A principal's job is astonishingly complex, and its competing demands can be overwhelming, especially in the first few years. In this book, Jen Schwanke, a principal herself, provides a mentor's guidance to steer new principals through the period of adjustment and set the foundation for a long and rewarding career. The topics you wish your graduate program had covered are covered here-directly, practically, and without the jargon.
Drawing on her own experience, Schwanke provides strategies for tackling the most common yet most daunting challenges of the principalship, including:
- Establishing productive professional relationships.
- Building and maintaining a positive school culture.
- Resolving conflict among staff and parents.
- Providing effective instructional leadership.
- Supporting students' social-emotional needs.
- Conducting staff evaluations and delivering feedback.
- Keeping up with district, state, and federal mandates.
- Managing the facility and the budget.
- Providing focused and effective professional development.
- Prioritizing responsibilities.
- Learning from student and schoolwide data.
- Planning for growth and change.
- Working through behavior and discipline issues.
- Hiring high-quality teachers and supporting new ones.
- Leading effective meetings.
- Maintaining balance.
The standalone chapters provide easy access to the solutions you need for the situations you face. Along with real-life scenarios and critical tips for success, you'll find helpful models of what to do, what to say, and how to say it. This book is a source for ideas any time you encounter a problem and think, "Now what?" It's the beginning of an ongoing conversation about the wonderful and rewarding work of being a principal.
