Principals and assistant principals experience many different pulls on their position as leaders in their building. We wear different hats as leaders. The principal is the managerial leader who ensures that the building operates as efficiently as possible; the instructional leader who evaluates and coaches staff to improve student achievement; the motivational leader who maintains and improves the culture and climate of the building, both with staff and with students; the political capital leader who is the face of the school, even at its highest and lowest times; and the ethical leader who balances their personal life with the multifaceted demands of the principalship. (more…)
School of Thought Blog
Taking Time for Self-Care
A Fish Out of Water, Just Learning How to Breathe Again
Does anyone else feel like a fish out of water right now, just trying to learn how to breathe again? I have felt this way for the last two weeks. As a high school principal for nearly 15 years, I thought at this point in my career I had seen it all, but then COVID-19 introduced me to the terms “social distancing” and “remote learning.” Almost overnight, what I knew about being an effective school leader changed drastically, as I am sure it has for you. We all have been thrust “out of our pond” and into a world of uncertainty, but one in which our schools need our courage, creativity, and leadership more than ever before. We have to find a way to learn how to breathe again. (more…)
Building CultureCommunicationLeading LearningOtherStrategic ManagementTechnology & E-learningWellness
Planning the Way Forward: Focus on Students and Staff
COVID-19 has thrown many schools and educational leaders for a loop. One thing that has become apparent in school districts around the country is the importance of sound and thoughtful leaders, who have surrounded themselves with great people. I know at Mason City Schools, led by Superintendent Jonathan Cooper and our district executive team, we have recently seen this come to life. (more…)
The School Leader as Connector in Chief During #COVID19
Never in a million years did I think I would be writing a blog post on how school and district leaders are supporting stakeholder efforts while locked down in their homes due to a worldwide pandemic. But here we are, looking COVID-19 square in the face as it impacts our students, staff, and parents in ways once thought unimaginable. These are challenging times. And yet, challenging times present opportunities for school and district leaders to lead in unconventional ways—such as from a dining room table or living room couch. (more…)
NASSP Plays Pivotal Role in First Steps to Secure COVID-19 Response Funding for Schools
As schools across the country are forced to prolong closures due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), educators and districts need resources as they continue to find ways to serve their students. Fortunately, schools should soon see some additional federal dollars to help them navigate these uncharted waters. Congress recently introduced a third COVID-19 supplemental package, S. 3548, the CARES Act. This bill is a $2 trillion relief bill that will provide funds for a variety of different areas to aid businesses, organizations, education institutions, and individuals as they all respond to the current upheaval caused by COVID-19. (more…)
A Principal’s COVID-19 Diary: Perspective
Because I’m moderately overwhelmed by the admirable level of virtue that I see on social media amongst, well, everybody, especially educators, I’m hard-pressed to find something original I can contribute during this crisis. But I’m reminded of what my mentor told me: “When it comes to leadership, the best thing you have to offer is your authentic voice—your stories.” (more…)
My Letter to Families: ‘We Will Get Through This’
Leaving school last Friday, I’m not sure that any of us knew what to expect. I know as I leave tonight, for the last time for a while, I’m feeling similar emotions. Tuesday was our last day with kids, Wednesday with staff. Our building will be shut down beginning this Friday afternoon. It’s surreal. (more…)
How Twitter Can Serve as a COVID-19 School Resource
With the “new normal” that we are all facing and trying to navigate during the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantines, communicating with our school community has a sense of urgency about it unlike anything we’ve ever faced. We’re all looking for ways to connect. I’m often asked, “Should we use Twitter, email, Instagram, or Facebook?” And I just say, “Yes.” (more…)
Passion and the Principalship
Leadership in the K–12 educational setting is challenging. Everyone looks for the one magic formula to address various grade levels, communities in a district with different needs, best instructional practices, behavior, supervision, managerial duties, governmental statutes, central office responsibilities, and myriad other challenges. And every leader in a school setting is different. Years of experience, education level, teaching background, and personal history all have an impact on an individual principal’s perspective. (more…)
The Power of Walk-Through Observations
Think back to when you were a classroom teacher. Imagine your principal walking into your classroom to conduct a walk-through observation. Does a wave of anxiety wash over you? Do you dread the fact that they are sitting in your classroom? Do you wonder, but never learn, what they are thinking when it comes to your classroom instruction because you simply never receive any feedback? Unfortunately, many teachers harbor these feelings about walk-through observations, but it doesn’t have to be this way! (more…)
NASSP Highlights the Impact of U.S. Census in Free Virtual Event
Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau seeks to record the population throughout the country. On March 5, NASSP invited Jocelyn Bissonette, director of the Funders Census Initiative at the Funders Committee for Civic Participation; and Trevor Greene, superintendent at Yakima Public Schools, to share insights during a virtual event about the significance of this data—and why it matters for school leaders. (more…)
Experiencing the Loss of a Student or Teacher: Responding to Crisis
Over the past seven years, Beachwood High School in Beachwood, OH, has been severely impacted by the untimely deaths of eight individuals—seven students and one teacher. In all seven cases in which a student was lost, mental health played a significant role. (more…)
Creating Career Pathways With the Academy Model
When I became the principal of West Craven High School, a rural school in North Carolina, I realized that only 30 percent of my students attended college after graduation. As a principal, I’m concerned with every student’s success after graduation, and an uncertain future for 70 percent of them concerned me and my staff. As a result, we made the career and college promise a reality. (more…)
Building CultureCurriculum, Instruction, & AssessmentsGlobal-mindednessInnovationLeading LearningResults-Orientation
The Zero-Waste Revolution in Schools
Hawaiʻi is an isolated island chain in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that is desperately short of landfill space and good soil. Located on the windward side of Oahu in beautiful Kailua, Kaʻōhao School has embraced a growing worldwide environmental movement that embraces a philosophy encouraging the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused. (more…)
Finalists Announced: 2020 Assistant Principal of the Year
The NASSP National Assistant Principal of the Year (APOY) program annually recognizes outstanding middle level and high school assistant principals from across the country who provide high-quality learning opportunities for their students. They have been acknowledged by their peers for exemplary contributions to the profession. Each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity, and the U.S. Department of State Office of Overseas Schools select one assistant principal to represent them, and from these, three finalists are chosen. (more…)
How We Became Believers: What We Learned Implementing an SEL Program
We knew we were looking for something to help our students transition to high school successfully, but what we didn’t know was that we were looking for social-emotional learning (SEL). (more…)
Maximizing Space and Talent in Your School
I think one of the best parts of being a principal is when a fleeting comment becomes an idea, an idea becomes a conversation, and that idea then becomes an integral part of your school’s DNA. These ideas and conversations might answer the question, “How do we make this better?” or, “What’s the next big thing?”For us, the next big thing involved taking advantage of our space through partnerships that expand learning opportunities for students in our school and others in the district. (more…)
Principal Recovery Network Briefs Congress on Capitol Hill
Last week, the NASSP Principal Recovery Network (PRN) hosted their first-ever public event, speaking directly to members of Congress and their staffs at a briefing event on Capitol Hill. School leaders shared emotional stories about the tragic shootings that unfolded in their buildings. They inspired attendees as they described the heroism displayed by students, educators, and first responders on the day of the incident, as well as the resilience of their communities in the weeks, months, and years that followed. (more…)
Variability and Vulnerability: Leading the Way for All
I am an unabashed super nerd. While most administrators I know roll their eyes and let out a heavy sigh at the mere mention of administrator meetings or mandated conferences, I actually get excited. I enjoy learning so much that I typically find a pearl of knowledge from the most mundane training. (more…)
Taking Time for You
Wellness (noun): The state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal.
In a field of serving others, how often do we take time to take care of ourselves? Not just a spa trip, random yoga class, or a nice meal out with a friend, but intentional, continual self-wellness? (more…)