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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Bildung
- Sprache: Englisch
An insightful and original take on educational leadership
Advice from the Principal’s Desk: 5 Pillars of School Leadership is a fresh, new take on school leadership from award-winning former school administrator and professor of education Dr. David Franklin. In the book, you’ll find the tools and strategies that veteran school administrators need to succeed in their roles. You’ll learn how to increase attendance and parental involvement in student affairs, minimize suspension, navigate budget cuts, and more.
The author explores five key areas that school leaders cannot neglect and examines how busy school leaders should spend their extremely limited time. You’ll also discover:
- Strategies you can deploy to best support your students and other stakeholders
- How to navigate the often-conflicting demands of parents, teacher unions, and governing bodies
- How to best use and implement technology to support your work and create a positive and productive school environment
An ideal resource for current and aspiring K-12 principals and school administrators, Advice from the Principal’s Desk is packed with the research, real-world examples, and practical techniques that education professionals need to improve the results of their leadership.
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Seitenzahl: 301
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
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Table of Contents
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Introduction
The Journey
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Principal's Desk Network
The Five Pillars of School Leadership
How to Use This Book
The Many Hats of School Leadership
Pillar I: Leadership
Chapter 1: Becoming
What Now?
Chapter 2: Principal Leadership Matters
What Now?
Chapter 3: Setting the Tone
A Three-Pronged Approach
What Now?
Chapter 4: A Top-down Approach Versus Collaborative Approach
What Now?
Chapter 5: Be Seen
You've Got to Rule the Parking Lot
What Now?
Chapter 6: Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
What Now?
Chapter 7: Looking at the Right Data
What Now?
Tales from the Principal's Desk
Questions to Ask Yourself:
Pillar II: Instruction
Chapter 8: Instruction Matters
What Now?
Chapter 9: It's Not How Much Time, but What You Do with It
What Now?
Chapter 10: Shifting from Teacher-Led to Teacher-Facilitated Instruction
What Now?
Chapter 11: Classroom Observations (Walkthroughs and Instructional Rounds)
What Now?
Chapter 12: Implementing Instructional Technology
What Now?
Chapter 13: Assessment for Learning
What Now?
Tales from the Principal's Desk
Questions to Ask Yourself
Pillar III: Community
Chapter 14: We're Not in Kansas Anymore
What Now?
Chapter 15: School and Community Research
What Now?
Chapter 16: Using Social Media in Schools
What Now?
Chapter 17: Know Your Neighborhood
What Now?
Chapter 18: Connecting with the Community
What Now?
Chapter 19: One Call per Day
What Now?
Chapter 20: Video Conferencing for All
What Now?
Tales from the Principal's Desk
Questions to Ask Yourself
Pillar IV: Attendance
Chapter 21: Get to School, Ferris!
Chapter 22: Get Butts in Seats
What Now?
Chapter 23: Conducting Home Visits
What Now?
Chapter 24: Creating Attendance Plans That Work
What Now?
Chapter 25: Holding Parents Accountable
What Now?
Tales from the Principal's Desk
Questions to Ask Yourself
Pillar V: Culture
Chapter 26: Culture Is Everything
Chapter 27: Inclusion for All
English Language Learners
Students with Special Needs
Race
What Now?
Chapter 28: Creating a Safe Environment
What Now?
Chapter 29: Sharing Your Own Story
What Now?
Chapter 30: Creating a Collaborative Culture from the Ground Up
What Now?
Tales from the Principal's Desk
Questions to Ask Yourself
Conclusion
References
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Index
End User License Agreement
List of Illustrations
Introduction
Figure 0.1 Five Pillars of School Leadership
Figure 0.2 Leadership Domain
Chapter 13
Figure 13.1 8 Key Features of Assessment for Learning
Guide
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Introduction
Table of Contents
Begin Reading
Conclusion
References
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Index
End User License Agreement
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Advice from the Principal’s Desk
Five Pillars of School Leadership
David Franklin
Copyright © 2024 by John Wiley & Sons Inc., All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.Published simultaneously in Canada.
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Cover Design: WileyCover Image: © nuwatphoto/Shutterstock
To my wife, Cary,and daughters, Mackenzie and Emerson,your inspiration and love is woven throughout this book.
To my Mom,the first teacher for thousands of children,including my own.Wish you were here.
Introduction
The Journey
We often ask students what they want to be when they grow up. We use their ideas for slideshows, putting their dream profession on a whiteboard underneath their glowing smile. The professions that students pick range from doctor to football player, chef to engineer, teacher to lawyer, and everything in between. If you are lucky, you'll get to see a Batman or President of the United States among the answers. Do you know what profession is rarely brought up? School principal. I'm sure I could count on one hand the times that a child said they wanted to grow up to be a school principal. Furthermore, I am positive that being Batman had more interest than school leadership.
Many teachers start out in the education profession straight out of college, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to change the world. I was one of those teachers. I started out as a substitute teacher working at any school that needed me, in any subject, any grade level. My first assignment was in a second-grade classroom. It was a disaster. I remember coming home that afternoon exhausted, collapsing on the couch and falling asleep. However, the great thing about being a substitute teacher is that there will most likely be another job at another school tomorrow. My first regular teaching job was teaching music at a middle school in Poway, California, taking over for a teacher on maternity leave. After that year, I taught music in Carlsbad, California, for four years in my own classroom. I filled out my teaching schedule with periods of physical education and science/technology, and I loved it, but I knew I wouldn't stay for long.
I was lucky to find myself in a school that had only been open for one year before I was hired. The previous music teacher didn't work out and I was given the opportunity to create my own program. The only caveat was that I had to grow my numbers or I would not have a program to teach. I began the school year with around 30 music students – and I needed 100 students to continue the program.
Due to the nature of my main subject area, music, I had a knack for connecting with students who struggled with making connections at school. For many of these students, my class was the reason they came to school at all. Many of them had poor grades in several of their core classes, but were earning a legitimate A in my class.
Over the course of a few years, my program grew from a small, fledgling music program, to a robust powerhouse with over 150 students in five different bands. It quickly became the largest elective program at the school. I knew I was onto something when my incoming sixth-grade band kept growing year over year, ensuring that my older-grade bands would have large numbers as well in a year or two.
Due to the size and popularity of the program, we would routinely raise over $100,000 a year for new instruments, field trips, performances, equipment, and recording devices. We were able to secure partnerships with music stores, instrument makers, and even brought in Grammy Award–winning musicians to play for students and their families.
Earlier in my teaching career, I had begun to notice elements in the work that we do as educators that I couldn't quite understand. I felt that we were focusing on the wrong things and spinning our wheels trying to move forward but all we were doing was standing still. The same students kept excelling, while the same students kept struggling.
As time went on, I began to create an educational philosophy that would eventually become my foundation for the work I would engage in for a decade as a school leader. While I knew that the desire to move into administration was starting to grow inside me, I was not yet confident that the school leadership direction was for me. After all, I was a former musician with long hair, and taught an elective program.
Over the next few years, I took on different teacher leadership roles on campus such as sitting on our School Site Council, helping to determine funding allocations for teachers as well as serving as the Administrative Designee. This position was more compliance in nature as I would technically be the administrator in charge if both the principal and assistant principal were both out for the day. Luckily for me, and probably the school, I don't believe that situation ever happened.
My principal urged me to take the California principal licensure test, which I reluctantly did. I was quite content being a teacher, as I was at a great school with great colleagues and families. I hadn't thought about going into administration before. After growing my program and working with hundreds of students over the next few years, I didn't think it would hurt to get certified. Surprisingly, I passed on the first try, which kick-started my job hunt for assistant principal positions. I applied all over California, landing an AP job at a middle school in east San Jose. I was lucky enough to work with a seasoned principal who taught me the ropes, put me in challenging situations, and, unbeknown to me, trained me on the job to take over her spot. I was thrown into difficult conversations with teachers and parents, given some challenging teachers to evaluate, led a few fledgling committees, and grappled with attendance and student disciplinary issues. Most importantly, I learned from my mistakes. And let me tell you, I made a lot of them.
Moving into the role of principal happened sooner rather than later. At the end of my first year as an assistant principal, my principal was promoted to director of Student Services. As she was packing up her office, she casually told me to bring a suit to work the next day, just in case I needed it. It turns out that I did need it: I found myself changing into it midway through the morning after the superintendent's secretary called to tell me he'd like to see me at the district office.
Let's cut to the chase. He offered me the job, and the rest is history.
Or not.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
I remember that I called a former principal of mine from my teaching days to tell him the news after returning to my school that afternoon. I will never forget what he told me. He asked if I was sitting in my new office. I told him I was. He said, “Look behind you. Is anyone there?” “No,” I replied. He followed with, “Now you know what it is like to be a principal.”
That's how my journey began. At 28 years old, I became a middle school principal.
My school had a variety of challenges. We worked with an under-represented community, challenged with poverty, gangs, and a distrust of the educational system. As I began my journey, I felt overwhelmed, unsure of myself, and wary of letting everyone down. Furthermore, there were staff members who were waiting for me to fail, as they were not too pleased with the district's decision to promote me given my young age and desire for change.
As teachers began to arrive back on campus to set up their classrooms for the upcoming school year, I was barraged with questions, complaints, and requests from everyone and everywhere. Teachers, staff members, and parents all descended upon me, like sharks smelling blood in the water.
I had never felt more alone in my professional life than those few weeks before school began my first year as a principal. There is no manual for this job. No amount of preparation, education, graduate courses, and professional development can prepare you for what it is like to step into the role of a school leader. I failed many, many times, but I got up each and every time, brushed myself off, and tried again. There were many sleepless nights, filled with tears, self-doubt, and fear. At the same time, there were also celebrations, feelings of accomplishment, pride, and collaboration. I took the wins when I could get them and viewed the losses as learning opportunities.
As I reflect upon my first couple of years as a principal, I remember the good times, bad times, and most vividly, the ugly times. Now that I am many years past those tumultuous times, I can see more clearly and recognize what I should have focused my time and energy on as well as how I wasted time focusing on trivial matters. It can be difficult for principals to focus their energy on the right areas in order to best impact student learning. Principals are thrust into having to navigate new relationships with teachers, staff members, different unions, district officials, hundreds of thousands of parents, and community members. It can be quite overwhelming.
I served as a principal for 10 years, spending five years at a middle school and five years at the elementary level. After leaving the principalship, I spent several years as a full-time professor of education, and worked as an education consultant in two education technology companies, working closely with districts to engage students at deeper levels, leading to better learning outcomes. I am also an associate of Dr. Robert Marzano, delivering leadership and school culture professional development to schools and districts across the United States.
The Principal's Desk Network
In 2016, I launched “The Principal's Desk.” Originally, it was just a blog site for me to post ideas and articles that I wrote about school leadership, culture, communication, and instruction. After becoming frustrated with the lack of places educators could go to get advice, ideas, and support, I started “The Principal's Desk” Facebook group. It started out small with just a few hundred members with whom I had directly connections. After about four years, I had a few thousand educators in the group and I was thrilled that our numbers were growing. I remember posting announcements that “The Principal's Desk” group had surpassed 25,000, 50,000, and 75,000 members. Hitting 100,000 members was exciting and something that I could never have imagined just a few years prior. Within a year, “The Principal's Desk” blew past 200,000 members, serving educators from over 200 countries around the world. In this group, members share ideas, best practices, and stories from their schools. Many of the posts I see are from new principals, thrust into positions of leadership for which they were not fully prepared. Many of them are struggling, looking for a lifeline to help turn things around.
My goal in writing this book is to support these new principals in their journey and to have them learn from my mistakes as well as successes. It is important that principals are set up for success. Many sources indicate that around 20% of principals leave their positions every year. Schools need consistent leadership in order to maintain a constant vision of excellence. Sadly, many teachers report that in a span of just five years, they have worked with three or four principals. That is not a recipe for success.
The Five Pillars of School Leadership
This book will examine five pillars that principals need to focus on in order to support students, parents, staff members, and teachers through the academic process. These five pillars have been cultivated, revised, and perfected over the past two decades (Figure 0.1).
The five pillars are:
Leadership
Instruction
Community
Attendance
School Culture
This book will break down each pillar into three distinct areas: First, we will examine the research and data around the pillars, why they are important, and how they impact learning outcomes. Second, we will address different problems and solutions within each pillar. Lastly, we will dive into real-world examples of solutions at work in schools across the world.
Leadership:
First and foremost, the ability to be a competent leader is a must for a school principal. The best leaders are those that get away from the top-down approach and work collaboratively with others to fulfill a common vision. Heavy-handed principals usually do not have a long tenure at their schools and rarely leave behind lasting change. School leaders must be visible, both in person and digitally. Principals need to get out of their office and be with teachers and students throughout the day by visiting classrooms, walking the cafeteria, greeting students in the morning, and saying good-bye in the afternoon. This is the only way to build rapport with different stakeholder groups. You can't build relationships hiding behind a closed door in an office. The same can be said for building a digital presence. It is not enough for principals to be visible in person anymore. Having a viable digital presence can help spread a positive narrative about both the principal and the school as a whole. School leaders should also be experts in creating a positive space for professional learning communities (PLCs). Through the use of PLCs, teacher groups can work together to build their own capacity as well as share best practices that will lead to increased learning outcomes. However, in order to have well-running PLCs, data protocols need to be in place and followed by all staff members.
Data
has become a four-letter word in education because it has been used to give both students and teachers a grade. The true purpose of data is to establish a starting point and to be able to see where a child goes on the learning continuum over time. We must be clinical, not critical, with our data.
Figure 0.1 Five Pillars of School Leadership
Instruction:
A strong instructional program is essential for a successful school. Principals need to focus on both the instruction occurring in classrooms as well as the curriculum being used by teachers and students. All students deserve to be taught using a proven and viable curriculum. That curriculum needs to be delivered with fidelity each and every day. Furthermore, that curriculum needs to meet the needs of all students, including children who are struggling and those who need acceleration. There is no one-size-fits-all curriculum model. Creating a student-centered approach will allow all students to have their needs met where they are, not where standardized testing states they should be.
Community:
Many communities are centered around local schools. Education institutions serve students during the day and the community at large in the evening. It is vital that schools be transparent with the communities they serve as well as tap into local resources to deepen relationships. Parents need to feel welcome at their local school and have a say when it comes to school practices and district policies. If the community has a seat at the table, they will be more inclined to support the school through difficult times, including changes in funding and major disciplinary issues that may become public. Tapping into community resources for local experts, problem solvers, and sponsors is a great way to showcase a school in a positive light. This is also another opportunity to utilize social media and share the wonderful work of teachers and students at your school in collaboration with the community.
Attendance:
A school can have the most wonderful teachers, the most caring staff members, and the most dedicated principal, and students will still be unsuccessful if they are not in school. Students can't learn from teachers when they are absent. According to the US Department of Education (2020) more than 20% of high school students are truant every year, and 14% of middle school students are also truant each year. In order for students to flourish in school, they must be present. Being in attendance can change a child's trajectory in life. Students who attend school regularly have a stronger connection to their teachers and peers. That feeling of belonging leads to higher levels of academic achievement. Focusing on increasing attendance is an integral element in school improvement.
School Culture:
All of the preceding pillars culminate into creating a positive school culture for both staff and students. A school's culture can be thought of as a fine dining dish with leadership, instruction, community, and attendance being ingredients. It is important for school leaders not to confuse climate and culture. Climate refers to the current mood of the school. This can and does change day to day, week to week. The culture of a school refers to the overall and mutual feeling that one gets when walking onto the school's campus. It is seen in how people are greeted, how students treat each other, how staff treats each other, and how parents interact with everyone. A school culture is evident when walking onto a campus. It is also known throughout the community.
How to Use This Book
Each school leadership pillar will be broken down into three distinct areas: Research and Data; Problems and Solutions; and a Real-World Tie-in entitled Tales from the Principal's Desk (Figure 0.2).
The first section, Research and Data, will show the need and importance of the pillar as well as how it can influence a school's culture and overall student learning outcomes. The second section, Problems and Solutions, will address tangible issues or areas of focus that schools need to address within that pillar. Each section of this pillar will address four of these issues or focus areas and how to address them. Finally, Tales from The Principal's Desk will bring in examples from my experiences as a school principal from the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of my tenure. These will be real situations I found myself in and how I addressed them. I have changed the names in the book in order to preserve the anonymity of educators I have worked with.
Figure 0.2 Leadership Domain
Here is the breakdown of each of the problems and solutions we will be addressing in all five pillars:
Pillar One: Leadership
Top-down versus collaborative approach (teacher leadership)
Visibility (parking lot, yard, classrooms)
PLCs (what they are, what they are not)
Data analysis
Pillar Two: Instruction
Teacher-led to teacher-facilitated (paradigm shift in ed)
Classroom observations (walk-throughs versus instructional rounds)
Technology integration (how to pick your tech)
Assessment (formative assessments lead to more data points)
Pillar Three: Community
Communication (social media, interactive newsletters)
Knowing your neighborhood (shop local)
Maintaining parent support (coffee with the principal)
Tapping into community resources (universities, library, social workers)
Pillar Four: Attendance
Getting butts in seats
Home visits (planning and execution)
Attendance plans (address the root problem)
Holding parents accountable (bringing in professional development [PD] and social workers)
Pillar Five: Culture
Creating an inclusive environment (SpED, ELL, race)
Maintaining a safe campus (mental health, supervision)
Sharing successes (social media, local news)
Addressing problems together (collaboration)
The Many Hats of School Leadership
This book is for school leaders looking to make changes at their sites. Schools across the country and around the world need to be looked at more closely to see if they are achieving at high levels. As we tackle each of the five pillars, school leaders should reflect upon their own school and take stock of what is working and what needs to change. It is easy for school leaders to get bogged down in work that will not yield true change, leading to frustration and exhaustion. Please note that change is difficult and should not be undertaken on a whim or fleeting thought. True change is detailed, rigorous, and challenging. There will be blood, sweat, and tears. There will be days that you want to shut yourself in your office and write your resignation letter. There will also be days of elation, immense pride, and tremendous happiness.
Being a principal is a job of highs and lows, lefts and rights, ins and outs.
This book will share valuable insights into the secrets of success in school leadership and how to navigate this challenging landscape. Each chapter will give you opportunities to reflect, ask questions of yourself and your leadership team, and create an action plan for these high-needs issues. By addressing these five pillars, new principals will be able to successfully navigate the principalship and thrive within their school community.
I hope that this book will be a valuable resource as you start this exciting journey into school leadership. There will be treacherous roads ahead. School leaders encounter obstacles that they didn't even know existed. There is a reason why it is said that principals have to wear many hats that pull them in different directions. While I was a principal, I also served as a counselor, cook, furniture maker, painter, copy machine whisperer, firefighter twice (for real), private investigator, mail carrier, doctor, grant writer, wild animal catcher, and politician. With this type of a résumé, it is easy to lose sight of the true mission of our work. However, true school improvement and change is possible with the right tools, conversations, and focus.
I should know. I was a part of a school that did it. Twice.
Pillar ILeadership
Chapter 1Becoming
I became a principal at a young age – 28. After four years of teaching, my principal at the time encouraged me to go for my Administrative Services Credential and to start applying for administrative positions. After spending a few weeks considering my options, I went forward and got my Administrative Services Credential and started to apply for positions all over the state. To my surprise, I received an offer to become a middle school assistant principal. That summer, my wife and I packed up our lives and moved from Southern to Northern California.
From the beginning, I knew that this experience would be vastly different from teaching. I was immediately thrust into hiring decisions, fixing the master schedule, preparing classrooms for teachers and students, and meeting community members.
I was lucky enough to work with a veteran principal who was able to guide me during my first year out of the classroom. Calling that first year a bumpy ride would be generous. I felt lost, overwhelmed, and unprepared for the position. One of my first experiences in my new role was the hiring of new teachers, as we still had several vacancies to fill. I was new to this experience. At my former school where I was a teacher, we rarely had a vacancy come up. When we did, it was filled quickly with an amazing teacher. As we were conducting interviews at my new school, I was shocked by how unprepared most of the candidates were for both the interview process and the potential assignment itself. Sadly, we began the year with two vacancies and long-term substitute teachers.
None of my master's courses prepared me for what it would be like to be a school leader. That first year felt like five. I remember that it seemed like it rained every day. I'm not just talking about the physical act of rain, although we had an abnormally cold and gray winter and spring that year. I am talking more about it raining from the inside. I was lost in my new role. I was new to having parents in my face, disagreeing with every decision I made, as well as teachers banging on my office door, dropping problem after problem on my desk. I'm sure that I quit dozens of times in my head.
From day one, I found myself thrust into contentious parent meetings, disciplinary hearings, suspension and expulsion meetings, and teacher evaluations. Gone were the days where I worked with smiling and eager students. I now began and ended each day patching up huge problems with Band-Aids, dealing with disciplinary issues, and completing endless compliance tasks. The job of a school leader is lonely. Classrooms are filled with noise and the hustle and bustle of learning. An administrator's office is quiet and muted. I felt defeated.
If you are feeling the same way, you are not alone.
As the days turned into weeks and weeks into months, I found myself less overwhelmed and lost. I listened and watched my principal work, solve problems, and create solutions for both teachers and students. As a young assistant principal, I did my best to make a positive impact on the school, knowing that one day I would be standing in the shoes of my principal, leading a school, for better or for worse.
Little did I know that I would get my opportunity sooner rather than later. My principal was on the short list for a director position in the district. After a quick round of interviews, she was given the job and announced that she would accept the offer. The principal job opening at my school was immediately published. I did not apply, nor was asked to apply. Several candidates were interviewed, including a principal from a neighboring district that my principal had worked with in the past. She was offered the position and took a tour of the school, meeting me along the way. She seemed very competent, friendly, and connected to the community.
She turned down the job the next day.
As the story goes, she did not want to switch districts and was being considered for a principalship at another school. That meant that my school was still without a principal. One afternoon, my principal asked me if I was interested in the position. I said I was, but wasn't sure if I was ready for it. In hindsight, I knew I wasn't ready for it. However, I did not want to pass up the opportunity to make the leap into the principalship. It could be years before the offer would come my way again.
I could tell that conversations were happening behind the scenes. One afternoon, my principal told me to bring a suit to work the next day as I might need it for something. That next day, I was summoned to the superintendent's office. I had only met my superintendent a few times and never spoke with him one-on-one. I quickly changed into my suit in the small bathroom in the office and drove the three miles to the district office. I walked into the building and over to the superintendent's office and told his secretary that he was expecting me. She said that he was waiting for me and that I could go right in.
My superintendent greeted me when I walked in the door and he asked me to have a seat at the conference table.
Then, he asked me if I wanted the job.
I said yes.
At the ripe old age of 28, I became the next principal of my school. I was terrified, excited, and trepidatious all at once – as well as sure that I had made the biggest mistake of my career. There was no way that I was ready for this.
