Call for Chapters: Humanizing School Leadership Through Unconditional Positive Regard

Editors

Emily Mulvihill, Trident University International, United States

Call for Chapters

Proposals Submission Deadline: August 9, 2026
 Full Chapters Due: November 22, 2026
 Submission Date: November 22, 2026

Introduction

Schools today face unprecedented challenges related to educator burnout, student mental health, equity, belonging, staff retention, and school climate. As educational leaders seek sustainable approaches to supporting their communities, there is a growing need for leadership frameworks that prioritize both human dignity and organizational effectiveness. The Heart of Leadership: Humanizing Schools Through Unconditional Positive Regard introduces Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR) as a transformative leadership stance that centers dignity, trust, belonging, growth, and resilience. Drawing from educational leadership, trauma-informed practice, resilience research, organizational psychology, and equity-centered approaches, this volume explores how leaders can create school cultures where students, staff, and families feel valued, supported, and empowered to thrive. This edited volume seeks contributions from scholars, practitioners, district leaders, school administrators, teacher leaders, instructional coaches, counselors, and graduate researchers interested in advancing human-centered approaches to educational leadership.

Objective

Book Objectives The objectives of The Heart of Leadership: Humanizing Schools Through Unconditional Positive Regard are to: Define and advance Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR) as an emerging framework for educational leadership. Explore the theoretical foundations of human-centered leadership through perspectives from educational leadership, psychology, resilience research, trauma-informed practice, and equity-centered education. Examine how educational leaders can foster school cultures grounded in dignity, trust, belonging, compassion, and high expectations. Highlight practical strategies for applying UPR in leadership practices related to instruction, discipline, staff development, family engagement, and organizational improvement. Investigate the role of UPR in promoting educator well-being, reducing burnout, strengthening retention, and supporting professional growth. Demonstrate how human-centered leadership can contribute to equitable learning environments where all students, families, and staff members feel valued and supported. Share research, case studies, and practitioner experiences that illustrate the impact of relationship-centered leadership on school climate, resilience, and student success. Examine leadership approaches that balance accountability and performance expectations with empathy, compassion, and support. Identify tools, measures, and indicators that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of UPR-informed leadership practices. Inspire current and future educational leaders to adopt leadership approaches that humanize schools and promote thriving learning communities.

Target Audience

Target Audience The Heart of Leadership: Humanizing Schools Through Unconditional Positive Regard is intended for a broad audience of educational professionals, scholars, and leadership practitioners interested in creating more compassionate, equitable, and resilient learning communities. The primary audiences include: School principals, assistant principals, and aspiring administrators District leaders, superintendents, and central office personnel Teacher leaders, instructional coaches, and department chairs Educational leadership faculty and researchers Graduate students in educational leadership, administration, and policy programs School counselors, social workers, psychologists, and student support professionals Equity, diversity, and inclusion practitioners School climate and culture specialists Leadership development organizations and professional learning providers Teacher preparation and administrator preparation programs Educational consultants and organizational development specialists Policymakers and educational advocates interested in human-centered leadership approaches The volume is designed to serve both scholars and practitioners by providing a blend of theoretical perspectives, empirical research, practical applications, case studies, and leadership strategies that can be implemented across diverse educational settings, including public schools, charter schools, private schools, higher education institutions, and community-based educational organizations.

Recommended Topics

Authors are encouraged to submit proposals addressing topics including, but not limited to: • Understanding Unconditional Positive Regard in Educational Leadership • Theoretical Foundations of Human-Centered Leadership • Seeing Potential in Every Student • Supporting Teachers Through Challenge and Growth • Humanizing Discipline and Accountability • UPR and Trauma-Informed Leadership • Leading During Crisis and Chronic Adversity • Building Collective Resilience Through Relationships • Boundaries, Sustainability, and the Emotional Labor of Leadership • Equity, Belonging, and Human Dignity • UPR in Diverse Educational Contexts • School Climate and Psychological Safety • Family and Community Partnerships • Leadership Preparation and Professional Development • Measuring the Impact of Human-Centered Leadership • The Future of Human-Centered Educational Leadership

Submission Procedure

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before August 9, 2026, a chapter proposal of 1,000 to 2,000 words clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed chapter. Authors will be notified by August 23, 2026 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines.Full chapters of a minimum of 10,000 words (word count includes references and related readings) are expected to be submitted by November 22, 2026, and all interested authors must consult the guidelines for manuscript submissions at https://www.igi-global.com/publish/contributor-resources/before-you-write/ prior to submission. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-anonymized review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.

Note: There are no submission or acceptance fees for manuscripts submitted to this book publication, Humanizing School Leadership Through Unconditional Positive Regard. All manuscripts are accepted based on a double-anonymized peer review editorial process.

All proposals should be submitted through the eEditorial Discovery® online submission manager.

Publisher

This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global Scientific Publishing, an international academic publisher of the "Information Science Reference", "Medical Information Science Reference", "Business Science Reference", and "Engineering Science Reference" imprints. IGI Global Scientific Publishing specializes in publishing reference books, scholarly journals, and electronic databases featuring academic research on a variety of innovative topic areas including, but not limited to, education, social science, medicine and healthcare, business and management, information science and technology, engineering, public administration, library and information science, media and communication studies, and environmental science. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit https://www.igi-global.com. This publication is anticipated to be released in 2027.

Indexing Information for Prospective Authors

IGI Global Scientific Publishing meets the criteria for inclusion in major indexing services such as Scopus; however, it is important to note that all indexing decisions are made independently by these services. IGI Global Scientific Publishing books are selectively indexed by the indexing organization after publication. Indexing cannot be guaranteed for any book prior to publication, and the indexing organization has complete control over the final selection and timeline.

Important Dates

August 9, 2026: Proposal Submission Deadline
August 23, 2026: Notification of Acceptance
November 22, 2026: Full Chapter Submission
January 24, 2027: Review Results Returned
March 7, 2027: Final Acceptance Notification
March 21, 2027: Final Chapter Submission

Inquiries

Dr. Emily Mulvihill emily.mulvihill@gmail.com
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