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This is one of my favorite TED Talks. It's from the principal perspective, and how loving the kids through it is the most important thing.

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Linda Cliatt-Wayman: How to fix a broken school? Lead fearlessly, love hard

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On Linda Cliatt-Wayman's first day as principal at a failing high school in North Philadelphia, she was determined to lay down the law. But she soon realized the job was more complex than she thought. With palpable passion, she shares the three principles that helped her turn around three schools labeled "low-performing and persistently dangerous."

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Top 10 List for Successful Communication as a Principal

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Top 10 List for Successful Communication as a Principal

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An article about school change, and having to deal with discomfort to get to the improvements.

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It is an accepted principle of organizational change: Change is hard. We are told that the process of change includes stages of recognition, denial, grief, and eventual progress, much like the steps we undergo to overcome loss or addiction. I disagree. One of the central findings of my work with well over 100 schools in the last several years is that, relative to the really hard obstacles and events in life that we all face, changing most school organizations is not hard -- it is uncomfortable. There is a big difference.

School communities need to build both a comfort and capacity for change, and a large part of this process is to become increasingly comfortable with discomfort. Here are three key ways that school stakeholders can begin to significantly -- perhaps even radically -- become more comfortable with the discomfort of change.

Busting Silos

Traditional schools operate in four types of silo:

Physical: classrooms, offices, wings, and campuses

Disciplinary: grade level, subject, department

Operational or titular: teacher, staff, administrator, support staff, parent, student, district officer

Mindset: the rigidity that comes with having done the same thing for many years, often very successfully

Connectivity, the antithesis of silos, is the greatest key to innovation and creativity, which are key drivers of change.

Discuss and redefine the term "collegial."

Teacher professional growth plans can be public and celebrated. We should look forward to, not fear, frequent visitors in our classrooms for feedback on our own goals. I have visited schools where, rather than fearing classroom observations, teachers are upset when colleagues don't visit and provide feedback daily or weekly.

Expect frequent collaboration across traditional silo boundaries.

Create time and processes that allow for networks to flourish in ways that breach traditional boundaries of schools, regions, and countries. Schools are starting to realize that subject-based departments and strict age-based grade levels often misalign with 21st-century learning goals.

Publicly support and encourage developing professional learning networks.

A wide range of PLNs will lead to imagining new pilot programs or teaching strategies. Thousands of educators, for example, filter and share resources during weekly common-interest Twitter chats.

Offer more interdisciplinary and non-disciplinary courses.

My crowd-sourced collection of "what if" queries from 2,000 stakeholders indicates that many educators' highest priority is to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration.

Taking Risks

In most schools, for everyone from students to trustees, there has always been a vastly greater downside than upside to taking a risk. While we ask our students to take risks in their academic work, the adults in the system stay frozen into comfort zones, only infrequently changing pedagogy, materials, curriculum, or goals. Yet it is impossible to change an organization without taking some risks. We have to engage in a much broader conversation about what risk entails at a school, and how to embed appropriate risk taking, across all stakeholder groups, as an essential expectation of our jobs:

Model risk taking and learning from failure.

Our students look to their teachers as role models, teachers look to site leaders, and so on up the line. Titular leaders must model risk taking in their own growth-focused practices.

Expect the community to take risks that promote innovation.

At schools that are both serious and intentional about innovative change, the mindset that "what I do next year is probably going to be different than what I did this year" becomes a part of the educators' job description.

Develop an all-school "risk profile."

This profile outlines what risks are acceptable and desirable. A "risk portfolio" consists of pilots that span a range on the risk-reward matrix. Schools generally find that they can tolerate higher risk levels than they thought (in terms of a changing pedagogy or program) when stakeholders are part of designing and testing new ideas.

Shifting Resources

All organizations consume resources in order to produce something. Schools use a limited range of resources (time, space, people, money, and knowledge) to produce students, who are (hopefully) well prepared to successfully find opportunities and overcome the challenges they will encounter in life after school. The outdated model of "school" allocates these resources within a quantum packet into which we try to place each student. If we want to disrupt the assembly-line model of learning, we can't do what we have always done and hope for a different outcome -- that is Einstein's definition of insanity. Shifting resources in a school isn't hard, but it often involves uncomfortable choices.

Create a matrix of your school's learning goals and basic resources.

Whatever these key goals are, they'll require some combination of time, space, people, and money. Fill in the matrix to see how those resources align in direct support of your highest learning goals -- and where they do not. Shifting resources to align with our highest learning goals may require uncomfortable but essential choices.

Design daily schedules that have fewer time boundaries.

This always leads to more opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration among teachers and students. Almost all schools cite time as their most precious resource and the most uncomfortable to redistribute. Schools like Design 39 Campus have as few as three periods during the day, allowing essential questions and broad, interest-based themes to guide curricula.

None of these strategies are new. In education, we freely share and steal from each other. Also, almost all individuals and organizations overestimate the discomfort of change when it is ahead of us. Other schools have already invented these best practices and successfully came through with fewer traumas than they feared. After we tackle our comfort zone and conquer the fears of change, we find that the next time and the next are easier. It is through doing that we build this comfort and capacity for change -- just like we tell our students!

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The Key to School Change: Getting Comfortable With Discomfort

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It is an accepted principle of organizational change: Change is hard. We are told that the process of change includes stages of recognition, denial, grief, and eventual progress, much like the steps we undergo to overcome loss or addiction. I disagree.

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An article written about how today's principal needs to be more present in classrooms, and how that changes the teacher's level of success.

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Voices from the Field: The Principal's Presence and Supervision to Improve Teaching - SEDL Letter, Leadership for Learning, Volume XVII, Number 2

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SEDL merged with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) on January 1, 2015. This archived website contains the work of SEDL legacy projects and rich resources from the past 50 years.

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An article written by a retired principal about the constant decisions being made on campus, and how ethics play a part.

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An article about the new principal/teacher evaluation systems, and how that is changing the expectations of Principals.

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How High-Achieving Districts Are Recalibrating School Leadership

Posted on

See the case studies:
Endnotes and citations are available in the PDF and Scribd versions.

See also: Professional Support for Principals Is Essential for Strong Teacher-Evaluation Systems by Jenny DeMonte and Kaitlin Pennington

The principal has historically been portrayed in television and film as decidedly unheroic. From the hated Mr. Woodman on the 1970s television sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter" to the mean-spirited and incompetent Ed Rooney in the film "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," the principal has been cast as inept at best and villainous at worst. While the creators of such characters certainly relied heavily upon comedic license in crafting such caricatures, there was nonetheless a kernel of truth in the stereotype upon which these depictions were based. In the public mind, principals were often thought of as mere school-building managers, individuals who were more interested in wielding power and enforcing compliance than in the loftier concerns of teaching and learning.

Today, however, those stale notions could not be further from the truth. The job of a modern-day principal has transformed into something that would be almost unrecognizable to the principals of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The concept of the principal as a building manager has given way to a model where the principal is an aspirational leader, a team builder, a coach, and an agent of visionary change.

New teacher- and principal-appraisal systems are contributing to the principal's changing landscape. These changes have rightly put student performance at the forefront, and principals are being asked to develop new competencies largely centered around data, curriculum, pedagogy, and human capital development in order to meet the new expectations. But make no mistake, the increasing emphasis on instructional leadership does not mean that the more traditional managerial concerns of school administration have disappeared. Indeed, principals are still expected to be effective building managers, disciplinarians, and public relations experts.

These changing expectations, coupled with insufficient training and support, have led many principals to the conclusion that the job is no longer sustainable. Attrition due to resignations and early retirements, along with a shortage of qualified candidates for open principal positions, is leading toward a crisis of leadership in American education. Principals do not feel sufficiently prepared by their preservice training to successfully meet the demands of school leadership. Furthermore, once on the job, they do not feel adequately supported in their roles by their school districts, as districts' expectations of principals have traditionally been limited to simply being compliant, enforcing compliance from others, and managing conflict. In a 2011 survey of American educators, almost 70 percent of principals reported that their job responsibilities are much different than they were just five years before, and 75 percent of those reported that their jobs are too complex and have led to higher levels of stress and less job satisfaction.

As new principal recruits assume positions of leadership, the difficulty of the job has often proved overwhelming. A 2012 study of first-year principals by New Leaders, a national nonprofit that develops school leaders, found that 20 percent of newly minted principals left their positions within two years. Principals placed at the lowest-performing schools were most likely to leave. Moreover, schools that lost principals were more likely to perform poorly the subsequent year. These findings indicate that a lack of continuity in leadership bodes poorly for schools and underscore the importance of districts having well-designed plans for recruitment, training, and ongoing support of their principals.

This report examines the changing landscape of school leadership, most notably as a result of increased expectations around instructional improvement and teacher development. Although teacher evaluation reform is not its primary focus, the report discusses the components of certain appraisal systems and the demands they place on school leaders in terms of expertise and time-demands that have prompted some school districts to consider more proactive ways to support principals and successful implementation of teacher evaluation reform at the building level.

Throughout the report, a series of case studies are referenced to shine a light on innovative ways in which districts are training and supporting school leaders so that they are able to meet the ever-increasing demands placed upon them, such as a strategic focus on coaching and instructional feedback, customized professional development, streamlining of the principal's job duties, and partnerships with universities and nonprofits to train the next generation of principals.

Furthermore, the case studies-which look at Gwinnett County Public Schools in Gwinnett County, Georgia; Denver Public Schools in Denver, Colorado; District of Columbia Public Schools in Washington, D.C.; Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in Charlotte, North Carolina; Uplift Education in Dallas, Texas; and Northeast Leadership Academy at North Carolina State University-were also used to inform the following eight principal professional-development recommendations for districts:

1. Redesign school organizational charts and job descriptions.

2. Develop instructional-leadership capacity around the principal.

3. Focus principal training on coaching teachers.

4. Build the capacity of central-office administrators to support principals.

5. Provide regular opportunities for principals to gather around self-selected problems of practice.

6. Develop partnerships with universities and nonprofits to recruit and train future principals.

7. Develop and train principals on district-wide teaching and leadership frameworks.

8. Provide technological supports that allow administrators to record and share instructional data.

Lee Alvoid is a clinical associate professor and chair of the Department of Education Policy and Leadership at the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Watt Lesley Black Jr. is a clinical associate professor of education policy and leadership at the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development.
Overhauling teacher evaluation substantially affects the job of the principal. Our initial findings indicate that the new models of teacher evaluation will not only dramatically change the amount of time principals spend observing and conferencing with teachers but will also alter the nature of their interactions with teachers. Principals must be able to manage the new demands; training in time-management strategies and structures that encourage strategic prioritization and delegation of administrative tasks will be of the utmost importance. Furthermore, these new systems require principals to function not only as evaluators but also as instructional coaches. Principals must have the requisite skills to function in the coaching role if reformed evaluation systems are to be successfully implemented.

While teacher evaluation reform is a national policy initiative that has been greatly accelerated by the Race to the Top initiative, success will be determined at the local level and will depend, at least in part, on whether principals are ready, willing, and able to implement more robust systems of evaluation. It is incumbent upon local districts to prioritize the development of their current and future principals by providing relevant professional development and appropriate support systems to ensure that the work is sustainable. Failure to do so will make it less likely that teacher evaluation reform will effect the desired change-instructional improvement at scale. This report explores how the principalship is changing and offers recommendations regarding how school districts can most effectively ensure that principals are able to meet the ever-increasing demands of their jobs. The accompanying case studies highlight districts and organizations that have successfully prioritized principal development.

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The Changing Role of the Principal - Center for American Progress

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How High-Achieving Districts Are Recalibrating School Leadership Posted on See the case studies: Endnotes and citations are available in the PDF and Scribd versions. See also: Professional Support for Principals Is Essential for Strong Teacher-Evaluation Systems by Jenny DeMonte and Kaitlin Pennington The principal has historically been portrayed in television and film as decidedly unheroic.

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An article based on a national survey of what parents want from school communication.

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The survey was quite informative as to how, and what, school districts should communicate with communities (many of NSPRA's members are district communications officials). But I think one of the most valuable uses for this survey will be in helping teachers and principals develop individual communications strategies for reaching out to parents.

How Parents Want School News

Consider, for example, that the survey asked parents their preferred delivery method for school news. Internet communications clearly won. The top five answers:

E-mail from the district/school

Online parent portal

District/school e-newsletters

District/school website

Telephone/voice messaging system

As NSPRA President Ron Koehler points out, "Consumer needs are changing. The backpack folder is no longer the primary source of information for parents. They want and prefer instant electronic information. ... [T]he data demonstrates parents and non-parents alike turn to the web when they need information, and they want it now."

There is a twist, though: Social media (Facebook, Twitter and blogs) ranged near the bottom of communication preferences, below newspapers, television and attending school board meetings. More on this later.

What News They Want

A great feature of this survey is that it divided parental responses into "elementary" and "secondary" categories, acknowledging the differences between those schools and students, which are often lumped together. But it turns out that when you are talking about what information parents want from teachers, most communications priorities are the same:

Updates on their child's progress or insight on how they improve

Timely notice when performance is slipping

Information on what their child is expected to learn during this year

Homework and grading policies

Rounding out the top five for elementary students was information on behavior (including how their child gets along with others), while for secondary students it was how to best communicate with the teacher.

Parents also want much the same information from both elementary and secondary schools:

Curriculum descriptions and information on instructional programs

A calendar of events and meetings

Information on student safety (and quality of teaching, at the elementary level)

Educational program changes and updates (elementary level)/curriculum updates and changes in instructional programs (secondary level).

Rounding out the top five for elementary schools was information comparing their school's performance to others; for secondary, information on graduation and course requirements.

When They Want It

Many parents (47 percent) and most non-parents (59 percent) would like district updates as often as decisions are made. While the survey didn't further break down the frequency of communications to find a preference for school or teacher-level communications, I think that could be a guide for those entities as well. In addition to the 47 percent of parents wanting district updates as often as decisions are made, 36 percent of parents would like monthly updates and 13 percent would like quarterly. Less than 1 percent prefer less than quarterly (3 percent responded with "other").

What Does This Mean?

As NSPRA Executive Director Rich Bagin notes, while we know what the survey says, "each school district must complete its own research to see what its parents and other constituents prefer when it comes to communication."

I would expand that research to include the strengths and passions of those working in the district as well. And keeping that in mind, I think it is important to revisit the survey's finding on social media.

For all the attention that we in the education community have been putting on social media lately, I did think it was interesting how little parents (and other community members) as a group looked to it for school news. NSPRA leaders hypothesized that "social media may be seen as 'too social', lacking in credibility for official school information," or that "it is just too soon to make an impact for today's parents."

Yet just a couple weeks ago, I heard a very impassioned principal talk about the ways that he has effectively used social media including in communicating with both the school and greater community, which has responded well to his efforts. But the message he spread using those tools seemed to be the one that this survey found that parents want -- information on instructional programs, events and so on. My guess: He gets feedback through these tools on what parents (and others) want, and uses it to shape his message.

The example speaks to a broader point: Develop a communications strategy that meets the needs of your community. In doing so, make sure you take the time to learn what parents want to know. Otherwise, you'll have a hard time giving it to them. (Download the complete survey here).

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What Parents Want in School Communication

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The survey was quite informative as to how, and what, school districts should communicate with communities (many of NSPRA's members are district communications officials). But I think one of the most valuable uses for this survey will be in helping teachers and principals develop individual communications strategies for reaching out to parents.

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An article about making sure our teachers have someone to help them get acclimated, and soemone they would feel comfortable asking questions.

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Find that person who challenges, advises, and celebrates you-and be that person for someone else.

My mentor for the last 15 years, Liz Harrington, is retiring this year. She's the one who, as our department chairperson, advocated for our weekly collaboration time and fought each semester to maintain our precious planning time as a department. Liz is the one I laugh with each Friday when we close our rooms at lunch and steal away for some caffeine. She's the one who keeps my venting from becoming perpetual smog, and the one who swoops in with a last-minute lesson plan if I have to run and pick up my own sick kid. Liz is the first person I call to share my small victories and my embarrassing defeats.

Every teacher needs a Liz, and many have been lucky enough to have one. Mentorship, you see, is vital in our industry. Mentors aren't just friends-they are more than that. They are amazing practitioners who pass on their knowledge through informal conversation and everyday modeling. They push back and disagree with you. They help you develop your educational voice. They help hone your academic blade.

At the beginning of our teaching careers, we are assigned mentors, perhaps through a formal induction program meant to help support our practice. (New teachers definitely need this scaffold!) Many of the current induction programs pair a new teacher with a veteran, and that experienced teacher advises on a regular basis for the first year or two of a teacher's probationary period. But there are criticisms of such induction programs, including that the specific guidelines are overly controlling and involve way too much paperwork, and that the mentor is an assigned relationship, not one in which choice was given.

This last point is what makes finding a Liz so valuable. An assigned mentor is one thing, but finding that person on your own who can challenge you, advise you, and celebrate you helps you embrace being reflective and encourages you to take risks.

What Makes a Good Mentor?

According to Education Week, there are eight key qualities in an effective mentor. Inspired by that list and my own experiences, I would say that a good mentor:

Respects what you're trying to do, and helps push you to solve the problem using a different perspective

Listens, but knows when to hold up her hand to make you pause and listen

Collaborates, shares the air, and lives for reciprocal learning

Celebrates your successes

Gives you a safe space to vent, air, complain, and feel shame

Models best practices while still appreciating differences in teaching style

I'll also throw this out there: Newer teachers can be mentors, too. Mentorship doesn't have to be based on seniority over another-it can also be about those who can help us rise in our practice and in our spirit. It isn't all about content area and pedagogical expertise; it's also about attitude and leadership.

The young teacher that I was assigned to mentor through our induction program in California could have just as easily been my mentor the moment she set foot on our campus. She was talented, yes, but she was also a born learner who celebrated others' successes, lit up at the thought of being challenged, and was honest with all those around her. I learned a lot from her.

Ongoing Mentorship

If you are without at mentor at this time, seek to find one. (And just a note, you may need to go off campus if you don't find a viable candidate on yours.) We know that continued and consistent mentorship helps:

Retain good teachers

Improve their teaching practice

Keep us engaged in the profession

Improve the practice of mentors themselves

So I would make the argument that we should always seek out these special relationships, regardless of what line on the seniority list we fall. I would also suggest that you open your door to becoming a mentor. Raise your hand when formally asked to mentor others. Maybe it's through an induction program or taking on a student teacher. Trust that you have something to give.

Which brings me back to Liz.

The way we pass on the wisdom of our own mentors, ensuring that their ideas and positivity are immortal on a school site, is through being available ourselves. After Liz retires, her classroom will be filled by a new teacher or a transferred teacher who might just need to know it's fine to close your door and grab a few laughs on a Friday at lunch.

Liz, may you enjoy your time with your children and grandchildren. You are already so missed. Forever Jefferson Bulldogs.

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Find that person who challenges, advises, and celebrates you-and be that person for someone else. My mentor for the last 15 years, Liz Harrington, is retiring this year. She's the one who, as our department chairperson, advocated for our weekly collaboration time and fought each semester to maintain our precious planning time as a department.