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See all the wonderful things Maricela Luna has made

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Principals share how they keep their students, parents and staff informed and up to date with school affairs. Communication is key with anyone and anywhere; however, when it comes to education, it certainly is priority.

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Seldom does a day go by when most school leaders don't learn something new about the importance of communication, which evolves as new tools are introduced, old approaches revised, and new lessons learned. Here, our team of experienced "Principal Files" principals share their thoughts and tips about the most effective communication strategies.
Just as the best teachers clearly differentiate instruction in their classrooms, wise principals differentiate strategies they use as they communicate with parents and the wider school community, including school neighbors, business partners, the district office, and community leaders.

"We make a rule at our school to keep all stakeholders informed through a variety of communications and media," said Marguerite McNeely, principal at Lawrence Middle School in Deville, Louisiana. "One form of communication does not work for all, so we use newsletters, yearly and monthly calendars, weekly folders, e-mail, phone, regularly scheduled PTO meetings, school Web sites, and flyers posted at local businesses."

McNeely and other members of Education World's Principal Files team took time to share their communication success stories and offer some strategies that other principals might not have considered.

Newletters: The Key Element of any Communications Plan

If there is a universal element to most principals' communications plans, newsletters are it.

The weekly newsletter is key, according to Brian Hazeltine, principal (retired) of Airdrie Koinonia Christian School in Alberta, Canada. "It is delivered each week, physically, into parents hands; it's easy to read; and it can be kept around for future reference," said Hazeltine.

Principal Lolli Haws agrees. "Instead of sending home lots of flyers and hoping parents read them, I send a weekly newsletter from my desk. The newsletter, which I call Necessary News, is never more than one page long. It quickly summarizes upcoming events, school activities, announcements, and deadlines."

Parents know to look for Haws' Necessary News each week, always on Thursday, for everything they need to know.

On the same day her Necessary News goes home, teachers send home all student work along with special requests as part of their students Thursday Folders. Using this weekly tool "has really cleaned up communication," Haws, the principal at Oakridge Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia, explained.

Many school principals time the delivery of their newsletters to be part of a weekly folder. To learn more about this concept, see an Education World article, Weekly Folders Deliver News from School to Home.

As an added bonus, "We have saved a lot of trees by sending home far fewer flyers and announcement pages, all of which scream for attention in large, bold type," Haws added.

In addition to Haws' weekly newsletter, Oakridge Elementary's PTO sends out a monthly newsletter. "That newsletter includes honor roll lists, newsy items, and longer articles," Haws explained. "That enables me to keep the Necessary News short and to-the-point, and focused on the upcoming week or two so folks get the important dates marked on their calendars."

Weekly Is Best

The regularity of Haws' Necessary News is one of its key elements and a fact not lost on most other principals.

Even more important than communication itself is "the critical need to be consistent in the ways and times we communicate," said Jack Noles, principal at Shallowater (Texas) Intermediate School. "Parents and community come to expect and depend on certain information to arrive at the same time and in the same manner."

Noles' weekly "Mustang Messages" is the most important tool in his communications arsenal. If the weekly newsletter doesn't show up, "even the happiest of constituents can become a little cranky," said Noles. And, in his mind, that's a good thing. It is proof that people are watching for it, even depending on it, and that they are eager to be informed about what is happening at his school.

Another upside of communicating regularly with parents is that "they are the very people who will carry your message to the rest of the community, and they are the first who will jump on whatever bandwagon you need them on," Noles added.

At Oakleaf K-8 School in Orange Park, Florida, Larry Davis has responsibility for more than 1,900 students. In a school that large, its difficult for a single, concise newsletter to cover all the communication bases. A strong plan is essential, and weekly "Tuesday Folders" are part of Oakleaf's school-wide communication effort. The folders include the teacher's weekly newsletter, which keeps parents informed about academics and upcoming events.

"Our communications are grade-level appropriate," said Davis. "In addition to the classroom newsletters, we have a PFA (Parent Faculty Association) newsletter, a junior high school newsletter, and a monthly newsletter created by students in our journalism class."

Parents at Johnston Elementary School in Woodstock, Georgia, are well trained to look for the school's "Friday Packet" on Thursday night, according to Keith Ingram, the school's principal.

"We picked Thursday because we saw so many things get lost over the weekend," Ingram told Education World.

"Each one of our homeroom teachers sends home his or her own newsletter on that day," Ingram added. "This has been a great help with parent-teacher communication.

"We also issue all students in grades 2-6 a student agenda, which is like a student Day-Timer. Students record homework and test dates, and parents sign the agenda each night."

Clarity Is Key

No matter what is being communicated, writing clearly is essential. While that probably goes without saying, most principals can share stories about lessons they learned when their writing lacked clarity and created confusion.

"I've learned -- mostly the hard way -- that communication is everything," said Lolli Haws. "Offhand remarks, things I might say as a joke, kidding, or as a generalization are largely quoted and often misquoted in all kinds of ways that can come back to haunt or hurt me or my role or the school."

This is especially important when you are a new principal, added Haws, who has been the "new principal in town" a couple times. "When you're new, everyone is listening carefully for something to talk about," she said. "In your first six months in a community, you must choose your words very carefully. You have to be willing to have everything you say printed on the front page of the newspaper."

"Anything that can be misunderstood will be misunderstood by at least some of the people some of the time," said Brian Hazeltine. "Don't be offended when your best efforts are either ignored or misunderstood. It happens. Expect to be misunderstood from time to time, and refine your writing skills accordingly."

Hazeltine has also learned to be sensitive to how articles, and especially requests, are worded. A statement such as "parents must" is always received more poorly than a statement that says "we need parents to," he added.

Marcia Wright, principal at Clinton (Michigan) Elementary School, agrees. "One tactic that works well for me is approaching parents from the perspective that we are a team working on behalf of their child. If we begin our tough phone calls and meetings with "I need your help with," that helps to settle hostility before it even appears."

But I Don't Know Anything About Iowa!

A lack of clarity in written communication can cause confusion, hurt feelings, and even more serious repercussions. Keith Ingram recalls one situation that occurred back when he was an assistant principal. In hindsight, the story makes him smile, but it wasn't very funny at the time for one child.

The story takes place in the days before NCLB, when standardized tests were only a periodic occurrence, noted Ingram. "We had been making morning announcements to encourage our students to do their best on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills," he recalled.

"Then, one day, a mother came in and shared that her very bright child was completely stressed over the upcoming tests. She tried to comfort him, to tell him he would do fine, but he couldn't be helped. She finally asked what was worrying him so much. The little guy said he knew the tests started first thing on Monday morning but here it was Thursday afternoon and his teacher still had not yet taught him one single thing about the state of Iowa!"

That story helped convince Ingram about the importance of clarity. Just when a principal thinks he has gotten out his message, he must keep trying because someone is probably missing a key piece of information that he might be able to clarify.

Phone Systems to the Rescue

More and more school districts and schools are taking advantage of telephone technology to aid them in communicating with parents and others. Les Potter is one principal who is pleased to work in a district that had the foresight to invest in something he believes is "the best device for communication I have ever seen in education" -- the Connect-ED phone message system.

"I can call all our schools' parents home or cell numbers in less than 10 minutes," Potter explained. "Or I can call groups of parents -- for example, parents of sixth graders or parents of boys."

"I get a printout that tells me the percent of parents who received the call -- usually over 90 percent -- and I have noticed that our attendance at functions has greatly increased.

"Parents seem to be very pleased with the Connect-Ed system, and we get fewer phone calls from parents looking for information than we got when we used more traditional methods of communication."

Beckie Weddle, principal at Centerton Elementary School in Martinsville, Indiana, can use her school's phone system to contact all parents within about five minutes. "I can do it from my computer," said Weddle. "I can put in as many as three contact numbers for each parent. The system will begin the calling when I tell it to, and it will also continue to attempt to call. It lets me know who was contacted and whose phone has been disconnected."

Weddle says the system is great for letting parents know when weather conditions will delay the start of the school day.

She also uses the system to remind parents about upcoming events. "For example, I will call kindergarten parents to remind them about Monday's field trip. I remind them "Be sure your child has lunch and dresses warmly. We will return to school by 2:30."

Go to Part 2 of this article
Click the link above to read our "P-Files" principals practical tips for improving communication as well as unique approaches you might not have considered for communicating with parents. Plus: "Differentiating" communication for different constituencies.

Article by Gary Hopkins
Education World®
Copyright © 2008 Education World

Last updated 07/18/2017

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Principals Share Lessons Learned About Communicating | Education World

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Seldom does a day go by when most school leaders don't learn something new about the importance of communication, which evolves as new tools are introduced, old approaches revised, and new lessons learned. Here, our team of experienced "Principal Files" principals share their thoughts and tips about the most effective communication strategies.

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Take a look at one principal's day at their duty.  My job as a guidance counselor at a high school does not differ much as far  as the "expect the unexpected" every day.  Hope for the best but plan for the worse.

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Each day, principals make dozens of decisions -- small decisions and big decisions, decisions that may have minor consequences or major consequences for their staff and students, decisions that affect one person or an entire community. For one week last month, seven of the Education World Principal Files Principals tracked the decisions they made each day. Education World compiled those decisions to paint a picture of "a week in the life of a principal."
A few months ago, Education World approached the Principal Files team with an idea. We wanted to create a journal that might help principals-to-be and other educators understand exactly what a principal does all day long. Seven school leaders willingly agreed to keep track of their daily decisions for one week.

"This exercise was fun until a couple of days into the process," said principal Laura Browning Crochet. Then she added, kiddingly, "I became overwhelmed by the sheer number of decisions I make..."

Crochet winnowed down her list and sent it to us.

"I've had a wild week," said Mary Ellen Imbo at the end of her journal-keeping week at an Oklahoma elementary school. "I couldn't write everything down. It would have taken too much time. So here we go, just a few per day."

"I am bombarded with requests from the minute I step onto the campus until the minute I leave the campus," Marie Kostick, principal at Goodwyn Junior High School in Montgomery, Alabama, told Education World. "The variety of decisions I am required to make on a daily basis is mind-boggling.

"I realize that each person who comes [to me] has a problem or concern that is important to him or her at that time," explained Kostick. "I sincerely try to assist as promptly and efficiently as possible, often placing myself in that person's position."

Crochet, Imbo, and Kostick joined administrators Bonita Henderson (Pleasant Ridge School in Cincinnati), Jeff Castle (Collins Lane Elementary School in Frankfort, Kentucky), Lucie Boyadjian (Glen Oaks School in Hickory Hills, Illinois), and Jed Landsman-Yakin (Belfry High School in Belfry, Montana) in this weeklong journal-keeping effort. Below we've created for our readers a composite picture of a typical week in the life of a K-12 school principal.

We're sure current school administrators will relate to the pace and the number of decisions. It is not our intent to overwhelm or scare off educators who might be considering the administration route! Rather, we hope to provide an image of the principal as a dedicated and unselfish leader of teachers and mentor to students.

"At the end of the day," Kostick said, "I can look at myself in the mirror and tell myself that I have done the best that I can within my means and abilities, placing what is best for the child as my number-one concern."

Now, let's peek over the shoulders of our decision-making principals.

Day 1: Decisions, Decisions! A Week in the Life of a Principal

8:00: Called the police to report that a teacher saw a gun in a nearby creek.

8:05: Custodian fainted while doing breakfast duty. Called her supervisor.

8:25: Distributed state tests. Started state testing our fifth graders. Because my counselor is out for surgery, I must take over her duties. Two of the five parent monitors haven't shown up. I corralled one student teacher and one instructional aide to fill in.

8:45: Sat down to figure next year's instructional budget allotment for each teacher.

8:50: Interrupted by a parent who showed up and wanted to know why we locked down last week. He needed to be reassured. Decided to schedule an all-personnel meeting for Wednesday morning at eight to debrief after last week's lock down. Will need to meet with before- and after-school day care workers to instruct them in security procedures.

10:30: Distributed and collected state tests from monitors.

10:40: Met with first-grade teacher to talk about our course of action for a six-year-old student who choked a child, kicked the teacher, and left school property twice. We will recommend a three-day suspension because that will trigger assistance for the student from a mental health agency.

11:45: Had to fill in for an absent lunch and recess duty aide. Made mental note to find somebody to take over bus duty for him.

1:10: Looked over a draft of revisions to our school's discipline policy. Made a few suggestions re: appropriate consequences for disruptive or misbehaving students and returned it to the fifth-grade teacher who chairs the discipline committee. The committee will meet on Wednesday to finalize the document so our site council can vote on it at next Monday's meeting.

2:00: Discussed preparation for tomorrow's presidential primary election with lead custodian. Community will be voting in our all-purpose room.

2:20: Should I return call from salesperson? Nah, they are a pain. Instead, worked on a survey I'm preparing for staff re: technology learning standards. Trying to discern at which grade we will introduce keyboarding skills and teach specific software programs such as PowerPoint and Excel. Collecting teacher input is the first step. We need to have standards in place by the end of the school year. Teachers will work on curriculum to match the standards over the summer months for in-servicing in late August.

2:40: Sat down with secretary to go over her collected records re: excused and unexcused absences.

2:45: Interrupted when teacher sends two students to office. Listened to the he-said/she-said and decided there was no way to get to the truth of the situation. Today must be my lucky day. It's time for them to get on the bus -- and they're on different buses! Told them I wanted to talk to them first thing in the morning so I could be certain that this situation was behind us.

3:00: Made sure bus duty went smoothly. Then went back to the attendance discussion. Will make those phone calls to parents later in the week.

3:15: Interviewed a candidate for an instructional aide opening that came up last week. The candidate has possibilities.

4:00: Reviewed spring field trip request forms from teachers. Signed off on all but one. Will talk to fifth-grade team re: unexpected costs associated with their amusement park trip (to study the science behind amusement attractions).

4:15: Spent some time trying to figure out whether I can come up with enough budget money to purchase TVs and VCRs for four teaching teams that don't have them.

4:30: Returned call to university instructor who called to see whether we might be able to handle one more student teacher in the fall semester. I think I know just the place for that student teacher. Will talk with the teacher tomorrow.

5:30: Met with parent group that is planning this spring's golf tournament (an annual school fundraiser).

Tomorrow: Day 2 of "Decision, Decisions: A Week in the Life of a Principal!"

Related Articles from Education World

Gary M. Hopkins
Education WorldÂ® Editor in Chief
Copyright Â© 2000 Education World

Originally published 05/16/2000
Updated 05/06/2003

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Decisions, Decisions A Week in the Life of a Principal

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Each day, principals make dozens of decisions -- small decisions and big decisions, decisions that may have minor consequences or major consequences for their staff and students, decisions that affect one person or an entire community. For one week last month, seven of the Education World Principal Files Principals tracked the decisions they made each day.

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As I completed by assignment on teacher leaders and the various types of leadership theories/styles, I felt compelled to share this site with my peers. As I chose transformational leadership as my chosen style, I used my first workplace, IDEA, as my guide due to the great successes they have accomplished despite all odds. Below is their "approach" and link to the site. I hope you enjoy and are inspired to make change - No Excuses.

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IDEA Public Schools is the fastest-growing network of tuition-free, Pre-K-12 public charter schools in the United States. IDEA boasts national rankings on The Washington Post and U.S. News & World Report's top high schools lists, and is on track to maintain its legacy of sending 100% of its graduates to college.

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What characterizes a great decision-maker? Is a skill or gift?

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Graziadio Business Review | Graziadio School of Business and Management | Pepperdine University

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When we think of what makes someone a great leader, one characteristic that comes to mind is decisiveness. We do not envision successful leaders standing around appearing unclear and uncertain. Instead, we view them as people who are able to quickly arrive at their decisions and communicate the goals to others.

Leaders often have to make challenging decisions, such as what direction to move their company in; whether to keep an employee, reposition them or let them go; whether or not to share "bad news" with stockholders, and many other such challenges.

Great leaders understand how to balance emotion with reason and make decisions that positively impact themselves, their employees, their customers and stakeholders, and their organizations. Making good decisions in difficult situations is no small feat because these types of decisions involve change, uncertainty, anxiety, stress, and sometimes the unfavorable reactions of others.

Great leaders also know when to move quickly and proceed with the available information, versus when to take more time and gather additional information. When leaders opt to pursue additional information or avenues, they must also know when to stop. While a large amount of data may be desirable in a perfect world, the data gathering process can utilize too much time, and the vast amount of data can also be paralyzing and take attention away from the big picture or key data points.

This article will explore three crucial qualities that great leaders must develop to become great decision-makers: emotional intelligence, the ability to handle uncertainty, and the ability to weigh evidence with intuition. The article concludes with a step-by-step process employing these characteristics to arrive at the best possible decision given the many variables that can and will come into play.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage your emotions and those of others, is one of the most important qualities a leader must possess. According to the authors of Primal Leadership, a leader's emotions are contagious. This is why resonant leadership is so important-a leader's mood will resonate with others and set the tone for the emotional climate in an organization.[ 1]

Emotional intelligence consists of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. Self-awareness is the foundation for all aspects of emotional intelligence. It involves being able to accurately assess yourself. Before you can change, you must be aware of your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Self-management entails the ability to understand and control your emotions, adapt to change, and adopt an optimistic outlook. Social awareness is similar to self-awareness but the focus is external and involves understanding the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others, as well as how to relate to other people. Relationship management is crucial for great leadership and includes qualities such as being influential and inspirational and developing others.

Here we will focus on one of the core components of self-management: emotional self-control. When you have developed this skill, you will recognize your emotions, be influenced by them, but not blinded by them, and be able to calmly and clearly express your decisions to others even when you experience intense emotions within yourself and from others.
Emotional Self-Control and Decision Making
Imagine that you were presented with a critical high-stakes situation with a significant potential downside and you needed to make a decision and take action right away. You would likely have a significant emotional reaction, including feelings such as anxiety, fear, or anger. Unfortunately emotions such as these cloud our ability to make good decisions. When we get into the emotional part of our brain, our innate reaction is to protect ourselves. We get an adrenaline rush or flight-or-fight response, and short-term survival is the immediate goal. As you can imagine, being in this state is not particularly conducive to making strategic, long-term decisions. This is why emotional self-control is so important. Great leaders are aware of their emotional state and are able to manage intense emotions so they can make smart decisions.
Reigning in Emotions for Strategic Decisions
In order to make strategic, long-term decisions, we must know how to bring down the intense emotional reaction so that we can engage a different part of our brains (the prefrontal cortex), which is responsible for looking at the big picture and long-term planning. Paradoxically, the way to do this is to accept and allow whatever emotional reaction we are having and choose to focus on the facts as much as possible.[ 2]

Trying not to experience an emotion is like trying to pull a rollercoaster backwards as it heads down the hill. It takes a lot of effort, which ultimately backfires and we feel worse. Instead, simply jump on board and ride it out. The intensity of the emotions will quickly pass and then you can think logically. The goal, however, is not to take feelings out of the decision-making process. It is simply to keep them from taking over and losing emotional self-control.

Managing Uncertainty and Choices

Why is it so difficult to make decisions? Perhaps it is because the variables and the outcomes are often uncertain. We do not like uncertainty. Uncertainty creates discomfort and analysis paralysis. We try to analyze the situation from every angle to alleviate the sense of uncertainty. These efforts are often futile and waste valuable time and energy because so often we must make decisions in the face of uncertainty.
The Lengths We Go to Avoid Uncertainty
In a 1992 study conducted by cognitive scientists Amos Tversky and Eldar Shafir, college students were asked whether they would purchase a great deal on a trip to Hawaii over their holiday break. They were told that they would receive the grade on their most important exam before they had to decide. Of those who were told that they passed the exam, 57 percent said they'd go for the trip. Interestingly, a similar percentage (54 percent) of those who were told that they failed also said they'd go.

When researchers designed uncertainty into the mix, results changed dramatically. Students were told that they would not receive the exam grade for two days and that they could buy the trip now, pass on it now, or pay $5 to wait for two days until they received their grade. The majority of students (61 percent) said that they would wait. The first part of the study showed that students for the most part wanted to go if they passed or if they failed the exam, but here they were willing to pay to wait and find out their grade.

This study shows the lengths that we will go to avoid uncertainty. Students seemed to think that knowing their grade would help them make a good decision when in reality it would not make a difference in their decisions.

We are often paralyzed by uncertainty and end up basing our decisions on things that aren't even related. Question your attempts to find certainty before making decisions because you may be seeking a false sense of security. Much like the aforementioned method to reign in negative emotions to achieve emotional self-control, acceptance is a crucial starting place. If we are able to accept the uncertainty rather than try to resolve it, we can focus our limited time, energy, and money on making the best decisions in the face of an uncertain outcome.

This does not mean that you should not bother to analyze a situation before making a decision. Various analyses can be helpful in providing the information necessary to make the best decisions in the situation. The key is to know when what you don't know is important, and if so, how to go about gathering the necessary information to resolve the uncertainty. If what you don't know is not important, then the next step is to accept the uncertainty and proceed in spite of it.

If, however, you find yourself getting stuck or investing too much time or other resources in the analyses, ask yourself if the uncertainty that you are attempting to resolve is truly resolveable. If not, it would be best to accept the uncertainty and move on.
Limit Your Choices
One of the decision-making mistakes we commonly make is to give ourselves a lot of options. We figure that if we consider every possible alternative, we will have better choices and make the best decision. Sometimes we do this exhaustive search as a way to resolve uncertainty. We assume that if we go through everything, no stone will be left unturned and there will be no uncertainty. The problem is that we are likely to get overwhelmed and make no decision.

In 2000, Sheena Iyengar of Columbia Business School and Mark Lepper, chairman of Stanford's psychology department, conducted a study in which two tasting displays of gourmet jams were set up in an upscale supermarket. They had 24 jams set up for tasting in one display, and just six jams in the other. They found that more people were attracted to the table with 24, an equal number tasted at both tables, and a huge difference in purchasing resulted: only 3 percent of those who had tasted at the table with 24 jams bought a jar, whereas 30 percent of those who had tasted at the table with six jams bought a jar.[ 4]

This study and various others like it show that when there are more than five or six options, people have a more difficult time deciding and often opt not to make a decision. To help yourself and others effectively and efficiently make decisions, limit your options. Keep options fewer than five and you will find it much easier to make a decision.

Trusting Your Intuition

Excellent leaders often say that they go with their gut to make decisions. They are able to trust themselves and their expertise and not get stuck in the cycle of over-thinking. The more you know about a subject, the more reliable your intuition will be. Make yourself an expert in your field and your intuition will be your best guide.
Intuition Leads to Satisfaction with Decisions
Participants in a study conducted by Timothy D. Wilson and his colleagues at the University of Virginia and the University of Pittsburgh were asked to choose a piece of art to hang in their homes. Half of them were asked to think rationally about their choice, and the other half were instructed to go with their gut. Those who went with their feelings rather than their analysis were happier with their selection. We can rationalize our way into anything, but our first impressions often tell us how we really feel.[ 5]
How to Hear Your Intuition
You may have heard intuition described as a nagging little voice inside you. It typically speaks softly rather than screaming out at you. Unfortunately in our non-stop, busy, technology-filled worlds, it can be easy to not hear our intuition. It is always speaking, but we are often not listening.

Hone your skills at listening to your intuition by building some form of meditative practice into your daily life. It doesn't have to be actual meditation; it can be a few moments of reflection, a warm bath, a walk with your dog, and so on. We are typically so bombarded with information all day (television, radio, Internet, cell phone, Blackberry...) that we miss out on opportunities to notice ourselves thinking and feeling. To hear your intuition you must have some time when you're a human being, not a human doing. Build periods of quiet into your life and you will be surprised at what you hear.
Decide Your Way to Great Decisions
Great decision making takes practice. As you now know, this process requires a certain level of comfort with discomfort. We could play it safe and defer important decisions to others, spend hours and hours analyzing and agonizing over every option, or we could accept the level of risk and go for it. Many people are afraid of making a bad decision or the wrong decision. We can only do our best with the information we have available to us at the time. There is typically not a right or a wrong answer. In the worst-case scenario, however, you select the wrong option. Even if you choose an option that reveals itself to be inferior in the short-term, you will learn that you can handle the outcome and make the best of it. You may even find unexpected opportunities by going down the "wrong" path.

Practice this process using the following steps:

1. Decide whether to take action quickly or gather additional information. If you decide to gather additional information, create parameters to determine what information is essential and when to cease your information-gathering process.

2. Be aware of the emotions that come up as you proceed with your decision. Accept the emotions and allow them to guide you without controlling you.

3. Recognize the uncertainty elements in the situation and decide how much of the uncertainty needs resolution. Know that most situations cannot be calculated with complete certainty and, even though it may be uncomfortable, it is often necessary to accept the uncertainty and proceed.

4. Allow yourself to hear your intuition. Do not over-think important decisions because you may talk yourself into something that goes against your instincts and experience.

5. Seek out opportunities to thoughtfully and proactively make challenging decisions. Recognize that even "negative" outcomes may be better than you expect, and gain confidence in your ability to make great decisions.

Be a leader in your personal life and career by committing to make difficult decisions in a timely manner. The best way you can inspire others to change is by making changes yourself. Practice this process and become a confident leader of yourself and others. Just think of all of the time and energy you will save in the process, and how great you will feel as you remain calm, trust yourself, and make great decisions.

[ 1] Daniel Goleman, Richard E. Boyatzis, and Annie McKee, Primal Leadership,(Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2004).

[ 2] Daniel H. Barlow, Anxiety and Its Disorders, Second Edition: The Nature and Treatment of Anxiety and Panic, (New York: The Guilford Press, 2004).

[ 3] Amos Tversky and Eldar Shafir, "The Disjunction Effect in Choice under Uncertainty," Psychological Science, 3 (1992): 205-209.

[ 4] Sheena Iyengar and Mark Lepper, " When Choice Is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing?" Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79 (2000): 995-1106.

[ 5] Timothy D. Wilson et al., " Introspecting about Reasons Can Reduce Post-Choice Satisfaction," Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 19 (1993): 331-339.

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Kenneth Ko, PhD, GUEST EDITOR, Associate Dean, Graziadio School of Business

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Jerry Biberman, PhD, Professor Emeritus, University of Scranton

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When we think of what makes someone a great leader, one characteristic that comes to mind is decisiveness. We do not envision successful leaders standing around appearing unclear and uncertain. Instead, we view them as people who are able to quickly arrive at their decisions and communicate the goals to others.

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A must skill for everyone:  leaders, teachers, counselors, parents, students, children, etc.  How else could we function in this fast-driven world?  As an educator and member of the AVID Committee a couple of years ago, I am a strong believer and supporter for the AVID program in ensuring that organization is taught early on for college success.

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In November, I was invited to experience a training session of AVID supporters at the Gig Harbor YMCA by Erin O'Neill, Peninsula School District director of College, Career, and Life Readiness. It was an eyeopener. Before this, AVID was little more than a collection of letters to me. It translates as Advancement Via Individual Determination.

Peninsula High math teacher Kim Demianiw chaired the AVID YMCA session. She explained that AVID is in its second year at PHS and Key Peninsula Middle School and in its first year at Harbor Ridge MS. Among presenters were Byron Miranda, PHS AVID elective teacher, and Bellarmine High School girls basketball coach Kim Butler who, incidentally, played basketball for Great Britain in the 2012 London Olympics and is an AVID volunteer tutor in three different AVID classes.

Bill Lloyd, Communities In Schools of Peninsula volunteer math mentor at KPMS, said he heard of the AVID program and decided to check it out by attending this class.

"I learned students are expected to do the work, and my role is to facilitate the discussion and problem-solving process," Lloyd said. "I record my observations, take notes for the student presenting, then debrief with the teacher."

The class is divided into four subject areas: Math, English, Social Studies and Science. Students choose which area according to their particular need.

"AVID helps me prepare for my future academic goals by helping me learn better study habits and organizational skills," said PHS sophomore Hanna Wroe. "I have become more self-accountable and able to better advocate for myself because of the skills I have learned from Miss Demianiw in AVID. My grades and self-confidence have improved. I knew I wanted to go to college, now I know how I'm going to get there."

For classmate Ashley Jones, "Being in the AVID program, I've learned how to communicate with my teachers effectively, which I wouldn't have done without AVID. I've learned how to take Cornell notes, which work for me. Having AVID as my class elective has really benefited my grades for the better. In the second semester of freshmen year, I got all A's. Without AVID, I wouldn't have achieved that. AVID is important and needed for students who aim to go to college."

To CISP board chair and AVID volunteer tutor Rob Milroy, who participated in the training, "The AVID program supplements students' academic learning with the social and confidence skills to get up in front of their peer group, succinctly describe their problem, and use the collective learning of a group of six students to find a solution."

Milroy said he enjoys the give and take with the students with whom he works.

"I pretty much just observe and encourage the kids supporting one another's problem solving," he said. "It's a rewarding experience."

The concept is rooted in students learning the Cornell Way method of note-taking and reviewing, said Lloyd.

"They come prepared to present a question/problem they need help with," he said. "As a facilitator, I find it challenging to not blurt out obvious answers/errors, but the students do well at supporting/correcting each other."

Summing up, Demianiw notes, "AVID is an elective class for middle to upper performing college bound students to teach academic strategies to promote student success. It helps students reach their goal of attending college. Many will be first generation college goers in their families. Curriculum changes as students move through the program's four years. Freshman and sophomore years are focused on how to be a good high school/college student, teaching strategies on organization, note taking, collaboration/team building, reading and writing. Junior and senior years focus on preparing for college, deciding the right college, preparing for entrance exams, and filling out college and scholarship applications.

All four years, students participate in Tutorial twice a week, a student-led session where students come prepared with a point of confusion from one of their classes. In groups facilitated by adult mentors called "tutors," students ask inquiry-based questions to help the presenter figure out the answer to their own point of confusion. It is a powerful learning tool students benefit from immensely.

"A great aspect of AVID is the opportunity for students to remain with their peer cohort over the four years of high school and to have another adult, their teacher, in their life navigating some of their toughest years and helping them stay on track to reach their goals," Demianiw said. "The group of students genuinely becomes a family and relies on each other for more than just academic support."

Really impressive!

For more, contact Erin O'Neill at oneille@psd401.net or Demianiw at Demianiwk@PSD401.net.

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AVID program helps students learn better study habits, organizational skills

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In November, I was invited to experience a training session of AVID supporters at the Gig Harbor YMCA by Erin O'Neill, Peninsula School District director of College, Career, and Life Readiness. It was an eyeopener. Before this, AVID was little more than a collection of letters to me.

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Brief article sums up the distinction between them both

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A look at alternative programs in TX

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