Praise for The Principal’s Guide to Conflict Management
—Principal Baruti Kafele, education consultant, author, and retired principal “ Not all conflict is bad. Jen Schwanke helps principals understand the difference between productive conflict and negative, damaging conflict and gives them practical advice for how to facilitate the former while resolving the latter. Whenever you’re working with human beings, some conflict is inevitable. But rather than avoid conflict, this book shows principals how to deal with it head on and keep it from derailing the important work they are doing in schools.” —Robyn R. Jackson, author of Stop Leading, Start Building and founder of Buildership University “ The Principal’s Guide to Conflict Management is a practical, thoughtful, and honest response to the overwhelming demands school leaders face when managing conflict. In this book, Dr. Schwanke provides hard-learned lessons and useful applications you can immediately implement to navigate the journey. Chock-full of examples, stories, reflective practices, and useful scripts, this book is a must-read for school leaders. I can’t wait to use it as a resource for my own work and to recommend it to every leader who wants help in managing conflict.” —William D. Parker, founder/CEO of Principal Matters, LLC “ In today’s educational landscape, where conflict is inevitable, Schwanke reminds us to proactively embrace these conflicts with three simple but powerful words: anticipate, analyze, and act. This book is a reminder to all school leaders that when we create a culture that embraces productive conflict, it is healthier for the school community in the long game. A valuable read!” —Robyn R. Hamasaki, former PK–8 Principal in Boulder, Colorado
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“ For over two decades, I have asserted that the school leadership books that matter most are the ones that are authored by practitioners who have either effectively led schools or are currently leading schools effectively. Why? Because they see the challenge and experience of leading schools through the lens of one who has lived the work. Jen Schwanke is that author. She knows the work because she lived it and performed it at a high level. She uniquely understands the complexities of managing conflict in schools on multiple levels because she not only lived it but understands the necessity for strategies that speak to it. I am excited about the prospects for this book, which I feel is an absolute must read for anyone in school leadership.”