(Originally posted on Habits of Reflective School Leadership.) By Dan Fowler As school leaders, we constantly find ourselves trying to work more efficiently by multi-tasking the many responsibilities that consume the time in our day. We conduct classroom walk-throughs, manage discipline, respond to email, police the lunchroom, and the list of “to dos” goes on. […]
The Principalship: What’s Most Important
(Originally posted on On Principal.) By John Falino I wrote a post over a year ago on the Principalship and the most important aspects of the position. As I move further along into my fourth year, the position continues to be multi-faceted, fast moving, and ever-changing. Simply put, no one day is ever the same. […]
Successful Leadership is Shared – Dan Fo
(Originally posted on Habits of Reflective School Leadership.) By Dan Fowler Over the past 2 weeks, our school leadership team has been fortunate enough to work alongside our teachers, both at the district level and school-based level, in developing their curriculum through the “Backward Design” process (A process created and perfected by Jay McTighe and the late Grant […]
Principals do Sleep Sometimes – Jessica
(Originally posted on Love the Learning.) By Jessica Hanson One of my awesome first grade teachers shared this with me and I couldn’t help but chuckle at the first grade humor within the story. But, after closely reading the story I thought, “Wow, this first grader may be on to something.” Principals can command kids. […]
Embrace a Mistake – Amy Heavin
(Originally posted on Leading Inspired.) We’ve all heard the quote by Vince Lombardi, “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” Every moment is a learning experience. Mistakes are no different. We all make mistakes. We are human – it is bound to happen. If we are not willing to […]
They Didn’t Teach Me That – Walter A. K
(Originally posted on Servant Principal.) By Walter A. Kozlowski I recently posted to Twitter that I was wondering whether Parking Lot Management should be a topic included in school administrator preparation programs. The comment seemed to resonate with a few people and it led me to thinking . . . what else do school administrators regularly […]
A Lead Learner Manifesto – Dr. Robert Di
(Originally posted on Principally Speaking.) By Dr. Robert Dillon As facilitators of learning, we are dedicated to providing our students with the learning experiences that they need. We recognize that the resources and materials available to students for learning are growing and expanding at ever increasing rates. This requires us to think different, act different, […]
What Are Your Leadership Rules? – David
(Originally posted at A Principal’s Life. ) A few weeks ago, I read a blog post about rules for leadership. It challenged me to think about the rules that are important to me as a school leader. What are the things that I believe in that guide my actions and decisions as a principal. I actually […]
The Envy of Every Nation – Dr. Eric D Kn
(Originally posted on Eknost’s Blog.) By Dr. Eric D. Knost In Education, Poverty Matters. It’s Not An Excuse, It’s a Necessary Conversation. 46 Million Americans live in poverty. Research has identified extraordinary disparities in the vocabulary and messages impoverished children are exposed to compared to their more affluent peers. The result? A large percentage of […]
Six Reasons to Make Walkthroughs a High ...
(Originally posted on Servant Principal.) By Walter A. Kozlowski Sign posted to my office door. An eighth-grade student sitting outside my office nodded toward chart on the wall and asked, “What’s that?” I explained to him that it is how we keep track of the classrooms we have visited. His response: “That’s cool.” For years, I was […]
Leadership at Its Most Powerful is by Ex...
(Originally posted at A Lighthouse.) By Dr. Daniel L. Frazier I once knew an executive who routinely displayed displeasure and sometimes contempt for his subordinates. Meanwhile he would preach to his team how they needed to improve staff morale. Unfortunately, the lieutenants emulated the leader. His team may have been told what to do, but […]
Guiding Principles of a Learning Communi...
(Originally posted on Inquiry to Results.) By Chris Hubbuch Effective leadership on any level requires reflection about core values. Through this process your principles are identified and tested. Actual core values consist of what you live out, as opposed to your idealized principles. The challenge for any leader is achieving consistency between expressed values and […]
The Challenge of Consensus – Michael Wir
(Originally posted on Our Work, Their Education.) By Michael Wirtz I find myself in a lot meetings, many of which I organize and lead. In the best moments, meetings are worth everyone’s time because they create the opportunity to test out the ideas of the group related to a worthy agenda issue, and they can […]
Why Do I Lead? – Matt Wachel
(Originally posted on PLC Ponderings.) By Matt Wachel When I found out that I was selected to be a part of the #SAVMP and learn with so many wonderfully talented and experienced educators, I was thrilled. I know I have a great deal to learn and share with others and am encouraged by the opportunity […]
Are You Rocking the Boat? – Joey Sagel
(Originally posted on Principal Joey.) By Joey Sagel What is a great educator? As a culture, we’ve bought into the notion (aided by just about any movie you can think of about a teacher) that being a great educator means rising above a corrupt and crumbling oppressive system and being a lone beacon of light […]