'This is a handbook for masters courses in school leadership; in part a work of reference, it is awesomely comprehensive. It has, however, an important and insistent theme: that every school can be improved, and that leadership - not administration, not even management - is key to such improvement. Effective leadership involves sensitivity to context and to social justice, civic responsibility and democratic accountability, and these essays show how and why' - Michael Duffy, "The Times Educational Supplement"."The SAGE Handbook of Educational Leadership" is a landmark publication with contributions from 37 internationally renowned academics covering an extensive range of issues confronting the field of educational leadership and administration. The handbook reviews how leadership was redefined by management and organizational theory in its quest to become scientific, then looks forward to promising theories, concepts, and practices that show potential for development and application.This handbook represents the establishment of a new tradition in educational leadership. It covers a broad range of issues pertaining to curriculum leadership, supervision, teacher evaluation, budgeting, planning and school design. The handbook consists of the following parts: Multiple Lenses of Democratic Leadership explores the intellectual 'sweep' of the notion of leadership; Management, Organization, and Law presents views of leadership that reflect contemporary research regarding the superintendency and principalship, including strains in current school leadership issues; Educational Politics and Policy presents and analyzes the major international, federal, and state initiatives impacting educational leadership today; and, Theories of Leadership and Research Problems and Practices explores the nature of research regarding leadership and the large body of work on management and managerial practices.The Micropolitics of Educational Leadership highlights the day-to-day operational challenges facing school leaders, such as declining fiscal support, a lack of public confidence, outmoded facilities and technology, the achievement gap, violence, vandalism, and the challenges of dealing with special populations. This handbook is sure to be a pivotal resource in the restructuring of courses and curricula in departments and schools of education well into the 21st century, as well as a powerful guide to reframing issues of practice in educational settings. Professionals in the field will also find a wealth of information informing practice in the world of education. It is an ideal text for graduate courses, in which students and professors will find cutting-edge research and alternative modes of thinking, offering a perspective unmatched by any other single source.