Robert Ricken, EdD, served as Principal and Superintendent in the Mineola School District for twenty-two years and was interim Superintendent in the following districts: North Bellmore, Elmont, Bellmore, Smithtown Central School District and the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District. He has also been an interim Assistant Superintendent and Superintendent in the Half Hollow Hills Central School District. Presently, he teaches Educational Administration at Long Island University, C. W. Post. Dr. Ricken has served as the Long Island Coordinator for the Anti-Defamation League's A World of Difference Institute and conducted anti-bias workshops in over 100 school districts. In addition, he has been the Chairman of the Board of the Nassau Citizens Budget Committee, Board Officer of School Business Partnerships of Long Island, Vice-President of the Nassau County Superintendents Association and President of Phi Delta Kappa, C. W .Post Chapter. Additionally, he served as an Impartial Hearing Officer and a member of the American Arbitration Association. In this capacity, he has conducted 3020A, Section 75, and special education hearings. Robert Ricken is the author of: Love Me When I'm Most Unlovable, published by the NASSP Book Two - The Kids' View, NASSP The RA Guide to Nassau County Schools, Carlton Press, 1995 The Middle Level Calendar: A Handbook for Practitioners, NASSP, 1996 The High School Principal's Calendar - A Month-By-Month Planner for the School Year, Corwin Press, 2000 The Elementary School Principal's Calendar – A Month-By-Month Planner for the School Year, Corwin Press, 2001 Other articles have been published in the New York Times, Newsday, Sports Illustrated, The Harvard Review, Harper's Weekly and Single Parent Magazine. He is a frequent contributor to many educational journals, and has written a column on education for a local newspaper, Economic Times of Long Island. Dr. Ricken has presented many workshops, and has recently been the keynote speaker for the NASSP in New Orleans, the National Association of Middle Schools in West Virginia, Baltimore, Denver, Washington D.C. and Atlanta. He has also spoken at the National School Boards Association in San Francisco and Rochester, as well as for Phi Delta Kappa at Hofstra, C. W. Post, and Molloy College. Awards include the Administrator of the Year by Phi Delta Kappa of Hofstra University, Administrator of the Year by Nassau-Suffolk Educator's Association, and recognition for his work in labor relations by the New York Council of Administrators and Supervisors. The National Public Relations Association honored him for his exemplary public relations practices. In 1992, he received the Outstanding Service Support Award from the Girl Scouts of Nassau County. In 1994, he was the recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Recognition Award by Nassau County. In 2000, the New York State Middle School Association awarded him the Ross M. Burkhardt Award for his outstanding contribution to middle level education.
This book will be a valuable tool for all middle school leaders, be they new to the position or seasoned veterans. The authors call for a more comprehensive definition of leadership at the middle school level, because headteachers at the middle level, perhaps more so than at any other level, must develop a staff that believes it can contribute to every aspect of the school's programme and tone. Developing the qualities and using the organizational tools presented in this book will help middle school headteachers truly become leaders of leaders. The purpose of this book is to stimulate the reader's thinking and planning expertise. The authors describe practices that have worked in their schools, but are well aware that not all practices will be equally effective, or even applicable, in all schools. Hence the authors invite reader modification of any and all ideas contained herein.
