Leading for Equity: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Montgomery County Public Schools

Stacey M. Childress; Dennis  Doyle; David A. Thomas

Book | 2009

Leading for Equity: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Montgomery County Public Schools

by Stacey M. Childress, Dennis Doyle and David A. Thomas

Abstract

Leading for Equity tells the compelling story of the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools and its transformation—in less than a decade—into a system committed to breaking the links between race and class and academic achievement. In chapters organized around six core themes, the authors lay out the essential elements of MCPS'success. They identify key lessons other districts can draw from MCPS's experience and offer a framework for applying them. A dramatic departure from "business as usual," MCPS has won nationwide attention as a compelling model for tackling the achievement and opportunity issues that confront our nation as a whole.

Keywords: Transformation; Education; Leadership; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Performance Improvement; Social Issues;

Format: Print

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Childress, Stacey M., Dennis Doyle, and David A. Thomas. Leading for Equity: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Montgomery County Public Schools. Cambridge: Harvard Education Press, 2009. (Foreword by David Gergen.)

Concerns the growth of multinational trading companies in the first global economy. Examines two Scottish-owned merchant houses, Jardine Matheson and James Finlay, and shows their changing trade and investment strategies as well as their use of an organizational form later known as business groups. Also demonstrates the role of ethnic networks in globalization during this historical period. A rewritten version of an earlier case.

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Any list of top CEOs reveals a stunning lack of diversity. Among the leaders of Fortune 500 companies, for example, just 32 are women, three are African-American, and not one is an African-American woman. What’s going on? The authors studied the careers of the roughly 2,300 alumni of African descent who have graduated from Harvard Business School since its founding, focusing on the 67 African-American women who have attained top positions in corporations or professional services firms. These women thrived, they found, because of three characteristics that are key to resilience: emotional intelligence, authenticity, and agility. The women were adept at reading interpersonal dynamics and managing their own reactions; crafting their identities; and transforming obstacles into opportunities. Beyond personal strengths, the authors say, another factor was critical: nurturing relationships with mentors who recognized the women’s talent and made it their business to support them. The insights gleaned are important not just for African-Americans and women; they’re essential for any manager who recognizes that an organization’s diversity is its strength.

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Leading for Equity: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Montgomery County Public Schools

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