John has authored and co-authored many books on leadership and crisis management.

Four books related to education, crises, and assessments leaning against each other, with titles about managing crises, educational coping strategies, educational challenges, and oppressive assessments.
Book titled 'Managing Yourself and Others During Crises' with a subtitle about leadership visions and approaches, featuring a compass with the word 'LEADERSHIP' around it.

Managing Yourself and Others During Crises: Key Leadership Visions, Approaches, and Dispositions to Survive and Thrive

Co- Author

This book is about managing yourself and others during crisis situations like the recent unprecedented global pandemic that promulgated chaos in the operations of most human societies and institutions including family structures, educational procedures and practices, work relationships and settings, religious observances, governmental functions, protocols, and processes. This book provides insights based on the knowledge and experiences of practicing leadership and policy experts about keeping organizations functioning, as best as possible, during crises situations.

Book titled 'Coping with Educational Crises: Approaches from School Leaders Who Did It', featuring a clock with its hands at 11:00 and a label 'Time for Action'.

Coping with Educational Crises: Approaches from School Leaders Who Did It

Co- Author

This book provides readers with perspectives and research-based strategies regarding the leadership approaches employed by school district administrators at all levels of organizational responsibility including superintendents of schools; assistant superintendents; program directors and coordinators; principals; assistant principals; and teacher leaders to confront unexpected major crises in school operations such as that created by the COVID-19 global pandemic. It also provides recommendations to current and future school leaders who may face similar crises during their careers. Additionally, the editors and contributing authors offer sage advice to educational policymakers, school administrators, parents, and community leaders to recognize the collateral opportunities associated with any crisis including reforms to the pre-crisis traditional educational system since some of its key foundations, procedures, and expectations may have been significantly changed forever.

Book cover titled "Dealing with the Urgent Educational Challenge" with a photo of children playing on a playground

Dealing with the Urgent Educational Challenge: Promoting Social-Emotional Well-Being among Teachers, Students, and Families

Co- Author

This book provides readers with key research-based and pragmatically tested approaches and processes to deal with the unprecedented mental health issues prevalent in today’s schools, families, and communities. Practicing educators and researchers representing various backgrounds, leadership roles, and learning contexts provide insights about appropriate and effective personal, professional, and organizational programs, projects, and activities that may be implemented to address the social-emotional learning needs of people within school communities.

The book titled "Confronting Oppressive Assessments" edited by Walter S. Polka and John E. McKenna, features a cover illustration of children on a toy train with boxes labeled "Common Core", depicting a critique of education standards.

Confronting Oppressive Assessments

Co- Author

This book is about doing what’s right for public education in the United States in this age of intensive curriculum convergence, planned instructional standardization, and oppressive accountability procedures. The book includes key references that elucidate the need to seriously re-think the directions and strategies of contemporary schooling in order to maintain enlightened creative instruction based on exciting student-centered curriculum experiences and professional educational judgments.