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Political and social expectations of schools and their leaders are very high. The ideal school leader is often portrayed heroically, as someone who is able to drive forward an agenda of change and improvement whatever the challenges. Yet the experience of school leadership is more complex. School leaders find a gap between their aspirations and the tensions of the job, leading to high levels of personal and professional stress. These tensions arise between individuals and groups within plural school communities whilst the competing priorities set for the education system by its political masters are exacerbated by the competing values and interests found in our complex societies. In schools, this gives rise to specific and unavoidable dilemmas which affect individuals deeply, dilemmas which can occur on a daily basis. Daniel Murphy uses this concept of 'dilemmas' to rebalance our understanding of the work of school leaders. This analysis offers helpful support to school leaders facing difficult decisions and insight for those on leadership training programmes into the experience, as well as the aspiration, of leadership.It provides a frame for 'dealing with dilemmas', drawing on experience of school leadership, the psychology of learning and the perspectives of the politics and the ethics of schooling. The book concludes with some important insights into what the dilemmas tell us about the character of all public service in complex plural democracies. "Dealing with Dilemmas" will be of considerable use to school leaders and those training for leadership roles in schools and education administration. Research reveals that these dilemmas are experienced by school leaders across the globe.