Education Book Reviews

Fidler, Brian & Atton, Tessa (2004) The Headship Game: The Challenges of Contemporary School Leadership. London: RoutledgeFalmer.

In all fairness, I probably anticipated reading The Headship Game with unreasonably high hopes. For years I have studied school leadership, with particular emphasis on headship. Much of this study was self-serving, as I have pondered my own career path. Thus, I grew excited when Fidler and Atton state early on,
We hope that aspiring heads will gain an understanding of the contributions of their learning and experience through a series of posts in school and more formal qualifications before headship. It should also make them more aware of the demands on heads and the pitfalls. We hope that this does not discourage them but makes them more realistic and determined to be well prepared (p. 4).
They also wish to help educate those who work with heads on professional issues and governors/trustees. Admirable goals, indeed. Unfortunately, at least for me, the book does not meet them. It falls short in both content and style.

I am one of those readers who sits with pen in hand, marking and starring passages that grab my attention. A provocative idea, some new information, a well-written section—I highlight anything that I may want to refer to later. After the introduction, I found myself marking little in The Headship Game. Much of the material was very basic information on leadership and education. And while on the surface Fidler and Atton deserve credit for their research—they cite many studies and have a long list of references—they seem to cite their own work much more frequently than any other.

The book also remains much too conceptual. It included plenty of theory about school headship, as it must; but the case studies seem almost afterthoughts. In fact, they are presented in separate shaded boxes, with only rather superficial analysis and commentary. To make the book work better, Fidler and Atton should have developed the cases in greater depth and used them to introduce the theories and concepts that they wished to explore. Doing so would have made school heads seem fuller as people and thus better as real-life lessons.

The heavy majority of the case studies also seemed to dwell on the pitfalls of the job: problems with boards; poor accreditation reviews; sticky personnel issues; all the demands on one’s life. In many ways, the book supported the notion that heads are hired only to be eventually fired. While Fidler and Atton certainly want to make their readers fully aware of the job’s overwhelming and often precarious nature, they only make some general references to the rewards and pleasures. I know many heads who, despite the pressures of the game, crave no other role.

So, while I admit that my expectations and awareness may have made me the wrong audience for The Headship Game, I also would not recommend it to anyone just beginning to consider a headship. Despite their goals quoted above, I can see the book scaring potential heads away rather than nurturing their interest and talents. We need more young educators rising to the challenges of serving as a school head. After all, headship should not be a game, but a calling.

Pages: 248     Price: $39.95    ISBN: 0-415-27781-7

Reviewed by Mark Crotty, Director of Curricular Programs PreK-12, Greenhill School, Addison, TX

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