First published in 1971 and now the best known book in the field, A Redefinition continues to be the leading text for combining an in-depth view of theory and research for supervision with practical applications. The Seventh Edition continues a thirty-year tradition of breaking new ground by continuously redefining the field of supervision in response to changing school contexts, policies, and realities. The practical applications are supported by a conception of supervision as moral agency. The book continues to promote a new vision, or redefinition, of supervision from that of a top-down activity performed by higher-ups in the school hierarchy, to one in which supervision is a shared activity involving all stake-holders in the school including teachers, administrators, and parents. The book sees schools as communities rather than organizations, and emphasizes the student-teacher relationship rather than bureaucratic functions.
Overall, I thought this was a good book for supervision. It was mostly easy to read and the chapters weren't terribly long. Some of the questions after each chapter were great and thought-provoking; others made me feel like it was stretching. "Ask a few teachers you're comfortable with about evaluation..." These are not conversations I am comfortable talking with my colleagues about.
There were also times when the authors just threw in a bunch of jargon that made my head spin. Those were the times I thought and now it's time to stop, I don't care if I'm mid-chapter. Most of it was an easy read, so I don't understand why an entire paragraph would have SAT and LSAT words to describe "you want the students to learn from their past." If they said it once, they can say it again.
I'm glad my professor provided additional materials and required more applicable assignments, but this is a good source to have.
Considering I had to read this book for a class, it wasn't bad. It did a good job explaining the information provided with examples and case studies. My biggest issue was how expensive it was! Yikes!