Category Principal

Are We Committing Educational Malpractice?

One day I was visiting my family medical doctor, when a nurse asked me to follow her to another room. She asked if I would unbutton my shirt so that she connect me to some small leads and do an…

PMP: Encore 03 Purpose-Driven Leadership

: Play in new window | DownloadIn this encore episode of Principal Matters Podcast, I talk about the reason behind why some people find meaning in their work. Research confirms that when you understand the meaning behind your work, you…

Caught in the Middle: Policy, Principals and Practice

Jack is a middle school student who is found in possession of something dangerous at school. His assistant principal guides his parents and Jack through disciplinary actions based on school policy, which may include temporary or long-term removal from the…

NASSP Advocacy Conference Update

On June 21-22, 2016, the National Association of Secondary Principals hosted its Advocacy Conference for members in Washington, D.C. Principals and school leaders from across America received updates and heard presentations from experts in advocacy, leadership, and federal policies that…

PMP: Encore 01 Three C’s For a Great School Year

: Play in new window | DownloadThe weeks of summer are a good time to revisit some original Principal Matters content. This week is an encore episode of the very first episode of Principal Matters Podcast. Listen in for reminders…

Guest Post: Michael Allison on Advocacy

This is a guest post by Michael Allison, President of the National Association of Secondary Principals. Michael is also principal of Hopewell High School, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. On June 20-22, 2016, NASSP hosted an advocacy conference for state leaders to discuss…

PMP:027 10 Tips for Education Interviews

: Play in new window | DownloadWhether you are conducting an interview or being interviewed, I have found some common expectations anyone should have when walking into an education interview. This week’s podcast covers 10 tips anyone can use when…

Cultivating a Culture of Growth

When I was a boy, one day my dad walked me to the back pasture of our farm. At the end of long rows of corn, he had set aside an area that he had tilled and planted with potato…

PMP:026 The 8 Hats of a School Leader

: Play in new window | DownloadThis past week I enjoyed speaking to principal organizations in Georgia and Kansas. We explored the various hats that school leaders wear in serving their schools. Today’s podcast is a fourteen-minute version of one…

PMP:025 8 Tips for Helping Your School Manage Grief

: Play in new window | DownloadOne of the most difficult parts of school leadership is knowing how to manage the loss of a student. As a high school teacher and administrator, I have experienced this many times over the…

5 Steps for Closing-Out School (And Preparing for Your Next Launch)

When non-education friends ask me about my summer, I often use the cruise ship analogy. In essence, we’ve just unloaded all the passengers, so we’ll spend the next two months stocking up, rehiring where needed, and preparing for the next…

PMP:024 Lessons from my Son’s Hospital Stay

: Play in new window | DownloadWhen bad things happen, it is sometimes hard to see the good in our difficulties. A couple of years ago, I posted about my son’s battle and recovery from an infectious disease known as…

5 Steps for using YouTube in Hiring

Spring time is not only busy as we finish out the school year, but also it is often a busy time for hiring new teachers or staff. Even with the pending cuts in state funding, we were excited to be…

PMP:023 Five Simple Ways to Support Others

: Play in new window | DownloadIn episode 23, I share a story from a local 10-year old boy who inspired others by his willingness to “be the legs” of his little brother in a 5K run. Listen in for…

PMP:022 Lessons in Leadership from a Cross-Walk Guard

: Play in new window | DownloadIn Episode 22, I share lessons in leadership I learned from a school crosswalk guard. I also tell a story of how a simple phrase can powerfully influence students, how attitude encourages others, and…

What Do You Do With All the Mandates?

When Education Week did a survey a few years ago, principals were asked about the biggest frustrations of their jobs. At the top of the list was the response: “Mandates without Money.” If you’ve been in education for a few…

PMP:021 10 Ways to Positively Communicate About Your School

: Play in new window | DownloadI once heard someone say, “Communication is 100% of what a principal does.” I couldn’t agree more. Of all the areas you manage as a school leader, the way you communicate is one of…

Teacher Appreciation Week: 5 Steps for Involving Your Community

A few days ago, one of our community business owners came by with a $50 restaurant gift certificate he wanted to donate for our Teacher Appreciation Week. When we thanked him for the gift, he said, “With the kind of…

PMP:020 Planting, Growing, and Flourishing

: Play in new window | DownloadIt’s easy to become distracted in school leadership, and often my biggest distraction is myself. That’s why it’s so important to keep your focus on serving others. When you do, you’ll find yourself celebrating…

Making the Courageous Choice

One day when I was a young teacher, I was shopping at a local grocery when I saw a very large man talking to a teenage girl down the aisle from where I was standing. I couldn’t hear what he…

PMP:019 Key Responsibility Areas for Your School Team

: Play in new window | DownloadWhen I transitioned from teaching to school admin, I was surprised at the many moving parts outside the classroom that keep schools running smoothly. Even with all the ways I prepared, it still took…

Countdown End-of-School Year

My school is quickly approaching graduation. As we head into the last five weeks of school, I’m reminded that not all educators consider our North American summer the end of their school year. In Sydney, for instance, schools just ended…

PMP:018 First Days of School Questions that Work All Year Long

: Play in new window | DownloadMy school is preparing for the last days of school, but Episode 18 of the PMPodcast shares ideas from Harry Wong’s First Days of School–ideas that work all year long. Communication about the basics…

Dear Educators, We Still Need You!

The other day I was presenting to a small group of teachers and assistant principals on the many hats school leaders wear. As I was closing, I asked them to look at me. Everyone fixed his or her eyes on…

PMP:017 Leadership Lessons from the Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

: Play in new window | DownloadStudying other leaders can help give us insights and lessons that influence our own. From another great historic read, Episode 17 looks at the life of the legendary Theodore Roosevelt, taken from Edmund Morris’s…

5 Tips for Advocacy with Students

Advocacy is one of those principal responsibilities that can be both encouraging and discouraging at the same time. On the one hand, principals resist advocacy because we want to focus on events in school. On the other hand, when you…

PMP:014 Five Tips for Maintaining Sanity During Stressful Times

: Play in new window | DownloadDo you ever feel overwhelmed by your to-do’s? Sometimes you hit seasons where your work can be more stressful than at others. As I’ve hit these seasons at different points in my leadership, I’ve…

PMP:013 And Then I Met a Teacher (The Power of a Caring Adult)

: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode, I share reminders why educators are such a powerful influence in the lives of children. I start with stories from two men who lives were significantly shaped by a teacher and…

Remembering Apollo 13: Overcoming the Insurmountable

The Apollo 13 mission is one of my favorite stories of endurance. On April 11, 1970 when Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise set off for their mission to the moon at speeds equivalent to 20,000 mph, they had…

PMP:012 Disciplining with Dignity

: Play in new window | DownloadIf you view school discipline simply as punishment, you’ll be limited in your effectiveness. If you view it as a way to measure and redirect student behavior, then you may experience more meaningful results.…

Triggering the Brain with Wonder

The other day I was talking to our high school choir teacher, when she told me about a fascinating brain study involving music. MIT neuroscientists have discovered that music triggers an auditory cortex of the brain that doesn’t appear to…

PMP:010 Tips for Dealing with Difficult People

: Play in new window | DownloadIn episode 10 of Principal Matters Podcast, we dive into some of the practical ways to make school leadership more effective. Dealing with difficult people is often one of the hardest and most frequent…

In Praise of American Educators: Review 3

In Chapter 4 of In Praise of American Educators: And How They Can Become Even Better, DuFour outlines strategies that actually work for high-performing countries. He then explains why those strategies make more sense than the false assumptions embraced by…

PMP:09 Better Managing Requests

: Play in new window | DownloadIn episode 9 of Principal Matters Podcast, we jump into the “nuts and bolts” of school leadership by talking about how to manage requests. School leaders can easily be overwhelmed with the number of…

A Complaint Free World: 5 Ways to Respond

One of the strengths I appreciate in my team members is their ability to voice concerns or raise red flags when something important is affecting our students. I am so thankful for helpful feedback. Of course, there is a big…

PMP:08 Making Each Day Count

: Play in new window | DownloadIn episode 8 of Principal Matters Podcast, I continue a conversation on the importance of understanding your motivations for why you lead. Based on an original blog post, 3 Tips for Making Each Day…

In Praise of American Educators: Review 2

Talk to almost any politician about education, and you will often hear suggestions for improvement that include words like accountability, portability or choice. Very few suggest adequately funding schools or implementing measures that can really produce results. In Chapter 3…

PMP:07 Motivation by Wonder & Purpose

: Play in new window | DownloadYour deepest motivations determine whether you will lead effectively or not. In this podcast episode, I explore how fear and pride are both counterproductive motivations for school leadership. So what is a healthier motivation?…

In Praise of American Educators: Review Part I

As educators in my own state of Oklahoma continue to face pending cuts to school funding, and as advocates of public education attempt to remind their neighbors that our schools are worth the investment, it is a good time to…

PMP:05 Caution Lights for School Leaders

: Play in new window | DownloadIn Episode 5 of Principal Matters Podcast, I share “Caution Lights For Your Leadership Journey.” Learn lessons from my earliest years in school leadership and how burning out almost led me to abandoning the…

PMP:03 Purpose-Driven Leadership

: Play in new window | DownloadIn this podcast episode, I share some helpful research on how business strategy is more profitable when you understand the meaning in your product. How does this relate to education? And how can school…

PMP:02 One Day In The Life of a Principal

: Play in new window | DownloadIn the 2nd episode of Principal Matters Podcast, I share an inspiring story from a world-record swimmer and discuss the essential elements leaders need for serving others. Then I run through a typical day…

Great Lessons from Jimmy Casas on Hiring For Excellence

Last week I attended a great webinar presentation provided by NASSP with guest presenter, Jimmy Casas, on Hiring For Excellence. Jimmy is the current principal of Bettendorf High School in Bettendorf, Iowa. He was named the 2012 Iowa Secondary Principal…

3 Tips on Student Self-Reported Grades

Last week a teacher told me how excited she was to see the seemingly endless strategies teachers can use in helping students grow (see previous post). As we talked about John Hattie’s list together, I began to think about how…

What Factors Predict Student Success?

Over the weekend, I was having lunch with a friend who works in petroleum engineering. We talked about the kind of research and data that he uses to determine which sites are best for drilling or exploration. Investors are especially…

10 Easy Literacy Strategies For Engaging Students

This summer some of our teachers attended Literacy Strategy as part of our before school professional development. As a follow-up, we invited a Literacy specialist, Shannon Gaines, to spend a day with our teachers observing and providing feedback. We scheduled…