As school leaders, we often ask ourselves: How can I be sure that I am meeting the needs of every one of my students? How can I ensure no one is forgotten? The kids who are naturally part of a group such as band, sports teams, Student Government Association, or clubs generally have found their […]
Category: The Principalship
Peer Mentoring to Build A Culture of Caring
Building a Restorative Justice Program
There are many types of restorative justice programs in schools, meaning that one size doesn’t fit all. Our motto here at Payson High School is “One Team, Making Today Count.” As a part of “Making Today County,” we encourage our students and staff to take advantage of all positive opportunities, no matter how small or […]
Quarantine Routines: An Educator’s Guide to Surviving a Quarantine
You will have to quarantine. For many educators, these are the words we have lost sleep over, worried about hearing, and struggled to plan for when it does happen. While we are preparing lessons for our students who are at home learning and supporting our colleagues’ classes while they are at home, we are hoping […]
NAESP and NASSP Presidents Talk About Diversity
A conversation with Kimbrelle Barbosa Lewis and Robert Motley We recently sat down with two eminent school leaders to discuss the importance of diversity in school leadership. Kimbrelle Barbosa Lewis is the principal of Cordova Elementary in Cordova, TN, as well as the president of the National Association of Elementary Principals (NAESP). Robert Motley is […]
4 Ways All Principals Should Be Leading Digitally
The past year has forced all principals into technology, but true innovative principals are trailblazers who lead the way without the push of the pandemic. These leaders understand that technology can empower students to solve today’s complex problems and to engage with learning in a way that inspires progress and growth. It’s principals like this […]
Building Relationships With Candidates and Elected Officials
In Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book Team of Rivals, President Abraham Lincoln is described as being the master of setting aside political and personal differences and including opposing voices in his cabinet. In an era of political chaos, that model of leadership is lacking in many arenas of policymaking and discourse, and as public school leaders, we […]
Moving the Needle: Strategies to Increase Academic Achievement in Rural Schools
Six years ago, our middle level/high school in rural Idaho was facing the same problems as many rural schools throughout the United States. Shifts in the local economy and an increase in the number of transient students attending schools in neighboring districts had dropped our high school enrollment to below 50 students, raising concerns about […]
Access and Accommodations: Reimagining Places and Spaces for Students and Staff
Imagine, as an educational leader, that you could create your own school from the ground up. Reimagine space to create places of learning, accepting, and understanding. Form environments that are driven by stakeholder needs and wants. In 2009, one person had a vision for a new, state-of-the-art comprehensive K–12 nontraditional school. The vision became embraced […]
Leveling Up: Ways to Increase Remote Student Engagement
Shifting back to (or continuing in) distance learning during the 2020–21 school year provided opportunities to continue to look at how we can build relationships with students, even with only seeing them on a computer screen. Instead of focusing on what students are not doing, taking time to dig deeper and ask others what is working […]
Letter to a Discouraged Student
You’re discouraged. I know you are. Your heart sank when you saw the grades. But those letter grades don’t define you. Last spring didn’t go like it was supposed to go. You missed out on activities. You missed seeing your friends at school every day. And this year isn’t normal either. It’s uncomfortable to wear a mask at […]