The Leadership Passcode: Unlock the Heart of School Leadership

An insightful and refreshing focus on the human side of successful leadership from the perspective of an experienced and widely respected educator.

Ever wonder why some school leaders have successful tenures while others struggle to stay afloat? One significant reason for this success is the ability to focus on the human side of leadership. The Leadership Passcode: Unlock the Heart of School Leadership provides an insightful and refreshing perspective on school leadership — both the science and the craft. Based on the author's 40+ year career as a widely respected educator, and her background as a "third culture kid," her professional narrative guides current and aspiring leaders on a fascinating journey towards developing a deeper understanding of what better school leadership can look like.

The Leadership Passcode offers the reader a wide range of opportunities to reflect on and improve decision-making and action, citing everything from well-researched scholarship, the wisdom of John Dewey, and the essential lessons offered by the adorable pig in the movie "Babe." The author shares numerous anecdotes from her career — both humorous and thought provoking — that illustrate the importance of reflection, relationships, and rituals in a leadership role. The reader will find this clear-eyed approach revitalizing in an era when school leadership is such a challenging issue.

This work is an amazing guide on leadership by one of the most talented, intelligent, and courageous educational leaders I’ve ever known. Yvonne Caamal Canul’s vast experience and student focus shines through in every chapter. Yvonne’s reflections are especially powerful. What a wonderful book for both aspiring and practicing educational leaders. —Mike Flanagan, Michigan’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2005-2015

I just want to congratulate my good friend Yvonne. Thank you for making the Lansing School District better. You made sure the kids were getting an excellent education. But, what I really love about you is the fact that you called me up and said, ‘Earvin, I need you to be involved in the Lansing Promise and let’s send a lot of kids to college.’ We have accomplished that and now those kids can get a quality education in college and then go on and have a great career and a great life. That’s all because of you. God Bless you. Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Graduate Lansing Everett High School, World Famous Athlete, Philanthropist, and Entrepreneur, President and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises

It is easy to forget that public education is just that: a big public business that must find common ground among diverse stakeholders to deliver successfully a public good. Yvonne’s 3R’s framework will guide leaders — established and emerging — in their efforts to give children and youth (aka our nation’s seed corn!) a quality education in a time fraught with issues dividing our states and our communities: an ever-worsening pandemic, a declining economy, changing demographics, and challenges testing our democracy. —Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Hale, Former President of the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL), Washington, DC

It has been said that 'wisdom' is the byproduct of knowledge and experience. Caamal Canul provides early career education leaders with clear-eyed wisdom about meeting the challenges of leading schools in these unprecedented times. Drawn from her 45 years of cross-cultural education leadership, she has designed chapters that contain questions that prompt reflection about the values, beliefs, and practices that influence effective leader behaviors. —Robert J. Monson, Ph.D., Teachers College, Columbia University

Yvonne Caamal Canul (née Goudreault) has been an educator for over 45 years, serving in a wide variety of positions. Now retired from being an urban superintendent in Michigan, Yvonne is well known for spearheading numerous innovations, among them a classroom observation protocol named iCollaborate, a career and college pipeline known as the Pathway Promise, and the Flex Academy, a high school alternative learning schedule. Beyond her professional dedication, Yvonne has been recognized for her leadership. In 1982, Yvonne received the Irma Ramos Bilingual Educator of the Year awarded by the Michigan Education Association. In 1995, she was selected for the Milken National Educator Award. In 2006 the Michigan Education Association honored her with the David P. McMahon Civil Rights Award. In 2015, she was named Michigan's Superintendent of the Year, and in 2017 Yvonne was chosen to receive the National Women in School Leadership award from the American Association of School Administrators and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, the Lansing Regional Sister Cities Commission honored her with the Global Impact Award for her Educational Leadership, Vision, and Pathways to Promise. Her degrees are from Michigan State University and Olivet College, which granted her an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters. Yvonne was raised in Brazil, México, and Chile, has traveled throughout the world, is fluent in Spanish, and is married to Victor Caamal Canul. Currently, Yvonne leads Caamal Canul Consulting, LLC and provides leadership and cultural competency training and coaching.