Last week, principals from around the country gathered in this northern Virginia suburb of Washington for the National Association of Secondary School Principals’ Training Institute. Partof that program included the announcement of the winners of the Metlife/NASSPPrincipal of the Year awards. This year, Trevor Greene of Toppenish, Wash., is the National HighSchool Principal of the …
September 2012 archive
Sep 28
Tips for New Leaders
A recent blog caught my attention which looked like and is a good learning guide for new administrators, especially assistant principals who have been promoted in their own building. The blog, “25 Tips for Managing Your First Reports” was written by Daniel McCarthy and while written for business managers, it has very appropriate lessons for school leaders. …
Sep 27
Linking School Discipline to Character Education
As noted in § 22.1-208.01 of the Code of Virginia, every school board is required to establish a character education program in each of its schools. The legislation gives local boards a great deal of flexibility in implementing the program. However, the purpose of the program is clearly defined in the legislation: it “shall be …
Sep 25
Virginia Students Continue with SAT Success
Virginia’s 2012 public school graduates outperformed their peers nationwide on the SAT college-admissions test, according to results released September 24th by the College Board. The average reading score of 508 for Virginia public school students is 17 points higher than the national average. The average mathematics score of 510 for Virginia public school students is …
Sep 25
“Triggers” to Success
As principals and school leadership teams focus on continuous improvement efforts, they must address the three major indicators of Achievement, Attendance, and Discipline. It is important to track each individual student in each of these areas. Intervention needs to occur at defined times. Intervention cannot be a choice; it must be a mandate. Schools cannot …
Sep 21
Can Boring Be Productive?
Writing as an individual who accepts the mundane as normal, an article in the September 19 Smart Brief on Leadership titled “Boring is Productive” caught my attention. The piece, written by Robert Pozen, lecturer at the Harvard Business School and author of the forthcoming book Extreme Productivity: Boost Your Results, Reduce Your Hours, provides a viewpoint …
Sep 19
Principal Leadership–Priority One
In a recent blog post, ASCD EDge community member Sandi Massey lists a few of the many hats a principal must wear. But once you’re wearing the instructional leader hat, don’t remove it, she warns. Instructional leadership doesn’t stop, and as a principal you’ll need to get comfortable wearing many hats while maintaining focus on …
Sep 17
Principal Associations Comment on Administrator Evaluations
In a recently prepared document, the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the National Association of Secondary School Principals have gone on record to support modifications in the evaluation documentation for building principals at all levels. This report was developed with support from a 2004 report, How Leadership Influences Student Learning by the Wallace Foundation, a national philanthropic organization which seeks …
Sep 14
When Was Your Last “Ideal Day”?
If all of your days at school are “ideal,” you may just skip this blog and go out into your building and bask in your own personal glow. If, however, all of your days and the nights when you are still at school for PTA, ball games and other assorted meetings are not “ideal,” then perhaps this …
Sep 11
Emergency Regulations for the Standards for Accrediting Public Schools
As a result of 2012 General Assembly legislation, changes to the Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia are necessary. The state superintendent proposed emergency regulations to the Virginia Board of Education, and the Board approved these emergency regulations at its June meeting. The changes take effect beginning with first-time ninth graders during …
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