Principals

Education news, analysis, and opinion that focuses on principals and their roles in K-12 schools

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Hour by Busy Hour: What a Principal's Day Actually Looks Like
From the time they wake up until they set the alarm at night, school leaders juggle the routine, the unexpected, and the downright bizarre.
Image of a staff meeting.
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School & District Management Teachers Hate All Those Meetings. Can Principals Find a Workaround?
Principals can't do away with every meeting, but they can reduce some and make others more effective.
Olina Banerji, March 15, 2024
4 min read
Chris Young, a principal from Vermont, poses for a photo in front of a Senate office building in Washington, D.C.
Chris Young, a principal from Vermont, stands in front of a Senate office building in Washington on March 13, 2024. Young was among the secondary principals to meet with legislators urging them to keep federal funding for schools stable.
Olina Banerji/Education Week
School & District Management Q&A When This Principal Talks About Mental Health, People Listen. Here's Why
The NASSP Advocacy Champion of the year said he used stories from his school and community to speak with his state’s legislators.
Olina Banerji, March 14, 2024
6 min read
Illustration of a bright vibrant school where students feel welcomed. In the background the sky is filled with enthusiastic raised hands.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management Opinion 5 Strategies to Combat Student Disengagement
When principals get serious about building a more inclusive school community, it doesn’t just benefit students, but teachers as well.
Michelle Singh, March 12, 2024
5 min read
teachers meeting at a table
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School & District Management Download Principals, Are You in Sync With Your Teachers? (Downloadable)
New data show some important disconnects between teachers' experiences and principals' perceptions of them.
1 min read
Photos of principals walking in school hallway.
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School & District Management This State Created a Retention System for Principals. Here’s Why It Worked
Missouri has deepened the support it offers to new principals through a partly federally funded, two-year mentoring program.
Olina Banerji, February 21, 2024
6 min read
Image of an educator greeting students for the day with a special handshake.
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School & District Management Songs, Hugs, Haircuts: How Principals Make Morning Greetings Fun
How principals set the tone for the day with their morning announcements.
Olina Banerji, February 9, 2024
2 min read
Two hands put together the pieces of an arrow puzzle that resembles a red brick schoolhouse.
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School & District Management When Schools Merge, Principals Must Forge a New Culture. Here’s How
Principals must focus on building new relationships, inside and outside the school.
Olina Banerji, February 8, 2024
7 min read
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School & District Management Opinion How About an 'Un-Resolution'? 10 Low-Value Practices School Leaders Should Abandon
Educators seem to be better at adding to their workload instead of subtracting. Make this year one that focuses on de-implementation.
Peter DeWitt, January 31, 2024
4 min read
A group of silhouettes looks across a grid with a public school on the other side.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management Opinion Your School Improvement Plan Will Only Work If You Do This
A school improvement plan shouldn’t just be an afterthought. Here are four essential questions to make it count.
L. Sha Fanion, January 30, 2024
4 min read
Free gun locks at the Meriden, Conn. police department, June 21, 2019. Police are providing free cable-style gun locks to residents through a partnership with a child safety organization. Some advocates say schools could be distribution sites for gun locks to families, too.
Free gun locks at the Meriden, Conn. police department, June 21, 2019. Police are providing free cable-style gun locks to residents through a partnership with a child safety organization. Some advocates say schools could be distribution sites for gun locks to families, too.
Dave Zajac/Record-Journal via AP
School & District Management White House to Principals: Talk to Parents About Gun Safety
One principal advised being practical, not political, in messaging to parents about firearms.
Olina Banerji, January 29, 2024
5 min read
High School Tutor Giving Male Student One To One instruction At Desk
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School & District Management Fitting Tutoring Into the School Day Is Hard. How 3 Principals Made It Work
Three principals persist with high-dosage tutoring, using creative strategies to fit it into busy school schedules.
Olina Banerji, January 24, 2024
6 min read
Image of an exterior school door and shadows of student crossing the view.
Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week and Getty
School & District Management How These Principals Nip Apathy in the Bud After Winter Break and Long Weekends
Cellphone bans, Instagram posts and shout-outs are small fixes to the growing problem of student apathy.
Olina Banerji, January 19, 2024
6 min read
Illustration of two silhouettes in a school hallway having a conversation about the future.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management Opinion Why I Told an Excellent Teacher It Was Time to Leave Teaching
Leadership means being honest, even when it might go against the immediate needs of your school.
Matthew Ebert, January 16, 2024
4 min read
Illustration of a male figure juggling plates above him.
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School & District Management What Principals Can Do to Fight Misperceptions About Their Jobs
Principals can take steps to make what they do more transparent despite how complex the job can be.
Olina Banerji, January 12, 2024
8 min read