The Principal Is In: Advice for Principals
The job of a school leader can be a challenging one, but you don’t have to face those challenges alone. In this biweekly column, principals and other authorities on school leadership—including researchers, education professors, district administrators, and assistant principals—will offer timely and timeless advice for their peers.
Have any questions, feedback, or interest in sharing your own advice in the column? Please write in to AskAPrincipal@educationweek.org.
School & District Management
Opinion
Lawmakers Don’t Know What Happens in Schools. Principals Can Help
School leaders must fight to take education funding off the political battlefield.
School & District Management
Opinion
You Shouldn’t Have to Sacrifice Your Health to Be a Good School Leader
Far too many principals suffer from trying to carry a crushing responsibility alone. I was one of them.
School & District Management
Opinion
I Wear a Suit to School Every Day. Here's Why
You can suit up, dress down, or mix it up—but remember that what you wear sends a powerful message.
Professional Development
Opinion
I Work With New Teachers. Every One Wanted This PD
But half of them have not been offered it in their schools. School leaders, there’s an easy fix.
Professional Development
Opinion
Principals Need Mentors, Too. How to Find the Right One
Although my district paired me with an official mentor, it wasn’t until I sought out one of my own that I found the right fit.
School & District Management
Opinion
Your School Needs a Teacher-Mentorship Program
We all know how critical the first few years of teaching are. Here's how to set teachers up for success.
School & District Management
Opinion
This Time of Year, Principals Have Two Jobs. Here’s How to Ace Them Both
Here are 4 tips on how to finish this school year strong—while preparing for the next.
School & District Management
Opinion
When I Left the Classroom for Administration, Did I Join the Dark Side?
When I became a school leader, I thought I’d still always be a teacher first. It wasn’t that simple.
School & District Management
Opinion
You’re the Principal, and Your Teachers Hate a New District Policy. What Now?
This school leader committed to being a bridge between his district and school staff this year. Here’s what he learned.
School & District Management
Opinion
I Invited Students to Help Hire a New Assistant Principal. Here’s What Happened
What began as an opportunity for the students turned into a gift for our administrative team.
School & District Management
Opinion
How Social-Emotional Learning Can Unify Your School Community: 7 Timely Tips
It’s a stressful political season. These SEL best practices can help school leaders weather the unpredictable transitions.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
There’s a Stunning Oversight in CTE: Careers in Education
Teachers are a core part of our workforce—but you wouldn’t know it to look at CTE programs. School leaders must start growing their own.
Professional Development
Opinion
Most Teachers Don’t Think PD Is Relevant. What Can Principals Do?
Two educators offer a blueprint for structuring professional development around teacher learning.
Professional Development
Opinion
It Takes a Village to Design the Best Professional Development
How to bring a community-based leadership to your professional learning this year.
School & District Management
Opinion
5 Lessons Principals Can Learn From U.S. Presidents About Leadership
What does it take to lead a school in this polarized political climate? Let history be your guide.
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
We Can’t Wait for Someone Else to Stop School Shootings
A clinical psychologist lays out what school leaders can do to keep our children safe from gun violence.
School & District Management
Opinion
When Teachers Burn Out, We Burn Out: A Principal’s Strategy for Staff Morale
By anticipating dips in teacher morale, we can plan timely interventions that keep positivity alive throughout the whole school year.
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
My Teachers Were in ‘Survival Mode’ Over Student Behavior. We Had to Reset
Just months into the school year, one principal took on a daunting challenge: transforming classroom cultures hobbled by misbehavior.
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
‘We Cannot Stop a Bullet’: A Principal Demands Better Gun Laws
When guns are easily accessible, not even the Secret Service can prevent every threat. Why would we expect teachers to do better?
School & District Management
Opinion
How to Let Your Values Guide You as a School Leader
Has your “why” become fuzzy? Here are four steps to keep principals motivated and moving forward.
School & District Management
Opinion
In School Leadership, Busy Is a Given. Chaos Is a Choice
There will never be enough time, money, or resources to solve every problem in education, so we must learn to operate within constraints.
School & District Management
Opinion
How Principals Can Be Mentors Rather Than Just Superiors
Here are six strategies for leading with a coaching lens.
School & District Management
Opinion
I Invited My Students to Be the Principal for a Day. Here’s What I Learned
When I felt myself slipping into a springtime slump, this simple activity reminded me of my “why” as an educator.
Professional Development
Opinion
In Staff Professional Development, Less Is More
There’s a key ingredient missing from most PD sessions, PLCs, and education conferences.
School & District Management
Opinion
Principals, You Aren't the Only Leader in Your School
What I learned about supporting teachers in my first week as an assistant principal started with just one question: “How would I know?”
School & District Management
Opinion
When Women Hold Each Other Back: A Call to Action for Female Principals
With so many barriers already facing women seeking administrative roles, we should not be dimming each other’s lights.
School & District Management
Opinion
A Good Principal Knows When It's Time to Leave
I didn’t leave my job because of burnout; I stepped away from being a school leader because it was in everybody’s best interest.
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.
School & District Management
Opinion
Restorative Practices Don’t Just Belong in the Classroom. Leaders Should Use Them, Too
Respectful conflict resolution, starting meetings with a talking circle, and other ways this administrator is walking the walk.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
The #1 Thing My Students Want Their Parents to Know: They're Stressed
In my 27 years as an educator, here are four strategies I’ve found to help students cope with stress.
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.
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.
School & District Management
Opinion
How Principals Can Grow Professionally This Year
We need to take a long look in the mirror this year to make sure we’re not stuck in a rut. Here’s where to start.
School & District Management
Opinion
Students Are Often Told Success Means Leaving Their Neighborhood. It Doesn’t
Educators—and especially principals—have got to stop spreading the damaging “leave to succeed” narrative. Here’s what they can do instead.
School & District Management
Opinion
Why Principals Need to Talk About the Israel-Hamas War With Our Teachers
What can we do when a difficult topic is brought up by students in classrooms? First, don’t leave teachers to handle it in isolation.
School & District Management
Opinion
Bad Sleep Is a Problem for Principals. Here’s What to Do About It
Our new study highlights the connection between stress and sleep among school leaders, write three researchers.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
3 Solutions for the Black Male Teacher Shortage
I was well out of college before my mentor persuaded me to become a teacher. Here’s how we can start reaching Black men earlier.
School & District Management
Opinion
Principals Need Support. That's Where Principal Coaches Come In
There are four important things that a seasoned principal coach knows how to do, writes the Metro Nashville superintendent.
School & District Management
Opinion
How to Create a Culture of Care in Your School: Lessons From 10 Years as Principal
Ease up on meetings, but add more teacher planning time—and other advice for putting people first.
School & District Management
Opinion
The 4 Gifts Principals Should Give Teachers This Year (Hint: Not Another School Mug)
Instead of a staff pizza party or a school-branded mug, give them meaningful gifts that really nourish their craft.
School & District Management
Opinion
Tips for Surviving Your First Year as a School Administrator
Here are five ways to adjust to the new role of school leader, from a second-year administrator.
School & District Management
Opinion
How Principals Can Start School With a Smile
Here are five ways to stay positive and focus on morale this year.
School & District Management
Opinion
What 'Barbie' Teaches Us About School Leadership
Not all schools come with a leader Barbie; many come with just Ken. Here are three lessons from the hit movie on closing the “dream gap.”
Professional Development
Opinion
What This Former Administrator Wishes She Had Known About Teacher PD
As a professor of teacher leadership, I now hear from brutally honest educators about what they really need from their administrators.
School & District Management
Opinion
The One Question You Shouldn’t Wait Until an Exit Interview to Ask Teachers
The right feedback is like gold when it comes to retaining staff and building a healthy school culture.
Professional Development
Opinion
How You Deliver Professional Learning Says a Lot About You
Are you modeling the instructional approach you want to see in the classroom—or just reading a bland PowerPoint?
School & District Management
Opinion
5 Ways School Leaders Can Make Teachers Feel More Valued
Appreciating teachers demands a lot more than the occasional social media post or pizza party.
School & District Management
Opinion
Principals, Here Are 4 Simple Tips to Communicate Better
To create a positive learning environment, school leaders must master various communication strategies.
School & District Management
Opinion
When It Comes to DEI, Principals Must Be More Than Performative
It takes hard work turning your words into action. A principal shares what that looks like in her school.
School & District Management
Opinion
What I Wish I Knew When I Became a Principal
A veteran of school leadership shares four important lessons he learned in his 17 years on the job.
School & District Management
Opinion
‘Never Get Into Teaching’: The Message We Need to Stop Sending Students
This hiring season, take some time to encourage the future educators in your schools today.
School & District Management
Opinion
Parental Support or Obstructive Meddling? Where Principals Should Draw the Line
Here’s how to encourage meaningful parental involvement without undermining educators.
School & District Management
Opinion
5 Strategies to Empower Teachers to Be Leaders
Here’s how—and why—school leaders should improve their schools’ teacher-leadership approaches.
School & District Management
Opinion
‘I Was Ready to Walk Away’: The Silent Scream of School Leaders
How do we juggle the crushing demands of school management and then return home to be healthy parents, caregivers, spouses, partners?
School & District Management
Opinion
Every School Has Bias. Here’s What Principals Can Do About It
How do we build combating bias into the who, how, and why of teaching, leadership, and school organization?
School & District Management
Opinion
How to Handle Negative Feedback: A Guide for Principals
You’re a school leader who just heard your staff members have concerns. What’s next?
School & District Management
Opinion
Your School Leadership Needs More Student Voice
When one Virginia principal moved from middle school to high school, he knew he would need to find new ways of soliciting student feedback.
School & District Management
Opinion
The Lonely Road for Women Administrators
It takes hard work to avoid being unfairly judged as “pushy,” “aggressive,” or “emotional”—while still sticking to your principles.
School & District Management
Opinion
4 Ways to Make Your School Better for Black and Brown Teachers
Want to diversify the teaching force? An important place to start is understanding what educators of color need from their principals.
School & District Management
Opinion
Principals, Don’t Try to Be the Smartest Person in the Room
Here are three strategies to make sure you’re always growing as a leader, according to one associate principal.
School & District Management
Opinion
Principals, Make Room for Teacher Collaboration
The pandemic only reinforced the importance of dedicated time for professional development and collaboration.
School & District Management
Opinion
The #1 Trait of a Good School Leader
As an administrator, I've needed to prove that my students can be successful.
School & District Management
Opinion
Why One Principal Is Asking Her Staff to Do Less
I have been complicit in the stress my staff is feeling. Here’s how I’m changing that.
School & District Management
Opinion
How to Lead a New Team: Advice for Principals and Administrators
Turning a page in your career requires bravery. Here’s some advice for fitting in a new district.
School & District Management
Opinion
Pandemic Isolation Damaged School Culture. Here’s How Principals Can Reset
I made it my mission to help my staff reconnect and recommit.
School & District Management
Opinion
Advice for New Principals: The 4 Things to Focus on First
There’s a lot new school leaders are expected to learn. Here’s where to start.
School & District Management
Opinion
Parents Berating Teachers? Making Decisions Without the Data? Advice for Principals
A year marred by COVID-19 has created new challenges for principals. Here are some answers.
School & District Management
Opinion
My District Reversed Course on the Implicit Bias Training We Need. What Now?
The principal advice column takes on communicating district decisions you disagree with, optimizing virtual lunch bunches, and more.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
How to Support Teacher Morale, and Other Urgent Advice for Principals
How do I discuss race in my mostly white school? How do I rethink our social-media policy? Sharif El-Mekki has answers.
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
How Do I Run My School From Self-Quarantine? And Other Principal Quandaries
School leaders, do you need help with remote staff meetings? Culturally responsive classrooms? We've got answers.
School & District Management
Opinion
How to Host a Virtual Back-to-School Night, and Other Timely Advice for Principals
"How do I win over parents who see this as a political issue rather than a public-health one?" Sharif El-Mekki answers quandaries from school leaders.
School & District Management
Opinion
How to Evaluate Teachers During Remote Learning, and Other Advice for Principals
This principal advice columnist answers your questions about remote teacher evaluation, staying accountable on racial equity, and what she wishes she’d known as a first-year principal.
School & District Management
Opinion
Advice for Principals: Remote Teaching, Competitive Colleagues, and Lots of Uncertainty
In a new advice column for school leaders, former principal Sharif El-Mekki answers your questions about leading during the pandemic.
School & District Management
Opinion
The Principal Is In: A New Advice Column for Principals
"I feel like we've opened a Pandora's box of grading." Tamara McWilliams takes on this and other urgent concerns for school leaders in a new advice column.
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