Transforming the Culture of School Leadership: Humanizing Our Practice

Joseph M. Giancola has been a public school educator for the past 27 years. Four of these years were spent as a secondary school administrator, whereas 18 of these years have been spent as the assistant superintendent in two different Ohio school districts. After graduating from Kent State University with a bachelor's degree in music education, his studies resulted in certificates to teach music, mathematics, and business in secondary schools. After receiving his Master of Arts degree in Music, he continued his studies in the doctoral program at Kent State's College of Education, where he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1988. For the past 12 years, Joseph has been the Assistant Superintendent of the Kent City School District in Kent, Ohio. In addition, Joseph is an adjunct professor of Educational Administration at Kent State. Joseph has coauthored numerous journal articles on educational administration. Along with coauthors Pat E. Crisci and Cynthia A. Miller, he has been published in several issues of the Government Union Review. In addition, he and Janice K. Hutchison have been published in the Ohio ASCD Journal. His written works and presentations focus on leadership and sharing decisions and power with educators to contribute to school transformation and reform. The Giancola family consists of Joseph and his wife, Helen, and their three children, Katie, Jerry, and Annie, whose leadership qualities continue to emerge in their high school and college careers.