As a newly minted school leader, one of the first challenges Mark Anderson faced didn’t involve teaching strategies or staff issues. Instead, students spilled water on the gym floor during a pep rally.
Category: Professional Development
Making Principal Preparation a Priority
Three Qualities to Look for in a Mentor
In a recent Q&A I host weekly with Danny Bauer, we talked about the importance of having a coach, or mentor, to help you become a better leader.
3 More Days of National Principals Month
With October winding down and November just around the corner, we prepare for the end of the 2018 National Principals Month. However, that doesn’t mean the month will end quietly! We still have some very exciting events left before November 1. October 30, 3:00–4:00 p.m. (ET): Avoiding School Leadership Burnout
Using Student Feedback to Lead Professional Development
Guest post by Kristopher Brown When colleagues describe why they became educators, they usually describe a teacher who inspired or motivated them. My path toward education also centers around a former teacher; one who used relentless sarcasm and lacked the cultural competency necessary to engage me, an African American male student in a predominantly white […]
This Week for National Principals Month
It is officially October, which means it is time to celebrate National Principals Month! NASSP is once again partnering with the American Federation of School Administrators (AFSA) and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) to host this monthlong celebration honoring the contributions principals make toward school improvement and student success.
Are You the “Connector in Chief” at Your School?
When I was awarded the honor of being named the Assistant Principal of the Year in the state of Illinois, my local newspaper did a story on me. When they asked my principal about what made me a worthy recipient of this award, he responded, “[Tim] has a great ability to make connections with people, […]
Flipped Staff Meetings: Great Advice to Give and Follow
Guest post by Paul Hermes “You should try to make your classroom more student-centered and interactive. Don’t talk at your students so much.” “Do you think you could integrate the concepts of the flipped classroom to optimize student learning time?” “How much input do you give your students in choosing what, where, and how they […]
So Many Questions, So Little Time: Exploring Online PD
Guest post by Tracy Ragland One of my goals as principal of Newcastle High School (NHS) in Wyoming is to provide my staff with ongoing, quality professional development. Currently, we follow a traditional, face-to-face PD model, where our administrative team shares best practices with our entire teaching staff during in-service time. Though this approach provides […]
Change Starts With Us
Guest post by Jamie Richardson A few years ago, I found myself trying to convince my son that he needed to “play the game” of school and figure out how to rack up as many “points” as possible in order to succeed. As these “encouraging” words came from my mouth, I stopped and asked myself, […]
Raising Test Scores: One School’s Story
Guest post by Amy Mims When I became an assistant principal of Independence High School in Charlotte, NC, our school’s test scores were low. As I started observing classrooms, I saw talented teachers hard at work designing and delivering interesting lessons that utilized a number of instructional best practices. I also saw motivated students who […]