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As I was reading this I could not help but remember what I had gone through as a first year teacher and how difficult it was to seek collaboration. Having an administrator that helps you grow and invests time into you can payoff tremendously for the students and the campus.

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Educators know only too well that teaching is a never-ending learning process. It is less acknowledged that improvement in teaching can be enormously facilitated by quality relationships between teachers and administrators.

My own experience bore this phenomenon out. The culture at my first school did not encourage seeking advice or support, let alone idea exchange between colleagues. In fact, I was made to feel like a bother for even asking questions. When I brought a particularly challenging situation to the attention of the principal, I was told to work it out on my own. After three years, I still felt like a new teacher with very little handle on creating effective lessons or dealing with the ever-looming challenge of classroom management.

The following year I changed schools and was pleasantly shocked by a supportive staff and principal. I felt safe to make mistakes, ask for help, and take risks. My role as a teacher was respected and my triumphs and trials validated. As a result, I gained confidence in my ability to teach, and, most importantly, my students were showing greater academic progress than at my previous school.

Looking back, I've often wondered what specifically made my experiences at these schools so different. It wasn't that I disliked the staff at the first school, but I knew there was some dynamic in the second school that helped me to learn (and hence improve) as a teacher.

Researchers call the ability to express oneself without fear of negative consequences "psychological safety." A recent study found that positive relationships in the workplace can facilitate employee-learning by helping workers feel safe to take the risks that are an inherent part of the learning process.

In other words, the positive and supportive relationships I experienced at the second school made me feel comfortable asking for help and feedback because I knew I wasn't going to be humiliated for doing so. Instead, the principal and other teachers welcomed my questions and offered support when I needed it, and I reciprocated in kind. As a result, I became a better teacher.

Scientists are quick to point out, though, that positive working relationships go beyond surface-level friendliness and are in fact based on deep trust and respect. Deep trust allows for the healthy expression of emotions and conflict without fear of repercussion. For example, the principal at my second school always validated my experience first, then kindly offered her advice. As a result, I began to trust my own ability to deal with the situations without needing her help.

Respect in the workplace includes a positive regard for each other as individuals and for the work each does. Everyone trusts that others will do their jobs well and support one another in learning how to do their jobs even better. My many moments of self-doubt during my first year of teaching would have been greatly alleviated by being validated in my experiences of overwhelm and uncertainty as extremely normal for a first-year teacher.

So what can administrators do to cultivate positive relationships with teachers that will contribute not only to their improvement, but also to a positive, more effective school environment for everyone?

The research is resoundingly clear on this: model, model, model. It's the trickle-down effect. Just as teachers are expected to act as role models for students, administrators must model the kinds of behavior that create positive relationships amongst the staff. Here are a few specific tips:

1) Admit your mistakes. This sends a message to teachers that it's okay for them to make their own once in a while, too. A study of 51 work teams illustrated that those who felt safe and supported were better able to handle and learn from failure.

2) Be open to receiving feedback. Teachers are under constant scrutiny in today's educational landscape. Teachers and administrators need to work together to create a happy and healthy school culture. Therefore, the feedback loop needs to work both ways. Psychological safety for teachers and schools can be too easily and thoughtlessly destroyed (e.g., the recent grading of teachers in the Los Angeles Times and New York Times).

3) Validate teacher uncertainty. The complexity of teaching often makes teachers uncertain about the choices they make to best serve their students. Administrators who acknowledge their own uncertainty create a school culture where it's safe for teachers to experiment and learn from each other. Results of a study that involved 55 interviews of leaders showed that leaders who admitted they did not have all answers validated their own followers' uncertainty which led to a culture of experimentation and open dialogue.

Building positive relationships amongst a school staff does not happen overnight, but the effort it takes is well worth it. In the end, a school culture where everyone feels safe to express themselves and learn from each other can only lead to a better education for the students.
On deck for next week: Helping teachers thrive-a lesson on self-compassion
Greater Good wants to know: Do you think this article will influence your opinions or behavior?

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Three Ways Administrators Can Foster Teachers' Growth

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Educators know only too well that teaching is a never-ending learning process. It is less acknowledged that improvement in teaching can be enormously facilitated by quality relationships between teachers and administrators. My own experience bore this phenomenon out. The culture at my first school did not encourage seeking advice or support, let alone idea exchange between colleagues.

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Time management is key especially as our roles in our school increase. We seem to be on top of everything as soon as we get a year or two of experience out of the way, however I have learned or was reminded how difficult it is to adapt to a new job and get everything organized in a way that is effective for my school and for myself.

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Educational Research Newsletter and Webinars

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Principals tend to greatly overestimate the amount of time they spend on instruction. Ask most principals how much time they spend on instruction and they are likely to estimate they spend 70% or more of their time on instruction and 30% on other management issues when it is really the other way around, says Dr. Jody Spiro, senior program officer at the Wallace Foundation.

As part of its initiative to improve educational leadership, the Wallace Foundation developed a time/task analysis tool that allows principals to keep track of their time as precisely as a lawyer keeps track of billable hours. When they use the tool, principals consistently find they are spending 70% of their time on "buses, budgets, and behavior" and only 30% of their time on instruction, says Spiro. Download here

Becoming aware of how they spend their time and then disciplining themselves to delegate many of the management tasks to a trusted staff member is one of the first steps principals can take to become a better instructional leader, according to the Wallace Foundation. One strategy advocated by the Foundation to free up more of a principal's time for instruction is to have a staff member play the role of School Administration Manager (SAM). A SAM is an assistant who takes on many of the principal's most time-consuming management tasks.

Currently, there are 160 principal/SAM teams in 37 districts in 9 states participating in the Wallace Foundation's School Administration Manager Project. Based on a recent evaluation of the project commissioned by the Wallace Foundation, principals spend a large share of their time (51%) on the following 5 management tasks:

1. office work prep

2. supervision of employees

3. student supervision

4. decision-making committees, groups and meetings

5. student discipline

Principals spend another 20% of their time on other non-instruction tasks such as building management, meeting with parents and external officials, etc.

In schools with a SAM, according to the evaluation, after one year principals increased the amount of time they spent on instructional tasks from 32% of their work week to an average of 45%. In hours, this means the principals spent about 5 hours more per week on instructional issues or about 58 minutes per day. SAM project principals at the middle and high school levels spent less time than principals at the elementary school level on instruction (36% compared to 51%).

How instructional time is spent

Principals used the time they gained for instruction by working with a SAM on the following top 3 instructional leadership activities:

1. observation and walkthrough

2. instruction-related office work

3. prep work with students

On a weekly basis, principals spent an additional 69 minutes on observation and walkthroughs, 55 additional minutes on office work related to instruction and an additional 49 minutes on work with students, according to the evaluation.

Smaller amounts of time (1 to 4 minutes per day, or up to 20 minutes per week) were spent on providing feedback to teachers, modeling and teaching, interaction with external officials related to instruction and on "celebrating" instruction. Universally, when principals look at how they spend their instructional time, they say they need to do more observation and walkthroughs, says Spiro.

Piloted in elementary schools in Kentucky, SAMs were originally envisioned to be new hires from outside the education field, but in practice, that model, especially as it has spread to middle schools and high schools, has mutated into several variations. Not all SAMs are new hires from outside education. Some are recruited from inside the school. School secretaries or teachers may leave their positions to become a SAM. Retired principals are sometimes recruited for the position.

In another variation of the model (Model 3), an existing staff member may merely take on some of the roles of the SAM without taking on all the management responsibilities. (Researchers found that when this model was used it resulted in less added time for principals on instruction.) Of the SAMs in the project, 31% had been teachers, 37% said they had been employed as "other school staff," 16% were retired principals or assistant principals and only 14% had no previous employment in schools.

Coaching role

Usually paid less than an assistant principal, SAMs have a dual role: handling management tasks and working with principals to encourage them to manage priorities in order to spend more time on instruction. One participant in the project said the SAM acts as the principal's "Jiminy Cricket" on instruction.

In practice, however, many SAMs don't play time-use coach as much as they should, according to the evaluation. In the daily meetings between the principal and the SAM, the 2 are likely to discuss priorities, but the meeting is more casual. A major hurdle to SAMs playing more of the coach role, the researchers report, is the inherent tension in the working relationship of a SAM and principal and the fact that principals are SAMs' bosses. Principals in the SAM project also meet with a time-use coach and have a mentor who may play more of that role, according to Spiro.

Spiro believes the greatest impact on principals, more than the coaching, is a newfound awareness of how they use their time. The SAM project is largely about helping principals change their behavior and rethink their jobs, she said.

One principal at an elementary school was able to increase the amount of time he spent on instructional issues to 90% by working with a SAM.

"They finished each other's sentences," she said. When that principal accepted a new job at another school that did not have a SAM position, he still managed to keep 60% of his time on instructional matters.

"'Having had a SAM I know what I'm supposed to be doing,'" he said.

Effectiveness as instructional leaders

How effective are principals when they do focus on instruction?

"Although the vast majority of participating principals wanted to be instructional leaders, few articulated a vision of what an instructional leader does or which activities would be the highest priorities," the researchers write.

Many needed help setting instruction goals and identifying the leadership activities that would pay off in their schools. Spiro says a next step for the project is to identify the high-leverage tasks that will get the "biggest bang for the buck" in instruction. For example, a principal is sure to get more leverage from working to develop a professional learning community than from teaching a class to students, although both are instruction activities.

Based on time/task analysis, principals currently spend most of the time they devote to instruction on the following 7 tasks:

1. observation, walkthrough

2. planning, curriculum and assessment,

3. instructional meetings with individuals or groups

4. decision-making committees, groups and meetings

5. instruction-related office work prep (review lesson plans, prep for feedback/evaluations or for instructional meetings)

6. employee supervision

7. work with students

Feedback to teachers

Principals spent far less time in providing feedback to teachers (60 minutes per week after one year of implementation) than on "observation/walkthrough" (3 hours, 59 minutes per week), according to the study.

One district-level staff member commented: "Students don't improve just because the principal is in the classroom. But the critical point is that you do not influence that teacher until you provide feedback."

Teachers in several schools said that their principals gave little or no individual feedback, choosing instead to focus on giving group feedback on checklist criteria (e.g. whether class objectives had been posted on the board), according to the report. Principals who used handheld devices to collect checklist data during observations often emailed the results to teachers with brief comments.

Principals hoped to improve their own skills in giving teachers' individual feedback. One principal spoke of wanting to encourage an ongoing professional conversation with teachers and to encourage greater reflection.

"I don't know if [giving feedback] ever gets easy," one principal said. Another talked about having focused, as a result of the SAM project, on giving teachers feedback that was a lot deeper.

"It is better. The teachers are very responsive to very specific feedback and suggestions."

Working teacher groups

Principals often drop in on working teacher groups on an occasional basis but some principals in the SAM program made it a priority to regularly attend these group meetings. Teachers were more likely to see principals as active participants, rather than observers, if the principals attended meetings regularly, according to the evaluation.

The take-away for principals that are not involved in the SAM project is that they, too, can gain time to focus on instruction by becoming more aware of how they spend their time and disciplining themselves to delegate many management tasks, Spiro says. If the fire marshall comes to the school to do an inspection, someone else can walk him around the building, Spiro says.

Principals can get the Wallace Foundation time/task tool for free on the Foundation's website, to monitor how they are spending their time. Tasks are color-coded (yellow for instruction and green for management ) to be able to quickly check on balance of time use. Many principals like using a bar graph that shows how many times they have visited teachers' classes each month. (To download the tool go to: http://www.wallacefoundation.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/timetrack%20installation%20guide.pdf )

"I think the principal creates the weather," said one principal in the project. "What I value and what I monitor and what I espouse is what becomes the mission and vision of the school. What I see as the most important role of the principal is to define those things to be most valued. I began to define the values of our school."
"Evaluation of the School Administration Manager Project," by Brenda Turnbull et al., Policy Studies Associates, Inc. for the Wallace Foundation, December 2009.
The SAMs evaluation is available at:
http://www.ernweb.com/snip/187.htm

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How principals manage their time is key to improving instruction in their schools

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Principals tend to greatly overestimate the amount of time they spend on instruction. Ask most principals how much time they spend on instruction and they are likely to estimate they spend 70% or more of their time on instruction and 30% on other management issues when it is really the other way around, says Dr. Jody Spiro, senior program officer at the Wallace Foundation.

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A good leader is always behind the success of a business, industry, even a family. This is an interesting article regarding the styles of leadership in education.

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Having worked in schools that where under state growth plans the use of communication was the best thing we implemented into our plan of reformation. We established a link between different departments and created a more unified school that would soon be phased out of the growth plan.

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Yet there are places across the country where that is not the case. These are places where teachers and administrators work together both to implement policy decisions in ways that benefit students and to develop innovative solutions to the challenges that their community faces. One such place: California's ABC Unified School District.

Collaboration in ABC

ABC has been widely praised for the collaborative relationship that exists between its teachers and administrators. Not only has the district received a great deal of positive press about this partnership (for example, one blogger recently wrote that he "left ABC rejoicing in what they have been able to accomplish" in this arena), it also served as the basis for research by Rutgers University's Saul Rubinstein and John McCarthy on how working together improves student achievement.

What makes ABC so special is not just the fact that a strong partnership between teachers and administrators exists. It is the fact that the collaboration has been institutionalized. The partnership has thrived for well over a decade, under multiple superintendents and through a number of school board elections. And this has led to a district culture "of shared planning, decision-making, and responsibility" that is "built on respect, commitment, and trust," as a 2011 case study puts it.

Among the many issues that teachers and administrators in ABC have tackled together are curriculum development, textbook selection, recruitment and hiring, mentoring, teacher evaluation and support, and use of data-based decision making to improve student performance. And the partnership is having a positive impact on students.

One early example of collaborative problem solving in the district was the creation of the Southside Schools Reading Collaborative, which targeted resources and support to six high needs schools that then showed the most growth on standardized assessments in the district. And Rubinstein and McCarthy's research shows that the district's students have higher achievement in the schools with stronger partnerships between teachers unions and school administration.

What Does It Look Like?

Those in education use the words "collaboration" and "partnership" quite liberally, often giving little to no details on what specifically good examples look like. But a 2011 set of case studies of six districts, including ABC, that have developed and sustained strong relationships between teachers and their unions and administrators while improving public education found thirteen common themes, including:

Emphasis on teacher quality, including professional development, new systems of evaluation, peer-to-peer assistance and mentoring programs

Focus on student performance, with districts creating opportunities for teachers and administrators to work together to analyze student performance to identify and focus on priority areas for improvement

Substantive problem-solving, innovation and willingness to experiment, working together to come up with new ways to address critical issues, with the partnership serving as a vehicle for improvement (not as the end in itself)

An organizational culture that values and supports collaboration, evidenced in part by leaders speaking of a culture of inclusion, involvement and communication, as well as respect for teachers as professionals and for their union

Collaborative structures at all levels in the district, with an infrastructure that promotes and facilitates collaborative decision-making in schools through building-level leadership teams, school improvement committees, school advisory councils or other such bodies that meet on regularly and play a key role in site-based decision making

Collaboration in Action: Common Core Implementation

When a district that has a strong collaborative culture undertakes a major initiative like implementing the Common Core, what does it look like? We at the Learning First Alliance recently interviewed two representatives of ABC to find out: Richard Saldana a high school teacher and department chair who also serves on the executive board of the ABC Federation of Teachers, and Tanya Golden, a sixth grade teacher who also serves as a teacher leader. Each shared their experience with the Common Core, and what emerged reinforced the notion that collaboration plays a key role in the day-to-day operations of the district, while also illustrating the importance of teacher voice and leadership in implementation.

What exactly does that mean?

It means that the district has had over 144 teachers on Common Core study teams for the past two years, and that the district convened teachers to develop and review instructional units when none were available.

Recognizing that Common Core implementation is an enormous undertaking, it means that teachers and district leaders worked together to identify three key academic focus areas for the school year: text dependent questions, writing from sources, and academic vocabulary (with each school site selecting one on which to concentrate).

And it means that the district provides teacher leaders like Golden to support them in that effort -- teacher leaders who meet monthly with the district's academic services division for professional learning to equip them with the skills they need to help schools succeed.

It means that teacher leaders like Saldana meet at least monthly with district leadership to discuss concerns that come forth from the teachers representative council of the union (which also meets monthly), so there's a constant flow of information between teacher and the district.

It means that teachers and administrators go together to school board sessions and parent information meetings, speaking with one voice.

It means that the district provides joint trainings for teachers and principals, with district officials and teacher leaders presenting information together. The goal: To send a unified message and ensure clear communication.

The Key Takeaway

The way that ABC has approached the Common Core -- and the way it approaches all issues -- seems intuitive. So why don't we hear more stories like theirs?

As Saldana put it, "I think the most important lesson for all of us is to find the time to collaborate. I think the biggest reason we don't collaborate is because it takes time."

But as the experience of ABC shows, finding that time makes improving student learning a whole lot easier.

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When Teachers and Administrators Collaborate | Edutopia

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Yet there are places across the country where that is not the case. These are places where teachers and administrators work together both to implement policy decisions in ways that benefit students and to develop innovative solutions to the challenges that their community faces. One such place: California's ABC Unified School District.

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This is a great article as we get closer to becoming involved in a leadership role we have to embrace and be prepared for change and help our faculty and staff adapt to change. At times it will be immediately necessary while other times it is something that will need to be implemented eventually as education and our schools change everyday.

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The Innovator Solutions section includes contributions from corporate sponsors and advertisers representing education organizations, businesses, policy-making bodies and other influencers dedicated to transforming education. This post was provided by EdSurge.
School is changing.

Forget about those sepia images of rows of battered desks, like weary sentries, facing a dusty chalkboard. Over the past decade, thousands of U.S. public schools - traditional and charter, from elementary through high school - have begun trying something different.

Valor Collegiate Academies in Nashville, Tennessee, is championing a social-emotional curriculum centered on students demonstrating mastery of skills. Students have personalized playlists; teachers are guides.

In Iowa, 220 school districts (of a total of 357) now offer 1-to-1 technology-to-student programs - a change that has taken place in the past six years.

Lincoln West in Cleveland, a large comprehensive school, is being redesigned into a School of Global Studies (where students engage in model UN activities) and School of Science & Health, which has a close partnership with MetroHealth hospital.

For those who have the courage to explore a new path, what tools do you need? What should be tucked into a school leaders' "virtual backpack" before they begin programs aimed at delivering compelling and relevant education for all their students?

We will explore these ideas at our EdSurge Fusion Conference on Personalized Learning in November.

1. A vision ... without technology

The worst reason for change, school leaders agree, is because a pallet-full of computers has just landed on the school's front steps and no one knows what to do with them.

Thoughtful school leaders are frequently motivated by the experiences they see students having in school. Such reasons contribute to "vision," a model of teaching and learning that is personalized and supports students variability and agency.

Before school leaders embark on a campaign to change their schools, they need a well-articulated reason for taking their journey and an idea of where they'd like to wind up.

A host of organizations aim to help school leaders define where they want to lead their school communities. Future Ready, for instance, offers a set of resources for school leaders just embarking on the path to personalized learning.

Leap Innovations in Chicago has a four-point framework focused entirely on learners. NewSchools Venture Fund provides support and funding to school leaders who are doing school redesign.

2. A decision making process backed by research

Informing and feeding that vision should be deep knowledge - ideally research findings about how students learn, what shapes their readiness to learn and how those principles can be applied in tools to support learning.

Digital Promise has devoted significant resources to showing the links between what we know - and how it gets implemented in school. For instance, its research map connects topics, such as student motivation, to published research frameworks and results.

3. A plan for implementation

Putting the best laid plans into action, however, is still challenging. From student privacy and data management concerns, to the challenge of making software tools work well or interoperate, a number of organizations have been developing approaches and protocols to managing these issues, including the Ed-Fi Alliance, which aims to bring different data and IT systems together in meaningful ways.

4. A keen eye for the efficacy of your chosen initiatives

Laying out just what programs are most effective - and why - is another cornerstone of real change. This past spring, the Jefferson Education Accelerator convened researchers to discuss the most promising directions for laying out the efficacy of education technology and the corresponding teaching models.

5. A learning community

Those four pillars - vision, research, implementation and evidence - are at the heart of the Fusion Conference co-hosted by EdSurge and Digital Promise, on November 1-3 in South San Francisco. We're tapping more than a dozen of the leading organizations in these areas and inviting education leaders from around the US to engage in vibrant conversation around how they are building schools of the future.

School will never be the same.

Apply for an invitation to attend the Fusion conference here.

Elizabeth "Betsy" Corcoran is co-founder and CEO of EdSurge, an award-winning news and information source on education technology. She was previously executive editor for technology coverage at Forbes magazine and Forbes.com. She's written on subjects from robotics to engineers jump-starting their careers.

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What school leaders need to drive change in schools

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The Innovator Solutions section includes contributions from corporate sponsors and advertisers representing education organizations, businesses, policy-making bodies and other influencers dedicated to transforming education. This post was provided by EdSurge. School is changing. Forget about those sepia images of rows of battered desks, like weary sentries, facing a dusty chalkboard.

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As teachers we always press upon our students to stay organized to keep ahead of the game. I had explained to a class how important it is to keep your agenda in check so that you can cover as much as possible. This in turn served as a reteach for me on how important it is to stay organized especially as we look forward to taking on new endeavors.

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Have you mastered the 3 D's (Delegate it, Dump it, or Do it)? Could a "closed-door policy" help you better manage your time? Maybe you should set up "satellite offices" -- or find a hiding place? Education World's "Principal Files" team offers those time management tips and more.

Everybody knows that principals put in long hours. The school day is constant go-go-go, so most principals arrive a couple hours before students and staff and stay at least that long at the end of the day to tackle the email, phone calls, paperwork...

While long days might be a fact of life, most experienced principals have learned some time management tricks and shortcuts to keep long hours under control. That's why we recently asked our Principal Files team of principals to share what their experiences at the helm have taught them about managing time.

SETTING PRIORITIES IS PRIORITY #1

"Finding time for what is important is a huge issue for principals," confessed Nina Newlin, principal at Rock Hall (Maryland) Middle School. "It has never been more crucial than it is now for principals to be true instructional leaders in their buildings, and at the same time there have never been more paperwork requirements piled on."

That means that principals must set priorities about what's most important.

"I make decisions about what is most important for the current school year, and then I focus on those goals all year long," said principal Teri Stokes. "Setting firm, appropriate priorities and truly following those priorities leads to a less stressful year. If I don't keep a strong resolve about my priorities, those goals can be subterfuged."

This year, Stokes has made reading achievement a priority at Weatherly Heights Elementary School in Huntsville, Alabama. "I have tried to attend all grade-level data meetings led by our reading coach because I want to keep informed, and I want the teachers to realize that I consider the data meetings most important in guiding reading instruction."

At Jackson (Georgia) High School, principal Duane Kline sets firm priorities too. "In the end, it's all about deciding what's important," he told Education World. "I spend time working on the important things that will pay long-term dividends. For me, time spent with people, building relationships, is the most important time I can invest in my school."

"Once the priorities are established, saying no to other things gets fairly simple," Kline added.

For Roy Sprinkle, principal at Bay Haven School of Basics Plus, a K-5 magnet school in Sarasota, Florida, "duties related to safety and security for students and staff take priority. There are some things that principals just have to have a firm grip on, and safety is one of them."

Another high priority for Sprinkle is getting into classrooms. "I block out an hour each morning for classroom walkthroughs," he said, adding, "I feel it is imperative for students and teachers to see their principal in the classroom as much as possible.

"I do not make it into every class each day, but I do cover a large part of our campus. I keep this time sacred. I do not allow unscheduled appointments or phone calls to interfere."

Making sure that other things do not interfere can be difficult for any principal. "It's easy to get swamped under any multitude of other things," admitted Lolli Haws, principal at Oakridge Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia. "For me, meeting with teachers about student progress in reading each quarter is very important. So are regular grade-level and team meetings to keep in touch with teachers' needs and concerns."

VISIBILITY IS ESSENTIAL

Visibility is also very important to Haws. "It's easy to get confined in the office, so I make sure I'm out and about at least an hour in the morning. Also, I stop in the cafeteria during at least two lunch periods each day and go out and about again for 30-45 minutes each afternoon."

Visibility is key for Nina Newlin too. "During the school day, the focus has to be on people -- kids, staff, and parents," she told Education World. "In order to give enough time to kids I find it helps to dedicate time each day to class visits. I like to just 'disappear' into a classroom and rediscover the reason I got into education in the first place."

Jack Noles, the principal at Shallowater (Texas) Intermediate School, builds into his schedule at least two full "coaching days" each week. "Those are days in which, except for emergencies, I spend time in classrooms, at recess, at lunch, and in other areas of the school. The entire staff knows that nothing else is scheduled during my coaching days.

"Making visibility a priority has helped me gain a much better understanding of the goings-on of my school."

Tracey Thomas has found that creating "satellite offices" throughout Coldstream Park Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore can help her achieve several goals. "I might take my laptop into a classroom to type observation reports as I see a lesson taught, or I might set up a desk in a busy hallway where I can complete paperwork and still be visible to students and staff. In that way, I get my work completed and, at the same time, I am able to observe teachers and manage student behavior."

Having a visible presence enables principal Teri Stokes to engage students in "preventive interaction." That is most important with students who need behavioral support, said Stokes. "It takes less time to check in and talk with a few students on a regular basis than disciplinary interaction takes."

For Les Potter, principal at Silver Sands Middle School in Port Orange, Florida, time is always an issue, especially when it comes to the many extra-curricular activities that he must attend. "I could delegate some of those responsibilities, but parents, sponsors, coaches, and students want to see the principal at those events. So I go to as many activities as possible. If there are several sports or other activities on one day, I try to go to them all. If I must arrive late or leave and event early I try to let parents know that I am off to attend another school function. Otherwise, some parents with tunnel vision might think that I am rude, bored, or don't care about their child."

Going to events and mingling with parents is a great PR tool, added Potter. "I have learned that I can resolve issues, put out fires, and squash rumors while attending extra-curricular events," he said.

But no principal can be everywhere. "I have finally realized that visibility doesn't mean having to be everywhere," said Duane Kline. "I have also realized my time management follows directly my ability to hire well. When I hire good people, they are able to help me with the 'urgent' tasks so that I can focus on the 'important' ones."

LEARNING TO DELEGATE IS KEY

As a new principal, Tracey Thomas has been involved in many training sessions and discussions about time management. "The recurring solution is delegation," she said. "As busy principals, we must find responsible, trustworthy people on our staffs who are leaders or aspiring leaders to handle tasks that we can not tackle due to time limitations."

Les Potter has more than three decades in school administration under his belt, and his advice is the same: "Delegation is very important. Trust your administrators, counselors, secretaries, and teachers to do their jobs. Let them grow in their job responsibilities."

Principal Teri Stokes has learned the same lesson. "It took several years as a principal for me to realize it, but the one major epiphany I have had is that I just can't do it all. I have learned that I don't have to be in charge of everything, and that I can allow others to be in charge of some things -- especially things they are good at and enjoy."

Stokes' leadership team, comprising all grade-level team leaders, meets monthly to give input in a variety of areas, and they frequently volunteer to see things through to the finish. Special activities and projects always have a staff member spearheading them. The school's reading committee is one of the most important and active committees; they plan and oversee yearlong reading activities, incentives, and rewards as well as arranging guest speakers.

Whenever possible, Stokes tries to provide perks for those who put in a great deal of time. For example, members of the reading committee might get first dibs on attending local or national reading conferences. If she can, she sends teachers to district meetings on topics with which she is already familiar. The teacher she sends serves as the school's representative. Giving teachers that kind of exposure at meetings with other school leaders can be a positive incentive.

Lolli Haws also finds that most teachers are willing to be asked to do more challenging and responsible things. "Once you know who those people are, they can be a huge help and support," said Haws. "Of course they should always get the credit for quality work and help they provide."

At Bay Haven School, Roy Sprinkle considers himself fortunate to have a very experienced guidance and special education support team. Having that competent team has allowed him to delegate some duties. "In the past I sat in on all student-study team meetings, which can take up the better part of one day a week," said Sprinkle. "Now I only attend those meetings about students who are considered high-risk or meetings that might present a volatile situation."

Assistant principal Bonita Henderson tries to delegate as much as possible, too. "There is no way administrators can do by themselves all that is required of them. We sometimes don't possess all the skills or time to get every job done, but other people are good, even exceptional, at some of those things. So I try to find those people and let them shine."

Henderson says the staff at the Parham School in Cincinnati is always willing to give when it comes to students. "When students are involved, we can always find someone who is willing to go that extra step -- or mile," she said. "They have even volunteered their Saturdays for 6 weeks to tutor for the state tests."

Most teachers do this without expecting recognition or compensation, Henderson added. For those who go way above and beyond, "we always work through that some way, maybe by offering comp time in the form of certificates that a teacher can use to come in an hour late or leave an hour early."

SECRETARIES GIVE A HAND,
SERVE AS A PRINCIPAL'S "RIGHT HAND"

As much as school leaders must learn to delegate to other certified professionals, most principals have also learned how a strong and involved secretary can be a big help in easing the workload.

Principal Beth Burt's secretary has taken on some responsibilities that end up saving Burt valuable time. Burt's secretary organizes all the mail, then they do it together. "First, we do all things that need to be signed, then we go over any communication from the district office, then other important mail, then things to read, and lastly junk," explained Burt, principal at Scott Johnson Elementary School in Huntsville, Texas. "As we go through it together, we accomplish the mail and signing of papers very quickly."

For 14 years, Teri Stokes called school to check in whenever she was out of the building. "I don't call the school anymore," Stokes confessed. "I would call several times a day, but my secretary finally asked me what I what I would do about a problem if I was at a national conference on the other side of the continent. She gently reminded me that if I had left someone I trusted in charge, there was no need to constantly call.

"My secretary knows how to reach me when I am out of the building, but our office staff is dedicated to making sure that the school runs smoothly. They are all excellent problem solvers. I have also given them the responsibility of making sure that all work and maintenance orders are put in without telling me first."

Jack Noles has come to the same conclusion about the value of good secretarial support. "I have considered myself a very organized person for quite some time, but I had known that one area I needed help in was using my secretary more efficiently. After sitting in on a half-day session with ' breakthrough coach' Malachi Pancoast, I signed up my secretary and I for a two-day workshop for administrative teams [principals and their secretaries]."

From that workshop, Noles learned that he could save time by making better use of his secretary's skills. Time saved there was used to commit to establishing his two coaching days each week. In addition, Noles learned how a clean office, one absent of all unnecessary items, has helped him be a better time manager. "Keeping my office pristine has helped more than I would have imagined," he said. "If my office was too comfortable, I would want to spend more time in there than necessary."

With a clean office, Noles says he has more time to devote to what is really important.

TRAINING IN TIME MANAGEMENT

Beth Burt recently attended a workshop titled "How to Work Less, Play More, and Still Get the Job Done in a Normal School Week." The workshop was presented by -- guess who! -- Malachi Pancoast. "I would highly recommend [the workshop] to any principal," Burt said.

Several other members of Ed World's "Principal Files" team have received special training that has helped them do a better job of managing time. For example, principal Duane Kline has trained in the "seven habits of time management" espoused by Stephen Covey. "Reading his books, particularly Principle-Centered Leadership, had a big impact on my time thinking."

"I am always interested in learning new ways to save time," added principal Michael Miller of Saturn Elementary School in Cocoa, Florida. He considers himself fortunate to have been exposed to one of his district superintendent's favorite speakers. "I heard Dr. Ivan Fitzwater [see sidebar] speak on time management, and then I purchased several of his books. He has really good ideas. He introduced me to the concept of the 3 Ds: Delegate it, Dump it, or Do it. I try to live by that motto even though it can be very difficult given the amount of input I need from those around me."

Most principals use time management "tricks" such as the 3 Ds to guide them. Just remembering a simple trick such as that when handling the mass quantities of paper, emails, and ideas can be a great help.

As valuable as some workshops are, time management need not always be "taught" in a workshop setting. "At our monthly principals' meeting we work on the essentials of the job," Roy Sprinkle told EW. "We talk about what must be done, what can be eliminated... It is always a good idea to take a critical look at how we structure our days and what can be eliminated."

MAKING A CLOSED-DOOR POLICY WORK

Sometimes a principal just needs to make time during the school day to tackle email, reports, or other tasks. To that end, many principals find they must set aside a special time to handle those tasks.

"My secretary schedules all of my time," said Jack Noles. "She plans a time for us to meet each day, during which we run through all the mail and decide together how much time is needed for each of that day's tasks.

"Another important aspect of our time management plan is that even the staff schedules time with me. That keeps them from having to waste time waiting around the office for a 'minute' of my time, and it allows me to get much more work done because there are no unscheduled interruptions."

Some principals who pride themselves on having an open-door policy might not understand this approach, but "the staff here has come to appreciate it a great deal," added Noles. "They value their appointment times, since that is their time and their time alone. I put all work aside, do not take phone calls, and give my undivided attention to that staff member for the amount of time necessary to accomplish what is needed.

"Another lesser benefit of scheduling time with staff is that often staff members realize they can actually take care of many things that come up on their own or through some other means. The plan has emboldened some to become more self-sufficient."

Tracey Thomas has learned that much of her time can be "stolen" by staff members and others who come into her office when she is working or eating. "I have learned to close my door and to inform the secretary that I am not available. Staff members will need to return. Phone messages will need to be taken.

"The biggest thing for me was to realize was that it's OK to close my door from time to time. I used to feel guilty, but now I know that I deserve to take the time that's necessary to complete my assignments."

Thomas has found other ways to create time during the school day. "Sometimes, I even find a 'hiding place' within the school to do work if I really don't want to be disturbed," she added.

HANDLING THINGS ONCE -- ONLY ONCE

For principal Gretchen Schlie, the best timesaver is also a space saver. "I learned from a mentor administrator to deal with each issue or sheet of paper or email at hand as soon as I can -- instead of setting it aside and saying I will get back to it," said Schlie, who is principal at the International Christian School in Seoul, Korea.

"It is a hard habit to get into," added Schlie, "but I have also come to realize that it cuts down on clutter and having to go through piles of papers looking for something I was supposed to do."

Lolli Haws learned the touch-it-once technique long ago at a time management workshop. "I decide immediately to keep, file, toss, or act on every item as it come across my desk so piles don't build up. For the most part I do that without fail -- except for those big projects like our school improvement plan," Haws told Education World. "I hold all memos, notes, email, and mail for a time in the day when I can set aside time -- usually 20 minutes or so -- to go through each item. I take care of it, sign it, respond to it, or pass it on."

Haws said she checks email and voicemail when she arrives early in the morning, then again when she eats lunch and before she leaves for the day -- and rarely between those times. "They're addressed in the same manner as memos and mail -- I deal with each one once, when I first read or hear it."

MORE TIMELY TIPS

Principal Tim Messick uses a common tool -- the to-do list -- to great success, "especially during those occasions when the plate is very full with projects and activities." Nina Newlin does too. She uses her early-morning time to focus herself by listing the things she would like to accomplish that day. "I find that if I write a list for myself, I am much more likely to get tasks accomplished," said Newlin.

Lolli Haws lines up phone calls to be made and makes them as much in a cluster of time as possible. "Of course there are always urgent calls that need to be made when the message is received, but I think it goes faster when I can just sit down and make phone calls all at once, usually early in the afternoon and again before I go home," Haws explained. "I always return phone calls the same day they're made and keep a list of follow-up calls I need to make when further information is needed. I always let callers know when I will get back to them, and rarely do not follow through on that."

Haws also keeps files and folders for committees, regular meetings, events, and newsletters. Those folders are always at hand and keep her desk clear of paper.

"I also stick post-it notes on my computer screen to remind me of urgent things I need to do, and I take them off once the task is completed," added Haws.

From a people management standpoint -- kids in hallways or lunchrooms, at ballgame crowds, and in other places -- principal Duane Kline follows Civil War hero Nathan Bedford Forrest's "get there firstest with the mostest" admonition. "Whenever we have a rivalry game or another crowd situation, I make sure that I am there with as many of my assistants and security folks as possible. Of course, that holds true for the lunchroom, too. Our rule is always 'go where the biggest concentration of our students is.'"

There are many days when Teri Stokes' mail is not looked at, but her office aide knows to hand her directly any mail from the central office or other important-looking mail. "Parent correspondence is always hand-delivered and looked at," said Stokes. "Having a desk that is clear of mail is not as important to me as being in every classroom every day."

'The most important time-management lesson I have learned is that I must take time for myself," said principal Tracey Thomas. "My health is just as important as time-stealing tasks. If I am emotionally or physically exhausted, I am not capable of doing an effective job. So, I find some enjoyable things to do for myself. I might get a massage, go out of town on a weekend, or just play music in my office."

Recognizing that there are things that just cannot be done, and setting proper priorities, is key, concluded Nina Newlin. "There is no way I can do everything I would like to do," she said, adding, "I have to forgive myself for not being perfect."

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Finding Time
This article from NAESP's Communicator provides helpful time-management tips.

Article by Gary Hopkins
Education World®
Copyright © Education World

Last updated 12/30/2012

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Principals Offer Time Management Tips | Education World

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Have you mastered the 3 D's (Delegate it, Dump it, or Do it)? Could a "closed-door policy" help you better manage your time? Maybe you should set up "satellite offices" -- or find a hiding place? Education World's "Principal Files" team offers those time management tips and more.

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As administrators we hold a big piece to the decision making process of the school. It is within the Administrator's jurisdiction to make the decision on their own. However, if we want to be a campus that has the support of the faculty, staff, community, and teachers these decisions also need to include their opinion on the decisions that impact the campus. This article outlines some strategies for administrators to be able to effectively execute those decisions.

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Thanks to its partnership with publisher Eye on Education, Education World is pleased to present this administrator tip from School Leader Internship (4th Edition): Developing, Monitoring, and Evaluating Your Leadership Experience, by Gary E. Martin, Arnold B. Danzig, William F. Wright, Richard A. Flanary, and Fred Brown. This article provides school leaders with five factors to consider when making quality decisions.

Decision making is sine qua non to education administration because a school, like all formal organizations, is basically a decision-making structure (Hoy and Miskel, 2001). Decision making is a process that guides actions. Decisions are based on the beliefs, values and previous experiences of individuals. Leaders must know themselves, know why they choose particular paths, know whom to involve, and know which particular decision-making model to use. Today, researchers and theorists know that those at the top cannot accurately gather or predict all alternatives. They know that followers deserve to be involved and that input and collaboration result in better decisions. The first decision is to decide what level of involvement is most effective.

Leaders have at least four options of involvement in decisions: deciding alone, seeking participation and input, seeking collaboration, and letting others decide. These approaches are termed autocratic, participative, collaborative, and laissez fair, respectively. A wise leader uses participative and collaborative strategies for all important decisions. However, such an approach is not always possible, nor is it preferable in all situations. The leader must assess 5 factors to decide on the level of involvement:

Time

Urgency may require the leader to make his or her own decision without consulting others. Participative decisions, especially collaborative decisions, require more time than a decision made alone. If important decisions are at stake, the leader must schedule more time for involvement.

Staff Interest in the Decision

Barnard (1938) found that individuals have a "zone of indifference" in which they simply accept the leader's decision and are apathetic toward the decision. In these cases, the leader would not benefit from trying to gain participation or collaboration. At higher levels of interest, however, more participation or collaboration is appropriate. Leaders who desire more collaboration must generate interest in the decision.

Staff Expertise

Followers who have very low levels of expertise accept the decisions of leaders. Staff members who have higher levels of expertise require either participation or collaboration to arrive at successful decisions. The leader who desires collaboration must raise levels of expertise to successfully involve subordinates.

Importance or Need For a High-Quality Decision

Some decisions are much more important and carry significant consequences. This is usually the case for instruction and learning, whether directly or indirectly. For important questions that demand high-quality decisions, collaboration is the best model. If the decision is relatively unimportant, then the leader should simply make the decision.

Degree of Need for Buy-In or Support for the Decision

Many decisions in schools need staff support for successful implementation and results. A collaborative model often increases buy-in and support.

Education World®
Copyright © 2012, 2017 Education World

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Decision-Making for School Leaders: Five Tips | Education World

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Thanks to its partnership with publisher Eye on Education, Education World is pleased to present this administrator tip from School Leader Internship (4th Edition): Developing, Monitoring, and Evaluating Your Leadership Experience, by Gary E. Martin , Arnold B. Danzig , William F. Wright , Richard A. Flanary, and Fred Brown .