For years, National Principals Month has been dedicated to celebrating our principals who tirelessly devote themselves to their educational communities every day. This year, in light of the growing shortage of principals across the country, we’re going a step further—we’re aiming to make a real difference by fighting for and with principals. They need continued support from the communities they serve. (more…)
School of Thought Blog
Get Involved During National Principals Month!
Hands-On Leadership Development at the Arizona State Summit
State Summits offer National Honor Society (NHS) and National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) members hands-on experiential leadership development. They are designed to unlock the potential of participating students by providing a shared space to learn, grow, and explore ideas together. We asked students to provide their own report of the Arizona State Summit, which took place on September 12, 2019. This is the first in a series of three firsthand blog post accounts. (more…)
Making Student Connections: Will You Check on Me?
When a former colleague of mine, Joe Turner, was named teacher of the year, a reporter asked him for his advice to new teachers. He responded, “Teach every child like you’re their lifeline—like you’re their last chance to succeed.” (more…)
The Principal’s Greatest Asset: Public Trust
Good news, principals. It might not always feel like it, but you actually enjoy quite a bit of trust from the American public. A recent report from the Pew Research Center, in fact, identified principals as the most trusted leaders in our country’s most prominent institutions—more than elected officials, religious leaders, military leaders, tech leaders, journalists, and police. (more…)
Student Discipline: It Takes More Than a Consequence
I vividly remember my middle level principal and the fear that hit my gut every time he would look at me or even walk by. He was six and a half feet tall, weighed close to 400 pounds, and his last name was Kevorkian. Who wouldn’t be afraid of that principal, especially if he never smiled and looked like he could be in the WWF as Andre the Giant’s tag-team partner? (more…)
Making Difficult Decisions In Students’ Best Interest
Like my colleagues across the globe, my daily battle revolves around how to make decisions through the lens of what is in the best interests of my students. This seems particularly trying in my current nontraditional school situation that is focused on dropout prevention, content mastery, and personalized learning—all still within the confines and with remnants of our traditional mindset. I often feel my opinion on what is in the “best interests” for our students can change several times within the same day. (more…)
How My Cellphone Reduces Stress
Has this happened to you? It’s Friday afternoon and, remarkably, the day has been unusually quiet. There are no extracurricular activities to support that afternoon or evening, and you can leave school by 4:00 p.m. guilt-free. Shortly after getting home, it happens—your phone chimes and an email comes through, which you casually look at and notice is from a parent. Do you read it right away? Do you wait until Sunday night? Monday morning? (more…)
Advocate for Principals This October
School leaders across the nation work tirelessly day in and day out to ensure the success and well-being of each student and adult in their learning communities. The entire month of October—designated each year as National Principals Month—is designed to honor them for all they do. (more…)
How We Can Make School Special
Last Halloween, I took my 8-year-old daughter, Juliet, to a Brooklyn Nets game. She had just started playing basketball and was so excited to go to her first professional game that she gave up trick-or-treating to do it. That’s dedication! (more…)
Teacher Evaluation to Create a Culture of Learning
The teacher evaluation process has been at the forefront of many policy conversations over the past decade, and the underlying assumption resonates just as much today as it did ten years ago: the quality of the classroom teacher is the most important school-level factor that impacts student achievement. As school leaders, we must bring this assumption to life by creating a culture of teacher learning in our schools. Below are two important ways school leaders can help the teacher evaluation process become a robust and meaningful conversation that promotes professional growth and continuous improvement of professional practices. (more…)
Shape the Future for Your Students and School. Start Here.
Did you know that data from the census provide the basis for distributing more than $675 billion in federal funds annually, including funds for education programs such as Title I, special education, teacher training, technology, school lunch assistance, and after-school programs? (more…)
Pipelines to Stem Principal Turnover
While much attention has been paid to teacher turnover over the past few decades, the amount of principals leaving their schools—or the profession altogether—is equally staggering. (more…)
Better Together: The Power of the Professional Learning Network
One of the biggest shifts I struggled with when transitioning from the classroom to the principalship was moving from the support of a team of teachers to the solitude of a building leader. As leaders, we are entrusted to so much confidential, stressful, and often heart-wrenching information. In my early years in the principal position, I struggled to process it all mentally and emotionally. I hit a wall in the summer of 2014, and I considered leaving the profession. The punitive shift that education had taken, coupled with the loneliness of leadership, had me in a very bad place. Luckily, a co-worker and good friend of mine convinced me to go to a summer leadership conference, and it was just what I needed. (more…)
Managing the Chilling Effect of the New Trump Immigration Rule
“Back to school” means renewal season for free and reduced-price meals (FARMs) and other federal services to assist kids and their families in need. (more…)
5 Ways to Jump-Start A New Year
A new year is a time of reflection, goal setting, and new habits and practices. As the new school year begins to take shape, it’s time to get re-energized. Maybe you’re a new school leader who is looking for ideas to start the year off right, or perhaps you are a seasoned administrator who wants to keep the fire alive. Here are five leadership ideas to jump-start your year and lead to your best one yet. (more…)
Supporting Staff is Built With Intention
I recently read a tweet by Dr. Bryan Pearlman detailing eight bad leadership traits. The accompanying graphic spoke to poor communicators and leaders who lack integrity, trust, and other important traits. But what tugged at me the most was the idea that poor leaders were “unsupportive.” How could any leader be unsupportive of their staff or their students? (more…)
Building CultureCollaborative LeadershipCommunicationGlobal-mindednessHuman Capital ManagementLeading LearningRelationships
Encouraging Student Involvement in Activities
Growing up, I didn’t have a role model to guide me in identifying what it was to excel as a student until I was involved in after-school activities and had a coach lead me on the path to grow—both academically and personally. My coach guided me, cared, and held me accountable. He showed me that through hard work, I could achieve my goals. My involvement in activities was a springboard to believing in myself and my abilities. In the end, it helped me earn a scholarship that provided me with an opportunity to further my education and become a mentor for others. (more…)
‘Kaliopeku’: Cultural Project-Based Learning
Engaging students and making learning relevant is an issue all educators reflect upon. As one of the higher performing high schools in Hawaii, we could have easily rested on our laurels. Over the last five years, the Roosevelt Rough Riders have consistently ranked in the top five public high schools in Hawaii for reading and math achievement scores. This ranking could suggest that all of our students were performing well academically. (more…)
Students Live on Instagram—Shouldn’t You?
I love using social media to tell the story of our school. I am passionate about how we employ social media to not just tell our story, but to engage our students, staff, and families. Instagram, in particular, has definitely helped us to not only promote the amazing things that are happening in our school, but also to connect to our students in ways we had not imagined. (more…)
12 Ways School Leaders Can Support Immigrant Families
As a new school year begins, it’s a great time to think about how you as a school leader can support your immigrant students and families. This topic is especially urgent given the recent immigration raids in Mississippi (which occurred on the first day of school) and violent attacks on Latino members of the community in El Paso, TX. (more…)