For 19 years, I worked in the same school district. I started as a teacher, then various Instructional and Climate Support positions, and then transitioned to the role of Assistant Principal. Then last year, I started a new role as Principal in a new building and a new district. It was important to me to […]
One day during a staff meeting, our team was discussing school culture and strategies to focus on student strengths and family wisdom. A teacher spoke about the importance of centering student voice in all of our communications – and that inspired us to create a “student voice feature” for our school newsletter, highlighting one student […]
As a math coach and education administrator at the county level, I collaborate with leaders and teachers to support mathematics instruction across 23 districts. Every school has its own unique culture, students and staff, and when the collaboration with a school leader begins, I build their instructional leadership priorities into our plans (such as supporting […]
As a math curriculum specialist working with teachers and school leaders, I find that principals are sometimes a bit apprehensive when it comes to math. Feeling hesitant in a subject that you are not comfortable with is natural. It is what we do with that uneasiness that makes all the difference. School leaders like you […]
I grew up not understanding mathematics. I didn’t know why at the time; I just didn’t connect with it. When I became an adult, I joined the military and began to retake classes as I worked toward my associate’s degree. I was astounded to find that I liked math. Something that hadn’t made sense to […]
This was my first year of teaching, and even though it was a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants experience, it was a lot of fun. I’m excited to come back, largely because of the support I found in my administrators. As a non-binary person looking for my first teaching position, it was important to me to find a school […]
As a school leader, supporting your students, teachers and families through the traumatic news of a school shooting is profoundly difficult. In this moment, you may feel like there’s nothing you can say or do to help your school community navigate collective stress, trauma, fear and grief. We’ve gathered a collection of resources to support […]
Student encourager. Teacher inspirer. Family supporter. Becoming an assistant principal means wearing many hats! That’s why your fellow leaders came together to answer this question: If you could add one tip to a bulletin board of advice for new and aspiring assistant principals, what would it be? Browse their notes below and find a few […]
I joined a new school community this spring as a brand-new instructional coach. I aspired to this role because I know how hard teachers work to support and encourage students, and I believe a key part of instructional leadership is being a supporter and encourager of teachers. That’s why I created a “teacher appreciation mission” […]
For school leaders, visibility really matters. I’m always out and about in our building – and it’s my personal goal to spend as little time as possible tied to my desk. Every minute I have, I’m out talking and asking questions to people in the building. Instead of sending five separate emails, I’ll walk to […]