Category School

Becoming Better: How You Influence Growth

: Play in new window | DownloadLast weekend I traveled with my son, Jack, and his Cub Scout pack to a joint campout with an older Boy Scout troop. It was a perfect October weekend: 70’s with sun and breeze;…

PMP:038 Celebrating Good Deeds with a Class Cup

: Play in new window | DownloadI know a lot of schools have creative ways to celebrate the positive behaviors they want students showing on a daily basis. This school year, our student council and their sponsor, Ms. Franklin, launched…

PMP:037 Are You Growing? Learning to Celebrate the Small Wins

: Play in new window | DownloadLast week I left school early so that I could watch our cross-country teams run at a local race. It was one of those days where the sun and clouds kept alternating in the…

PMP:036 Four Suggestions on Providing Meaningful Feedback from Observations and Evaluations

: Play in new window | DownloadI have a lot of friends who are good golfers. I am not one of them. But I recognize a good golfer when I see one. He or she is usually the one who…

PMP:035 Are You Growing? 5 Questions to Ask Yourself

: Play in new window | DownloadI remember when my daughter began taking clarinet lessons from a private tutor in junior high. When I picked her up from her first session, she said, “I have been playing for three years,…

PMP:034 Six Ways to Avoid Making Wrong Calls

: Play in new window | DownloadI once knew a teaching couple who told me a funny story. They lived right across the street from a man who never seemed to go to work. During their breaks from school, the…

PMP:033 What Motivates Your Learning? A Better Alternative…

: Play in new window | DownloadWhen I was a junior high student, I remember feeling pretty clueless about what to expect in high school. Sometimes my teachers would tell me to expect to be treated like a number. At…

Twitter Chat: Questions for 8/18 #atplc

I’m so excited to host my first Solution Tree #atplc Chat via Twitter on Thursday 8/18 at 9 pm EST/ 8 pm CST. Topic: Avoiding Education Malpractice: Let’s Talk About Our Strategies! Here are six questions for the chat:

PMP:032 Olympic Lessons in Collaboration for Educators

: Play in new window | DownloadLast Saturday my children were watching the Olympics throughout the day. I was walking through the living room when I glanced up at the screen and saw men’s cycling. After six and half hours…

PMP:031 Creating a Sense of Ownership for Students

: Play in new window | DownloadToday’s episode is in response to a listener question, “How can we create a sense of ownership for students into today’s education system?” Although answering this question could be very long, let me ask…

Newsletter Samples for Improving Your Communication

Yesterday, a principal who heard me speak at the USA Conference in Wichita, Kansas, emailed me. She asked asked if I had samples of some the newsletters I share with my parents, students, or teachers. As you’re starting out another…

PMP:030 Three Simple Ways to Respond to Negativity

: Play in new window | DownloadIn PMP Episode 30, I continue responding to listener and reader questions. This week’s question was: What’s one of the biggest leadership challenges you face right now? One principal wrote back, “How can I…

One Caring Adult Can Make a Difference

Earlier this school year, I had a long conversation with a student who had been abandoned. He was fourteen years old. His biological mother was not in his life. A guardian had adopted him, but when she had difficulty with…

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…

PMP: Encore 02 Courage, Teamwork, and Purpose

: Play in new window | DownloadThis week is another encore episode of Principal Matters Podcast. You can link here see the original post accompanying this episode and all the show notes. Thanks for everything you do in serving schools…

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…

Confronting the Brutal Facts

When I was a teenager, I was splitting logs for our woodpile when I couldn’t find the familiar wedge I normally used. Looking around I spotted an old axe head and decided it would have to do. Placing it into…

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…

Ruby Payne: Interview Revisited

This week my friends at the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administrators are hosting a pre-conference with Ruby Payne before their annual summer events. Ruby’s teaching on understanding a framework for poverty was instrumental in opening my eyes to the…

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…

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…

10 Steps to Host Your Own Edcamp

This is a guest post by Missy Bush. Missy is Director of Curriculum & Federal Programs at Skiatook Public Schools, a veteran teacher, school leader, and strong believer in collaboration. An active presenter, trainer, and professional development consultant, she is…

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:015 Lessons in Leadership from a Champion Racehorse Team

: Play in new window | DownloadIn episode 15, I share leadership lessons from a championship team. In this case, the team is three men and horse found in Laura Hillenbrand’s classic biography, Seabiscuit. The lessons from this amazing book…

Something a Little Personal

This week is Spring Break. Unseasonably warm days have pushed green into tree boughs, and Bradford pears have blossomed white. Asparagus shoots are sprouting in our raised beds, and fescue already needs a first mowing. It really seems like winter’s…

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…

Celebrating Collaboration and the Ability to Fly

Last week I flew to the NASSP annual conference in Orlando with connecting flights in Dallas. As I boarded my flight home, my mind was filled with new ideas about school, and I began comparing the process of flying to…

PMP:011 Tips for Showing Appreciation for Teachers

: Play in new window | DownloadBecause one good deed is worth more than a thousand good intentions, you can never overestimate the power of showing others they are appreciated. In episode 11, learn seven simple ways to show appreciation…

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…

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…

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…