools.
  
• Addresses safety and ethical considerations, highlighting potential risks, challenges and cautions school leaders need to be aware of when using AI-powered solutions.

Whether you're an experienced leader or just starting out, this book equips you with the tools and insights needed to lead with confidence, collaboration and compassion. Stay ahead of the curve and embrace the transformative potential of AI with this essential resource.

Audience: Education leaders and administrators

Review Quotes

School Library Journal, Susan Catlett

VERDICT: A professional purchase for most school libraries.

A guide for effectively using artificial intelligence (AI) to ease some of the pressures felt by school leaders. The author references many current research studies that demonstrate the high levels of performance and stress that school leaders face as they try to meet the expectations of today's world. Echols argues that by learning to use AI, school leaders will reduce the time required to complete repetitive administrative tasks and gain time for relationship building and personal well-being. Readers learn about generative AI in Chapter One, and Echols identifies how to write and frame AI prompts to generate maximum positive results. Using AI safely is a natural extension that Echols details in Chapter Two. With various dilemmas presented to ponder, the author offers scenario solutions with options for particular circumstances to help guide school leaders in addressing their particular issues. Chapters Three through Seven offer more than 60 practical uses for AI by school leaders aligned to the ISTE Education Leader standards. -Chapter topics include collaborative decision-making, supportive relationships and trust, personalized professional learning, data management and school improvement, and family and community engagement. These chapters are all arranged similarly: each topic covers a problem, its solution, and an example of a prompt to use with AI. Some also discuss acceleration and cautionary aspects. The highlight of each chapter is the -s-tep-by-step creation of -appropriate prompts that elicit the information requested. Questions at the end of each chapter help deepen understanding through reflection and conversation, and back matter includes AI resources, glossary, references, and an index.

About the Author

Vickie F. Echols, M.Ed., is a consultant with Wellness for Educators, which supports educators through research-based, trauma and equity-informed practices and strategies for mental, physical, social and emotional well-being. She is author of several online courses for teachers and school leaders, with a focus on sustaining well-being for educators. With over 40 years of experience in the field of education spanning the PK-20 continuum, she has served as an adjunct professor, campus principal, district director and public school teacher, and is the founder of a children's theater nonprofit. She holds a master's degree in education from James Cook University in Australia.