

Books
Flipping Leadership Doesn’t Mean Reinventing the Wheel
This volume in the Connected Educators series translates the principles of flipped learning into a plan that delivers authentic staff meetings and effective parent communications.
- Grade Level: PreK-12
- ISBN: 9781483317601
- Published By: Corwin
- Series: Corwin Connected Educators Series
- Year: 2014
- Page Count: 80
- Publication date: August 21, 2014
Price: $13.95
Description
Flip communication for instant impact—and real results for students!
Break away from the old ways of communication and revolutionize leadership and communication at your school. Use the principles of connectedness and flipped learning to engage stakeholders—teachers, administrators, and parents—digitally, so they’re ready for engaging and productive discussions when you meet in person. Featuring action steps, reflections, and “connected moments,” plus more resources online, this book shows you how flipped leadership:
- Makes the school community visible to parents
- Creates authentic staff meetings
- Maximizes communication between parents and school
- Models effective use of technology
The Corwin Connected Educators series is your key to unlocking the greatest resource available to all educators: other educators. Being a Connected Educator is more than a set of actions: it’s a belief in the potential of technology to fuel lifelong learning. To explore the other books in this series, visit the Corwin Connected Educators website.
Check out the Connected Educator Series matrix to find out which book is right for you.
"Education is plagued by outdated leadership strategies and techniques that have long lost their luster. DeWitt provides a fresh look at how leaders can make use of precious time while increasing the effectiveness of meetings and communications."
—Eric Sheninger, Principal
"DeWitt shows his emerging passion for backward design, for working from what needs to be realized to how we then attain such success, and for listening and carrying his staff with him. The book describes a principal’s road to realizing how to see the world in a different and more powerful way."
—John Hattie, Author, Visible Learning
Key features
Much has been written about flipping the classroom, but this book shows how administrators can apply the same principles of connectedness and flipped learning to enhance the learning experience for their staff and strengthen a school’s relationship with the community. Through action steps, reflections, and “connected moments,” this book will show leaders:
- The importance of being connected to other educators and to school stakeholders
- How flipping can enhance school communication
- How to start flipping faculty meetings and parent communication
There is also the Connected Educators Series website where readers can connect with all of the authors of the series, find more resources, and find real support for putting flipped leadership into practice.
Author(s)

Peter M. DeWitt
Peter M. DeWitt, EdD is a former K–5 teacher (eleven years) and principal (eight years). He is a school leadership coach who runs competency-based workshops and provides keynotes nationally and internationally, focusing on school leadership (collaborative cultures and instructional leadership), as well as fostering inclusive school climates.
Additionally, Peter coaches school-based leaders, directors, instructional coaches, teacher leaders, and school-based leadership teams both in person and remotely. In summer 2021 Peter created a yearlong on-demand asynchronous coaching course through Thinkific where he has fostered a community of learners that includes K–12 educators in leadership positions.
Peter’s work has been adopted at the state and university level, and he works with numerous school districts, school boards, regional networks, and ministries of education around North America, Australia, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the UK.
Peter writes the “Finding Common Ground” column for Education Week, which has been in circulation since 2011. In 2020 Peter co-created Education Week’s “A Seat at the Table” series, where he moderates conversations with experts around the topics of race, gender, sexual orientation, research, trauma, and many other educational topics.
Additionally, Peter is the editor for the Connected Educator series (Corwin) and the Impact series (Corwin), which include books by Viviane Robinson, Andy Hargreaves, Pasi Sahlberg, Yong Zhao, and Michael Fullan. He is the 2013 School Administrators Association of New York State’s (SAANYS) Outstanding Educator of the Year and the 2015 Education Blogger of the Year (Academy of Education Arts & Sciences), and he sits on numerous advisory boards. Peter is the author, co-author, or contributor of numerous books, including the following:
· Dignity for All: Safeguarding LGBT Students (Corwin, 2012)
· School Climate Change (co-authored with Sean Slade; ASCD, 2014)
· Flipping Leadership Doesn’t Mean Reinventing the Wheel (Corwin, 2014)
· Collaborative Leadership: Six Influences That Matter Most (Corwin/Learning Forward, 2016)
· School Climate: Leading With Collective Teacher Efficacy (Corwin/Ontario Principals Council, 2017)
· Coach It Further: Using the Art of Coaching to Improve School Leadership (Corwin, 2018)
· Instructional Leadership: Creating Practice Out of Theory (Corwin, 2020)
· 10 Mindframes for Leaders: The Visible Learning Approach to School Success (edited by John Hattie and Ray Smith; Corwin, 2020)
· Collective Leader Efficacy: Strengthening the Impact of Instructional Leadership Teams (Corwin/Learning Forward, 2021)
Peter’s articles have appeared in educational research journals at the state, national, and international level. His books have been translated into four languages.
Some of the organizations Peter has worked with are the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), Arkansas State University, EDUTAS, University of Oklahoma, Victoria Department of Education (Australia), University of Rotterdam (Netherlands), Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA), Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA), the National Education Association (NEA), New Brunswick Teacher’s Association (Canada), the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), Education Scotland (Scotland), Glasgow City Council (Scotland), Kuwait Technical College (Kuwait), the National Association of School Psychologists, ASCD, l’Association des directions et directions adjointes des écoles franco-ontariennes (ADFO), the Catholic Principals’ Council of Ontario (CPCO), the Ontario Principals’ Council (OPC), National School Climate Center, GLSEN, PBS, NPR, BAM Radio Network, ABC, and NBC’s Education Nation.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
1. Connected Learning: The Precursor to Flipped Leadership
What is Connected Learning?
Vignette About Twitter and Social Networking
Building a PLN
2. To Flip or Not to Flip...and Other Lame Excuses
Why Flip?
The Haters
Is Flipping a Passing Fad?
Flipping Out the Classroom
3. Flipped Faculty Meeting
How to Flip a Faculty Meeting
How It Leads to Better Discussions
Examples and Action Steps
4. Flipping Parent Communication
Why?
How Does It Help School Communication?
How It Helps Build a Better Home-School Partnership
5. How to Flip Communication
It's What You Make of It
How I Do It
Reviews
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"Education is plagued by outdated leadership strategies and techniques that have long lost their luster. Peter DeWitt provides a fresh look at how leaders can make use of precious time while increasing the effectiveness of meetings and communications. His message is a call to action for leaders to jump on the train before it is too late."Eric Sheninger, Principal
New Milford High School, New Milford, NJ
"After reading this book, my mind is racing with ideas! I have already started planning for flipped faculty meetings as a way to maximize time with our staff. I am also really intrigued by the possibility of student led conferences. The opportunity to empower our students and allow them to use their voices to link home and school is an important opportunity we cannot miss. Peter's thoughts on the power of being a connected educator and leader and being comfortable with technology are ones that resonated with me because the best way to prepare our students for the future is to model it for them today. This book is a must read for all educators, and especially educational leaders!"Tony Sinanis, Principal & Corwin Author of The Power of Branding
Cantiague Elementary, Jericho, NY
John Hattie, Author, Visible Learning"Peter is the principal of the flipped! He flipped his teaching, flipped his staff meetings, flipped his newsletters, and shows the passion of flipping! The story shows his emerging passion for backward design, for working from what needs to be realised to how we then attain such success, and for listening and carrying his staff with him. The book describes a principal’s road to realising how to see the world in a different and more powerful way."
Auckland, NZ
"Peter DeWitt has a great idea, here: taking the flip concept and applying it to leadership. If you’re looking for innovative ways to improve staff meetings and other collaboration within your school, you’ll get a lot out of this book."Jim Knight, Research Associate and Corwin Author, High Impact Instruction
University of Kansas
"Utilizing the methods of flipped leadership, principles facilitate better management and communication with their faculty, parents, and students, and interact in a deeper level of discussion. With broadcasting tools such as TouchCast, Peter demonstrates how easy it is to promote your ideas through flipped videos and use the valuable time in one-on-one sessions for meaningful dialogue. "Dr. Ayelet Segal, Head of Education
TouchCast, New York, NY
Ross Cooper, Supervisor of Instructional Practice K-12"As of now there are about 20 books in the Corwin Connected Educator Series, a seemingly ever-growing set of titles masterminded by Peter DeWitt and Corwin Press. Each book is short enough to be read in one sitting, which makes the collection ideal for book studies and professional development, both during the summer and throughout the school year. Also, each paperback is authored by one or two educators who speak (and blog, tweet, etc.) with a credible voice in the world of connected education. Some of the topics include:
- Flipped leadership
- Tools for connecting educators, parents, and communities
- Blogging for educators
- Best practices for establishing a makerspace
- Tools to connect and empower teachers
Finally, all of the authors are active on social media, and they regularly present at local conferences, which helps in bringing to life the contents of these books."
Salisbury Township School District, Edutopia
Other Titles in: Administration & Leadership | Leadership
For Instructors
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- Connected Educators Website [Site]