Forces of Influence: How Educators Can Leverage Relationships to Improve Practice

In Forces of Influence, Fred Ende and Meghan Everette contend that schoolwide success starts with relationships-not only between students and adults, but also among all adults up and down the education hierarchy. It's by leveraging these relationships that educators can influence outcomes and effect real change. But how can educators make sure they exert their influence astutely and sensitively, navigating education's priorities and pressures while keeping their work focused on the mission? This thought-provoking book helps readers navigate this tricky terrain, introducing four ""forces,"" or levels, of influence and explaining how educators can use them to support one another's practice and push for positive outcomes for all learners. The authors: Explore each of the four forces-the pull, the push, the shove, and the nudge-and explain why they work and what research shows about their effectiveness. Introduce the Forces of Influence Leadership Matrix (FILM), a framework that identifies how the four forces connect and helps readers determine when to use which force, with whom, and how. Provide advice on how to course-correct by switching and layering the forces for positive results-and how to recover from setbacks. Offer copious tools to support this work, including role-plays, self-assessments, templates, and questions to spur reflection and action taking. Everything educators do requires them to build, sustain, and leverage relationships. With this guide, they no longer have to wing it.