Top Tips

•	Having a transition plan is important; get to know your school, allow them to get to know you, and determine what you need to learn and do as soon as possible. Read more here.
•	Establish yourself as a new leader  based on your ability to communicate, improve climate, provide leadership for change, and manage your time. Read more here.
•	Put new teachers at the top of your priority list. They may be the key to establishing yourself as an effective leader and developing trust throughout your school. Read more here.
•	Elephants don't bite--it's the mosquitoes that will get you. The details of your job can be the measure of your success or failure (p.2) Read more here.
•	There are four basic building blocks for leadership: improving school climate,  providing leadership for change, communicating effectively, and managing time. Read more here.
•	See advice from other principals: • Veteran Advice for New Principals: A conversation with three experienced principals reveals the leadership models that have helped them grow and succeed. By Bob Krajewski, Nancy Conner, Vincent Murray and Claudia  • New! Top Things a First Year School Principal Should Do. Be sure these 7 suggestions are on or already checked off of your ‘to do list’! • Tips for First Year Principals: Eight Ways to Make your Mark. By Carol D. Birks With Judith Richardson • Transitioning from the Assistant Principalship to the Principalship. David S. Ellena

Words of Wisdom

• Practical, managing advice: Keep control over your hiring, budget, and schedule. These three are always tied together and an error in any one will result in crisis in the others. Practical, vision advice: Set the example of the behavior and culture you want to see in your school. Engage with everyone sincerely and respectfully; keep learning a priority for yourself; and don't shy away from the hard reflective self-appraisal.

Suzanne Kimball, Principal
Salem Jr. High, Salem, Utah
2012 MetLife/NASSP Middle Level Principal of the Year: Utah

• Your first year as principal will be a marathon that feels like a sprint. Unless your school is brand new, you will be joining a community that already exists and already has many ongoing conversations that you will be joining mid-stream. Here are a few things I learned in my first few years:
  • First, the people most eager to speak with you at first will turn out to be your best allies and your biggest headaches. Listen, and wait a while until you know enough about school dynamics to be able to tell them apart.
  • Second, teach yourself this mantra: Don't react, respond! When a principal reacts, she or he has not paused to consider the action. When we respond, we force ourselves to make a more prudent decision.
  • Third, you don't get to decide how urgent an issue is for someone else, but you can decide not to get caught up in that person's emotions. Here's a great way to do that: Never walk swiftly. Even if a bathroom is on fire, keep your pace slow and purposeful. You need to send a message that you are calm and in control -- even if you aren't on the inside. A slow walk assures your staff and students. A fast walk or running panics them.
  • Fourth, and most difficult, authorize a close friend to be your self-appointed time-off-task fun guide. You can work 14 hours a day for seven days a week unless you have someone you trust to get you to relax now and then. Have fun -- this job is so worth it, none better!

Tom McMorran, Ed.D., Principal
Barlow High School, Easton and Redding, Connecticut
2012 MetLife/NASSP Middle Level Principal of the Year: Connecticut

• I have carried with me a simple statement that has driven my work since I have started as an administrator, “Extraordinary leadership is not a neutral experience.” If your experience as a principal and leader, and the experience of your staff, students and school community is neutral, you have not changed in any capacity.

Kevin J. Ricker, Ed.S., Principal
Centennial High School, Gresham, Oregon
2012 MetLife/NASSP High School Principal of the Year: Oregon

• To understand school climate and culture and then improve it; be in it. Be not only visable but substantial in all that you do. Visit your classrooms so often that it becomes the norm instead of unique. Do not trust that all is well, verify, so you can build programs and culture on substance not assumption.

Greg Wohlman, Principal Kalskag Schools,
Kalskag, Alaska
2012 MetLife/NASSP Middle Level Principal of the Year: Alaska

• Always remember, no decision you make is more important than determining who you choose to put in front of kids 180 days each year.  Hire the very best people you can and support them ferociously.

Dr. Nathan McCann, Superintendent of Schools
Altar Valley School District, Arizona
2010 NASSP Assistant Principal of the Year (Flowing Wells High School)

• Three core tenets that have contributed to my success as a principal:
  • Relationships, relationships, relationships between all members of the community create a positive school environment. 
  • The most important impact on a student’s learning is the teacher in the classroom- hire well!  
  • Increased student achievement requires systemic change. 

• Tips for New Principals. (2005, October). Educational Leadership: When the Principal is the New Kid at School, 47(10).
  Several principals interviewed for the October 2005 issue of Educational Leadership identified strategies that they felt would have enhanced their success as beginning principals. Read more about their suggestions, such as the importance of visibility, being emotionally in tune with your building, focusing on student learning, and not trying to do too much.

Terry Wolfson, former principal at Hopkins West Junior High School
Currently Principal, American School in Cyprus
Member of NASSP Task on Middle Level Leadership and NASSP’s Literacy Initiative

• Know your staff - who are the leaders, followers, changers and skeptics?
  Make all decisions based on the following question: How will this improve student achievement?
  Allow and encourage teachers to try new teaching strategies and share those successes with others.

Rod Lowe, Principal
Vallivue Middle School, Caldwell, ID
A 2012 MetLife Foundation-NASSP Breakthrough School

• Lead with a sense of relentless urgency, your students can’t wait. Understand what you believe and on which hills you are prepared to die. Develop those around you. Set a great example. I wish I had better understood the change process when I started out. I could have avoided more pot holes.

Bob Manseau (Finalist, NASSP High School Principal of the year, 2012)
Principal
Campbell High School (500 students)

• How to program your speed dial:
  Button 1. Someone you love
  Button 2. Someone who loves you
  Button 3. Someone you can ask ANYTHING you need to ask, and KNOW that the conversation will be confidential.
  Button 4. Someone with longevity in the school system you work in (so you can ask about potential landmines).

John R. Nori
Director, Program Development
Leadership Programs and Services
NASSP

• A major part of our success at Woodbridge Middle School has been the importance we have placed on getting to know our students, building positive relationships with our students, and looking at each student as an individual, trying to do whatever meets the needs of the child. We care about our students and we believe in them. We are constantly examining our programs and practices, constantly seeking continuous improvement. Not everyone has the skills and attitude required to teach middle school students and to give them the quality attention they need and deserve. Hire carefully with your students in mind!

Principal, Woodbridge Middle School (A 2012 NASSP Breakthrough School)
Woodbridge, VA

Other NASSP Resources

Are you a middle level principal? Visit NASSP’s Center for Middle Level Leadership for information and services designed to address important issues and to promote excellence in middle level education and students.

An urban principal? For specific information for urban leaders, visit the Urban Schools Center for podcasts and interviews with experienced school leaders.

The principal of a highly diverse school? Check out the Leaders of Diverse School Center.

Are you interested in specific topics such as Common Core State Standards? Bullying Prevention? Use of Social Media? For those and many more specific topics visit NASSP’s Topics of Interest page.

You can also listen to NASSP's podcasts with experienced school leaders or consider signing up for or view one of NASSP's webinars.

NASSP podcasts and webinars

Visit School Leaders Review for podcasts covering wide variety of topics. Listen to famous authors such as Rick Wormeli and Robert Marzano, or active principals with expertise in areas of interest to you. Also look for advice and suggestions from award winning principals and NASSP experts. Their insights, wisdom, suggestions and strategies are invaluable, and most podcasts are less than 15 minutes!

Interested in upcoming webinars? Visit www.nassp.org/webinars to see what is coming up next. Or, if you are interested in a previous webinar on a special topic, visit the webinar archives. These webinars are free and offered in formats for both Windows and Mac (desktop and mobile) users, unless otherwise noted.

Book Recommendations

•	New! Joseph, Shawn (2012). Principals Guide to the First 100 Days of the School Year. Eye on Education. Written for veteran principals, new principals, and aspiring principals, this book is a valuable resource for building instructional momentum during the beginning of the school year. Joseph guides administrators through five key areas: instructional leadership, vision, politics, data and planning, providing detailed timelines, practical advice, and ready-to-use resource.
•	What Great Principals Do differently: Fifteen Things that Matter Most (2003). Todd Whitaker.
•	High Impact Leadership for High Impact Schools: The Actions that Matter Most (2008). Pam Salazar.
•	Watkins, M. (2003). The first 90 days: Critical success strategies for new leaders at all levels. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press. Watkins talks about the importance of promoting yourself in the early phases of transition, your learning curve, securing early wins, creating coalitions, maintaining balance, and more…. This is written not only for educators but leaders in any context!
•	Gorman, Kevin A. (2012). Preparing to Be Next in Line: A Guide to the Principalship. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield. This book gets great reviews as a unique blend of research theory and practical advice, allowing the reader to develop an outline of helpful hints, suggestions, recommendations and ideas. One reviewer stated "I wish I had that insight when I first dealt with that situation" (Michael Short, Ed.D.).

Additional Book Recommendations

NEW! Check out the book recommendations from the new National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) Center for New Principals.

•	Brock, Barbara L. & Grady, Marilyn L. (2004). Launching Your First Principalship: A Guide for Beginning Principals. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
•	Brock, Barbara L. & Grady, Marilyn L. (2012). The Daily Practices of Successful Principals. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
•	Daresh, John C. (2006). Beginning the Principalship: A Practical Guide for New School Leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
•	Fleck, Franzy (2005). What Successful Principals Do! 169 Tips for Principals. Larchmont, NY: Eye on New York.
•	Green, Tena. (2009). Your First Year as Principal: Everything You Need to Know That They Didn’t Teach in School. Ocala, FL: Atlantic Publishing Group.
•	Isaacson, Leanna Stohr. (2005). Smart, Fast, Efficient: The New Principal’s Guide to Success. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.
•	O’Rourke, Anne; Provenzano, Jackie; Bellamy, Tom & Ballek, Karen. (2007). Countdown to the Principalship: A Resource Guide for Beginning Principals. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.
•	Robbins, Pamela M. & Alvy, Harvey B. (2009). The Principal’s Companion: Strategies for Making the Job Easier. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
•	Robbins, Pamela. (2004). The New Principal’s Fieldbook: Strategies for Success. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
•	Shoho, Alan R.; Barnett, Bruce G. & Tooms, Autumn. (2010). The Challenge for New Principals in the 21st Century: Developing Leadership Capabilities through Professional Support. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
•	Tooms, Autumn. (2005). The Rookie’s Playbook: Insights and Dirt for New Principals. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education.
•	Villani, Susan. (2008). Are You Sure You’re the Principal? A Guide for New and Aspiring Leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
•	Villani, Susan. (2005). Mentoring and Induction Programs That Support New Principals. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
•	Waggoner, Chuck. (2005). Communicating School Finance: What Every Beginning Principal Need to Know. Lincoln, NE: iUniverse

Other Resources

Network with other principals to get their ideas, insights and feedback. Join the NASSP EdWeb New Principals’ Network!

NEW! View helpful articles available at the new National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) Center for New Principals.

The Rand Corporation recently released a research brief on first-year principals' experiences, actions, working conditions, and outcomes; the research is intended to inform efforts to promote school improvement and principal retention.

In addition, the Rand Corporation also issues a research report specifically addressing first year principals in urban schools: First-Year Principals in Urban School Districts: How Actions and Working Conditions Relate to Outcomes. Susan Burkhauser, Susan M. Gates, Laura S. Hamilton, Gina Schuyler Ikemoto (2012). Be sure to read their insights.

From the School Psychologist. Each month the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) contributes an article to Principal Leadership. Columns are written by NASP members and address issues relevant to adolescent mental health and academic achievement in the context of what middle or high school principal needs to know. The column received the Golden Lamp Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence in Educational Publishing from the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) in both 2004 and 2005. Available on this page are a wide variety of articles and corresponding NASP handouts for parents and teachers.

Here are a few articles posted by other professional organizations that you may find helpful:

• Hall, Pete (2009). An Open Letter to a New Principal: A Veteran Principal Offers Sage Advice. Principal Magazine, March/April 2009.
  
  Read Hall’s “7UP (Seven Unyielding Principles),” including encouraging suggestions on mentoring, supervision, developing a learning community, his 3 “Golden Rules,” and more! 
• “Veteran Principals Offer Advice to New Colleagues” (2012). Education World.
  
  Education World turned to veteran principals and asked them to try to help this year's crop of new principals. Advice from our P-Files principals includes the following: Listen to your staff, from the kindergarten teacher to the custodian. Don't take teachers for granted. Don't forget the kids. And don't neglect your own family! Included: Timely and wise advice for first-year principals. Read the details here!
• “15 Tips for the New Principal” (2012) by Bill Carozza.
  
  Carozza provides a list of 15 tips from Kevin Bals, a New Jersey administrator. Included are suggestions about starting the year, building relationships, growing a thick9er) skin, and the importance of goals setting and finding a mentor (to name a few). There is great advice here, even for veteran principals!
• Rooney, J. (2008, September). The principal connection: What new (young) principals need to know. Educational Leadership, 66(1), 84-85.
  
  The author asked both veteran principals and principals who had just finished their first year what essentials new principals should be sure to know as they entered their new role.  The author describes their responses as ‘strikingly similar’ (p. 84) and identifies the ability to build relationships, to listen, to think before you leap, and to find a mentor or critical friend as essential.  She concludes with an emphasis on the ‘substantive qualities of leadership, those that focus on relationships’ (p. 85).

Read the Best of Principal Leadership for New Principals