Lead Fearlessly, Love Hard - by Linda Cliatt-Wayman (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Lead Fearlessly, Love Hard offers real, actionable advice for those seeking to change the education system from within. While countless books, articles, and speeches decry the challenges disadvantaged students in low-performing schools face, no one has offered a clear path forward through these challenges--until now.

Author Linda Cliatt-Wayman, principal of Strawberry Mansion High School in Philadelphia, grew up in the same North Philadelphia neighborhood where she now leads and fought every single day for the chance to become a part of the solution. Today, she is a turnaround principal and popular TED Talk speaker who helps children living in poverty achieve more than they ever thought possible. In Lead Fearlessly, Love Hard, she provides hope, optimism, and a call to action to help all students reach their true potential. Steadfast leadership and clear principles can overcome almost anything, and this book shows you how to focus your passion, apply your skills, and lead your students down the path to a better future.

• Discover and develop the leader within
• Take responsibility and move forward every day
• Give each student the critical interaction they crave
• Be a force for real, positive change in neighborhood schools

Highlighting the intersection of strong visionary and strategic thinking with on-the-ground, day-to-day implementation, this narrative-driven guide tells the stories of real students and educators to show how clear principles and strong guidance can turn around schools--and the students they serve.

From the Back Cover

When Linda Cliatt-Wayman decided to personally take on the task of turning around a Philadelphia school labeled "persistently dangerous," she didn't know all the challenges she would be facing. She just knew that the students at that school deserved much better, and that she could be the one to help them. She knew from her own experience in the same neighborhood that for the millions of children living in poverty, the neighborhood school offers the best chance to break out of a downward spiral leading to limited opportunities for employment, and often ending in prison.

From her first assembly as a principal, when one student announced "This is not a school," to the time Nightline decided to document daily activities at Strawberry Mansion, to the success of the school's first ever football team, Cliatt-Wayman tells the stories of her experiences that show how love for the students, belief in her leadership team, determination to fight the status quo, influence with business leaders, and trust in the community can lead to great things.

In many cases, leaders of schools in poor communities are set up to fail, but this inspiring guide shows you how a flawed system can be beat from within by loving, determined people who aren't afraid to take the lead solving formidable problems by doing whatever it takes. If you see potential in every student and want to be the difference in each of their lives, this guidebook will help you to become the leader they need with its:

• Stories of the real-life solutions Linda used to turn a "persistently dangerous" high school into one with engaged students and continuously improving test scores
• Reflective and thought-provoking questions that enable you to enhance your leadership strategies and articulate a leadership mission
• Firsthand encouragement and insights into thinking and acting in unconventional yet effective ways with confidence and persistence

What does it take to fix a broken school? Linda Cliatt-Wayman knows from personal experience, and in Lead Fearlessly, Love Hard, she shows you how you can replicate her success by connecting visionary, strategic thinking to day-to-day actions.

About the Author

LINDA CLIATT-WAYMAN has served as principal of several schools, most recently Strawberry Mansion High School in North Philadelphia, as well as Assistant Superintendent for all the 52 High Schools in the School District of Philadelphia. A passionate educator with an unwavering belief in the potential of all children, she has dedicated her career to helping chronically underserved students succeed in school and beyond. She recently heard the inner voice once more saying "It's time" and retired to advocate for justice and love in education for children in poverty. She has been featured on ABC World News Tonight and Nightline, has earned two honorary doctorate degrees, and delivered a TED Talk that has received more than 1.5 million views.