The number of shootings that are occurring at schools is rising. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), there have been 417 school shootings in the United States between 2010 and 2019. Sadly, when those annual totals are broken down, an upward trend becomes quite clear. The past two years have seen more schoolContinueContinue reading “Build Up Student Mental Health, Not Fences, to Prevent School Violence”
Category Archives: Leadership
Using Title IV Funds for Student Safety
Over the past year, 26 states spent a combined $950 million dollars on school safety. The funds were spent on a variety of resources including anonymous tip lines, SROs, web filtering, fencing, and camera systems. As the need for school safety spending grows, district officials are on the search for funding. Title IV of theContinueContinue reading “Using Title IV Funds for Student Safety”
5 Ways to Work With a Reluctant Teacher Collaborator
The research is very clear on teacher collaboration: it works. A recent study by Ronfeldt, M., Farmer, S., McQueen, K., & Grissom, J. (2015), surveyed over 9000 teachers on the subject of teacher collaboration. Over 90% of the teachers surveyed indicated that collaboration was beneficial to both teachers and their students. However, there are teachersContinueContinue reading “5 Ways to Work With a Reluctant Teacher Collaborator”
5 Ways To Work With An Angry Parent
Working with angry parents is a part of the job of all school administrators. There are few things more anxiety producing in the profession than working in your office and hearing “I need to speak to the principal now” being yelled loudly from the lobby of the main office. Many of these intense meetings areContinueContinue reading “5 Ways To Work With An Angry Parent”
5 Items on Every Principal’s Summer Checklist
The summer months are a time of reflection and recharging for all educators. Principals are no exception. Most administrators only get a few weeks off in the summer. This time is spent finishing out the academic year and then preparing for the one ahead. There is a lot happening behind the scenes at a schoolContinueContinue reading “5 Items on Every Principal’s Summer Checklist”
5 Important Reminders for your Principal Interview
Becoming a school site administrator is one of the biggest steps an educator can take in their career. Leaving the classroom for the front office is a big decision. Some teachers wait decades to make the switch, while others do it much earlier in their career. The interview process for a principal position can beContinueContinue reading “5 Important Reminders for your Principal Interview”
5 Ways to Attract Highly Qualified Teachers
A school is only as good as the teachers that work at it. In order for students to reach their highest potential, they must be taught by knowledgeable, caring, and thoughtful teachers. Ensuring that every student has a highly qualified teacher needs to be a top priority for all school and districts. Here are fiveContinueContinue reading “5 Ways to Attract Highly Qualified Teachers”
5 Educational Concepts We Need To Eliminate In 2019
For the past two years, I have written a culminating post on education practices and ideas that need to be retired. I am pleased to report that the 2017 and 2018 articles have been read and shared over 50,000 times by educators around the world. So, without further ado, here are five educational practices andContinueContinue reading “5 Educational Concepts We Need To Eliminate In 2019”
5 Ways to Strengthen the Teacher Evaluation Process
Teacher evaluation systems differ from district to district, and from state to state. There are differences in the amount of observations, timelines, yearly goals, and rubrics. However, the purpose of teacher evaluations should remain constant: to provide teachers the valuable feedback they need in order to continue to improve their craft. Sadly, according to research,ContinueContinue reading “5 Ways to Strengthen the Teacher Evaluation Process”
5 Ways Principals Can Brighten a Teacher’s Day
The job of a school principal is complex, broad, and challenging. We often focus on the notion that students need to be at the center of everything we do. While I am not disputing this, I do believe that principals need to focus a lot of their energy on the teachers at their sites. HappyContinueContinue reading “5 Ways Principals Can Brighten a Teacher’s Day”
THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK 