Leading with Heart and Soul

Leading with Heart and Soul: 30 Inspiring Lessons of Faith, Learning, and Leadership for Educators is published by Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Brand and is currently available for pre-orders at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers.

In his new book, the accomplished Harvard educator Irvin L. Scott, Ed.D. shares inspiring lessons drawn from his more than 30 years as a teacher, leader, speaker, philanthropist, parent and lifelong learner devoted to teaching educational leadership.

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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES, February 14, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — In his new book, the accomplished Harvard educator Irvin L. Scott, Ed.D. shares inspiring lessons drawn from his more than 30 years as a teacher, leader, speaker, philanthropist, parent and lifelong learner devoted to teaching educational leadership.

Scott shares a lifetime of experience and thoughts on the education of our children in a compassionate and compelling fashion.

Leading with Heart and Soul: 30 Inspiring Lessons of Faith, Learning, and Leadership for Educators is published by Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Brand and is currently available for pre-orders at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers. Scott’s book goes on sale Tuesday, April 9, $25 in paperback.

Drawing on Scott’s experience as a classroom, school, district and non-profit leader, Leading with Heart and Soul is a heartfelt reflection on the author’s own life lessons and real situations that have inspired his career. In the book, Scott also details how his personal, professional, and spiritual life were intertwined in a way that strengthened each aspect of his identity.

“I wrote this book to be a spiritually grounded source of inspiration and answers for education leaders in troubling times,” Scott said. “Public confidence in schools is waning, and there remains an unprecedented teacher shortage in the United States. I want Leading with Heart and Soul to show teachers, students, and other stakeholders to become educational leaders despite these obstacles.

“I hope that teachers, parents, principals, superintendents, and more will gain motivation from the stories and strategies inside this book, that those stories and strategies will reinvigorate them and their teams as they try to answer the most pressing questions about the future of education,” added Scott.

Among the questions posed by Scott in Leading with Heart and Soul are:

• How do we empower innovative, servant-hearted educational leaders to meet the needs of students?

• How do we inspire entire communities to support the learning journeys of their youth?

• How do we engage the entire educational ecosystem—including nonprofits and other organizations—to uplift equitable opportunities for learning and ensure that every student has the resources needed to thrive?

“This is not a time for leaders to turn away from our children, their caregivers, and the educators who teach and nurture them,” Scott said. “Instead, it is a time to lift them up and celebrate the work they do while navigating our own administrative mandates and challenges. Leading with Heart and Soul speaks directly to the individuals in a position to achieve that goal.”

Scott’s book is drawn from a lifetime of service in education and community. He joined the faculty of Harvard Graduate School of Education during the summer of 2016. At Harvard, Scott’s concentration is educational leadership. A firm believer in the separation of church and state, Scott also leads the initiative to bring faith and education communities together, the Leadership Institute for Faith and Education (L.I.F.E.), started in 2017 at Harvard.

Before coming to Harvard, Scott served for five years as the Deputy Director for K-12 Education at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where he led the investment of $300 million in initiatives focused on transforming how teachers are recruited, developed and rewarded. This work was built on existing efforts that were occurring in the Gates Foundation’s Intensive Partnership.

At the Foundation, Scott also led a team to initiate the Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teaching and Teachers experience (ECET2), which became a teacher-driven movement and can be found in a majority of states across the country. This teacher-led effort brought thousands of teachers together to collaborate with their peers, engage in teacher leadership, and celebrate the profession. In an effort to address educational inequities in the U.S., Scott also led an effort at the Foundation to build strong partnerships and deeper engagement between faith-based organizations that serve underrepresented students, families, and communities.

Prior to his Foundation work, Scott spent over 20 years working on the ground as a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent and chief academic officer. Right before going to the Foundation, Scott was the Chief Academic Officer for Boston Public Schools, where he was responsible for the academic programming of the school systems, as well as overseeing all regional superintendents and schools in the district. Scott previously served as high school academic superintendent for the district and co-chaired Harvard University’s Urban School Leader Summer Institute.

In 2006, Scott was selected into the Urban Superintendents Program at Harvard University. After completing a year of intense course work, he interned with John Deasy, Superintendent of the Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland from 2007-2008. During that time, he led a team to plan and implement the district’s new Leadership Development Office for 225 principals.

Scott began his professional education experience in the classroom as an English teacher and Gospel Choir director for fifteen years. He also served as the principal of McCaskey East High Schools in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for four years.

As principal, Scott led a team of teachers and administrators to reform the 3,200-student high school into eight small learning communities, as well as to develop core curricula for all students. He also directed Project Forward Leap, a nonprofit, academic enrichment program for urban, middle-school scholars in Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Scott holds a bachelor’s degree from Millersville University, a master’s degree in education from Temple University, and a master’s and doctoral degree from Harvard University.

Additional information about Scott and his book Leading with Heart and Soul is available online at https://www.irvinleonscott.com.

Jim DeLorenzo
Jim DeLorenzo Public Relations
+1 215-266-5943
[email protected]
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