Launching Your First Principalship

Effectively hone your leadership skills, reduce stress, manage time and staff, and resolve conflicts with these confidence-boosting tips and tools.

As you sit at your desk behind the door ominously marked Principal s Office, you are suddenly struck with a feeling of terror; what have you gotten yourself into? Being a principal is a difficult job filled with great responsibility and stress. Before you panic, you should know that most principals survive the first year. However, Your First Year as a Principal will help make the first year easier, providing you with all the information you did not learn in school. With the help of this extensively researched book, first-year principals will learn how to step out from behind the previous principal s shadow, how to make changes without changing too much too soon, and how to deal with teachers, parents, and students. You will also learn how to handle the stresses of the job, how to find a mentor, and how to plan for public relations. You will learn about the common mistakes first-year principals make and how to avoid them. You will learn about all of the duties that fall on your shoulders and how to handle that responsibility. You will also learn how to build strong relationships with teachers and staff, how to pick your battles, how to handle bullying in your school, how to boost staff morale, how to discipline students, and how to deal with conflicts. Ultimately, you will clearly understand what comes with being a principal. You will be able to clarify and define your roles, expectations, and responsibilities. Novice and veteran principals alike, who have all previously been in your position, offer their advice and tips on surviving your first year and excelling beyond. Also included are from-the-headlines blurbs to help you handle recent education policy changes. Whether you are the principal of a small, large, public, private, charter, urban, rural, or suburban school, Your First Year as a Principal will be an indispensable companion. With the help of this book, not only will you survive, you will also enthusiastically look forward to your sophomore year. Atlantic Publishing is a small, independent publishing company based in Ocala, Florida. Founded over twenty years ago in the company president s garage, Atlantic Publishing has grown to become a renowned resource for non-fiction books. Today, over 450 titles are in print covering subjects such as small business, healthy living, management, finance, careers, and real estate. Atlantic Publishing prides itself on producing award winning, high-quality manuals that give readers up-to-date, pertinent information, real-world examples, and case studies with expert advice. Every book has resources, contact information, and web sites of the products or companies discussed.

From understanding how the youngest children learn to working with ECE agencies, this practical guide presents the information principals need to create effective early childhood education programs.

Principals are today’s newest superheroes, and every superhero needs a mentor. Daresh and Alexander offer encouragement in a practical hands-on guide to help principals navigate the challenges of leadership. Discover how to: Drive student learning as the primary mission of the school Deal with others’ expectations of you as principal Master the technical skills needed to run an efficient school Create and clarify a personal professional growth plan Work effectively with the greater community and parents Celebrate instructional and non-instructional staff in a positive school culture Don’t just survive. Read this guide and thrive!

"The book is full of strategies and tips. Principals, those wanting to be principals, and those mentoring principals will find this book very useful." —Nancy M. Moga, Principal Callaghan Elementary School, Covington, VA "First-year principals need a mentor, and if one is not readily available, then this book helps fulfill the need. I found myself answering the questions, filling in the blanks, or considering how a scenario played out." —Ann Porter, Principal Lewis and Clark Elementary School, Grand Forks, SD A focused, organized approach to help first-year school leaders succeed and grow on the job! Based on more than 40 years of experience as an educator, principal, and principal mentor, Frederick Lindley defines the role of a successful school principal as an effective leader with strong management skills. Written in a conversational style, this portable guide helps entry-level principals and their mentors navigate through the first days and months of a principalship. Designed around the nine-month school year, this book incorporates the revised 2008 ISLLC standards and emphasizes organization, communication, nurturing the mentoring relationship, and using a balanced approach to leading and managing. Readers will also find information on short-term and long-term administrative responsibilities and help in planning for the second year as principal. This second edition includes: Ten core characteristics of successful strategies for improving student achievement New "A-to-Z tips" on topics such as delegating, equity and fairness, grace under pressure, time management, and NCLB Recommended reading resources for extended learning in each chapter A chapter focused on support for the principal-mentor The second edition of The Portable Mentor is an ideal professional growth resource that is always conveniently at hand to help school leaders successfully meet the challenges of their jobs.

The Principal’s Hot Seat: Observing Real-World Dilemmas, 2nd edition provides a window through which aspiring and practicing school leaders observe and evaluate some of the most challenging, authentic, and unpredictable interactions common to the principalship. With video footage from an unscripted role play in which teachers, parents, and stakeholders share a variety of issues and emotions with the principal, the Hot Seat challenges readers to unpack the ways principals attempt to address routine and unpredictable challenges in school leadership. From distraught, pushy, or irate parents to teachers refusing to collaborate, curriculum controversies and cultural responsivity, readers assume the “hot seat” and feel the challenge principals face in navigating conversations and issues in ethical, individual, standards-based ways. Each chapter begins with stage setting and scenario background information, along with relevant literature, research, and resources, followed by a transcript of the interaction, and questions promoting discussion, reflection, and constructive critique. Each scenario comes alive through several minutes of video footage of the unscripted interaction, allowing examination of body language, tone of voice, and non-verbal communication. The second edition adds new scenarios related to teacher collaboration, controversial curriculum, current social issues, updated literature and resources, and cases in which the principal must interact with more than one stakeholder at a time. New questions examine principals’ performance related to equity, when to seek assistance from others, and more. Video footage located at: https://textbooks.rowman.com/principals-hot-seat2e

Filled with best practice examples, resources, reflections, self-assessments, and implementation ideas, this guide shows school leaders how to improve their school management skills.

"Dr. Villani′s comprehensive new book gives our profession-especially ose who are new to it-a terrific boost. With clarity and great care, Villani outlines the critical need for mentoring and induction programs for new school leaders. Using excellent examples, she shows us the extremely difficult and varied situations principals face daily. Then she explores well-documented model programs from across the nation that serve as examples and inspiration for all school leaders." -Dr. Vincent L. Ferrandino Executive Director, NAESP "Susan Villani′s Mentoring & Induction Programs that Support New Principals is a comprehensive compendium of ideas and models drawn from school systems, regional education agencies, states, professional associations, and universities. Villani makes a compelling case for the value of supporting beginning principals in new and more powerful ways. She describes how changing educational policies and escalating demands on the principalship have caused an increasing number of states and local districts to seek improved ways to support new principals early in their administrative careers. Most important, Villani provides guidance to readers in translating these ideas and models into new or stronger mentoring and induction programs for the next generation of school principals." -Dr. Dennis Sparks Executive Director, NSDC "There is increasing evidence as to the significant role which principals play in reforming schools and in increasing student achievement. Principal induction and mentoring are key components of effective leadership development. This text provides an effective guide for organizations supporting the development of school principals." -Dr. Gerald N. Tirozzi Executive Director, NASSP Make it possible for all new principals to realize their full potential! A well-prepared new principal is essential to the success of an entire school. So why is it one of the least supported positions in the building? In Mentoring and Induction Programs That Support New Principals, mentoring expert Susan Villani addresses the key question of how well new principals are prepared and supported. This is an ideal resource for developing a mentoring or induction program for principals, or for enhancing your existing program. This innovative new text offers a close examination of the state of principalship and the needs of new principals, as well as a detailed compilation of principal mentoring and induction programs throughout the United States. This useful, hands-on guidebook includes: A complete understanding of the challenges facing new principals Practical examples and enlightening vignettes to clearly illustrate challenges often faced by novice principals Detailed tips to encourage and foster new principals A clear, easy to understand comparison of model mentoring and induction programs