As human beings, we are hardwired for connection. We chose to be educators with the intention of impacting the lives of our students through the relationships we build. Yet, as an assistant principal, I often find myself buried in my never-ending to-do lists, which has unfortunately led to missed opportunities to connect with my staff […]
Category: AP Expert of the Week
Simple Ways to Build Connection with Staff and Students
Building Community, Camaraderie, and Leadership Through Student Mentorship
Young adults are amazing. I am inspired every day by their love of learning, their energy, and their ability to make the most out of any situation. As a middle level educator, I get the joy of watching students blossom in many ways. During these formative years, I watch students transform from awkward ducklings into […]
Performance-Based Grading: Changing the Way We See Grades
Each leader comes to the table with their unique set of experiences that mold their platform, style, and passion. Many of these experiences are small, almost unrecognizable in the grand scheme of life, but they represent significant cogs in the wheels of our processing. As a teacher, leader, and student, for me it was always […]
Marketing Your School
When I was in elementary school, my father was a troubleshooter for his company. If there was an issue in a plant in another state, off he would go, and we knew that we would soon be moving to follow. As soon as my parents knew which city we would be relocating to, my mother […]
Building a Dual-Credit Program: An $8 Million Bargain for Students
Sale! Four-year degrees: 25% off! Get them while they’re hot! Four-year degrees—now available in under three years. Today’s special! Start college as a sophomore! If you walked along the sidewalk that runs in front of Homestead High School, it would not be misleading advertising to see these signs hanging in our windows—or to hear someone […]
Equity in Action: Four Steps for School Leaders
“What would you consider to be the most pressing concerns for leaders in education right now? What are the things that keep you up at night?” These were questions posed by my leadership coach in a recent meeting. Like most leaders, I started to run through all the items on my to-do list and the […]
Announcing the 2021 National Assistant Principal of the Year
Congratulations to Chelsea Jennings from Lakeside Junior High School! Arkansas has the highest rate of adverse childhood experiences in the nation at 60%. Trauma and stress often manifest as behavior problems, and if educators can learn to see these as calls for help and opportunities to teach missing skills, they have the ability to lessen […]
Purpose and the Assistant Principalship: Four Questions for Reflection
As an associate principal, I find my days filled with constant interactions with students, teachers, and support staff involving day-to-day operational needs, making decisions that affect everyone, acting as a sounding board, listening to various problems, observing and evaluating teachers, helping students and teachers reach their full potential, and doing things that impact our school […]
Developing Awareness, Adaptability, and Flexibility as School Leaders
How did you start off this semester? Was it a reset, relaunch, reboot, or redux from the fall? Whatever structures were in place during the first semester as our schools offered in-person learning on campus at reduced capacity, remote or distance learning, or a hybrid of those approaches, we already know more than we did […]
Therapy Dog Programs: Improving Student and Staff Well-Being
If you’ve ever owned a dog, then you will understand the meaning of “man’s best friend.” Their soothing, fun-loving, and charismatic nature naturally affects the mood of the environment. With just under a year of implementation, our therapy dog program has already made a huge impact on our staff and students’ morale and mental well-being.