"I would recommend this book... It broaches important issues about religion, autonomy, and education in an accessible manner. It honors a deeply religious educational theorist who took his faith seriously in his theorizing and who did much good work on behalf of faithbased schools in the context of UK society."
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- Journal of Education and Christian Belief

"...a fascinating account, putting it into a sociological, historical and political context."

- Michael Bassey, Nottingham Trent University, UK, (retired) , British Educational Research Journal

“This is a short, highly readable book with a powerful and compelling message. The language is elegant and clear - the argument powerful and persuasive. A remarkable book – I encourage all involved in education to read it.”

"Mongon and Leadbeater use a broad and ambitious canvas for this thought provoking study of school leadership and innovation. Ranging across national and international research, they look at trends in school leadership through the prism of 'Public Value' or PV. They use the construct of PV and some associated methodologies to measure the progress of innovation in school leadership. They present a compelling argument that successful school leaders are reconciling a drive for better and better teaching and learning within schools, with a recognition of the importance and impact of a connection with the communities they draw from. The authors provide interesting case studies to argue that recognising and working with social context, including deprivation, does not equate to using it as an excuse for poor attainment. They present a moral imperative for innovation and equity, for the need to devise more engaging ways of learning for those from the most deprived backgrounds to close the attainment gap, but to do so while also engaging with the communities those children and their parents come from. The authors' assertion that 'the process of creating new combinations to meet new challenges lies at the heart of most innovation' is certainly borne out by this interesting and well written book. In an era of greater and greater autonomy for schools, and more diffuse accountability for their success, Mongon and Leadbeater set a challenge for school leaders and policy makers everywhere to marry their innovation to their communities."
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