Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn

Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn
Andy Curtis
(Leadership in Language Education Series)

Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: Lessons for Language Educators offers a bold and original exploration of leadership in language education - one that moves beyond abstract theory and managerial checklists. Based on extensive reviews of leadership research in healthcare, higher education, and the non-profit sector, the book distils decades of scholarship into clear, accessible insights that language educators can apply meaningfully to their own contexts. These literature-based perspectives are complemented by deeply personal narrative vignettes that bring leadership dilemmas, ethical tensions, and professional turning points vividly to life.

Written for language educators already in leadership roles (or likely to assume them), this book challenges readers to reflect on who they are as leaders, not just what they do. With clarity, candour, and a distinctive narrative voice, Andy Curtis invites readers to derive their own leadership lessons through reflection, dialogue, and critical engagement. The result is a book that is intellectually rigorous, emotionally resonant, and refreshingly human, designed to be read selectively, reflectively, and revisited over time.

About the author

Andy Curtis, PhD, is an international educator, researcher, and author with over 40 years of experience working in healthcare, higher education, and non-profit organisations across the UK, North America, Asia, and beyond. He has published widely on leadership, language education, and professional identity, and is known for bridging research with lived experience.

Target audience

This book is for language educators in leadership or management roles, as well as those preparing to take on such responsibilities. It will also be of interest to teacher educators, graduate students, and researchers in TESOL and applied linguistics.

Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview
Chapter 2. Research on the Relationships Between Leadership and Management
Chapter 3. Auto/Biographies and Auto/Ethnographies in Language Education
Chapter 4. Part 1. Fifty Years of Research on Leadership in Healthcare
Chapter 4. Part 2. Narrative Vignettes from My Years Working in Healthcare
Chapter 5. Part 1. Fifty Years of Research on Leadership in Higher Education
Chapter 5: Part 2. Narrative Vignettes from My Years Working in Higher Education
Chapter 6. Part 1. Fifty Years of Research on Leadership in Non-Profit and Not-for-Profit Organizations
Chapter 6. Part 2. Narrative Vignettes from My Years Working in NFPs
Chapter 7: Concluding Reflections

Key takeaways

A clear, research-informed understanding of leadership and management
Leadership lessons grounded in lived experience
Cross-sector perspectives uniquely applied to language education
A reflective, non-prescriptive approach to leadership development
Insights for current and aspiring leaders
An honest examination of power, identity, and responsibility
A modular structure for selective reading and reflection

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Publication details

Publication date: March, 2026
Series: Leadership in Language Education
ISBN (print):
ISBN (ebook):
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