Rosemarie Young remembers her first day as a school principal very well. What made the experience so remarkable was the unremarkable way it began. "I met another principal who gave me the keys, walked me through the school, and that was it," says the 20-year principal of Watson Lane Elementary in Louisville, Ky. "There wasn't a lot of support; there wasn't a system or internship to prepare you—you just learned as you went."
Much has changed since Young's experience. Many school systems now have mentoring programs and leadership training for their principals, as well as for assistant principals, who may aspire to move up when the next opportunity arises. What has not changed, however, is the fact that many new principals still find themselves questioning how best to tackle the multiple challenges of the job. From determining which practices help struggling students achieve to sifting through never-ending mountains of paperwork to simply finding the time to meet with students, faculty members, school board members, community volunteers, and parents, juggling the myriad tasks associated with the job can exhaust even the most stalwart educator. "Finding a balance is often difficult," admits Sonya Hemmen, the principal of Glenwood Springs Elementary in Glenwood Springs, Colo. "There's just so much to do. Sometimes, it does seem like an unmanageable job."
Despite the many challenges of the position, many principals find that it offers great rewards because it affords opportunities like no other to shape and direct a school and its students. And where principals like Rosemarie Young once found themselves thrust into the position without much preparation, today's administrators are often given ample opportunities to work closely with veteran principals before assuming the job. This pairing of the new and energetic with the seasoned and experienced reaffirms the fact that even the most determined administrator needs help to work effectively. "The volume can be overwhelming," Young cautions. "The job is so huge, you cannot do everything yourself, but [in time] you learn the critical things that can help guide you more effectively."
Faces and Names
Of all the issues confronting new principals, dealing with numerous (and at times challenging) personalities is usually at or near the top of the list. "As a new principal, you may find yourself challenged in terms of getting up to speed on various systems and discussions about student data," says David Lindenberg, an assistant principal at Glenwood Springs Elementary, who is planning to move up in the near future. "But you need to think about the personalities you'll be dealing with. How do you work with those people?"
Truly effective administrators, experts note, make a point of communicating not only with teachers and parents but also with people in a variety of positions and from a variety of backgrounds. This can include individuals within the school—janitors, coaches, and secretaries, for example—as well as outside it, such as community volunteers, members of the news media, local officials, and politicians. "I would say having an open door policy is critical," says Katherine E. Johnson, a professional development facilitator for Howard County Schools in Pasadena, Md. "That means talking with teachers, secretaries, custodians, parents, community officials, everyone. Have people feel you rely on them, because that's what you're going to have to do to succeed."
Along with reliance on and openness to others, some principals place equal importance on flexibility and a willingness to rework time-honored traditions. For example, many schools schedule open house activities by reserving certain nights for specific grades to keep the number of attendees on a given night small. A new principal may be reluctant to change this well-established practice, but doing so may be necessary if the practice fails to best serve the school community. "We tell our principals that invitations that set aside certain nights for certain grades are not genuine invitationals," says Mary Cary, assistant state superintendent for the Maryland State Department of Education in Baltimore. "People work at different jobs; they need to be able to come to school any night they can." Restricting or limiting attendance, she says, sends parents and students a message that is not positive or inclusive. "Those subtle messages that you send make all the difference in telling people about the involvement you want at your school," she adds.
Food for Thought
Although communicating with parents and teachers is critical, experts say, being an effective instructional leader also requires being able to communicate with and relate to students. "If kids do not know who their principal is, that person is not an instructional leader," Cary points out. "The principal has to be seen as someone who cares about what is being learned in the school." That means not just looking at reports and test scores but also talking directly with students about their experiences. A new principal might stop a student in the hall and ask who assigned a particular reading text, for example, to gain insight into instructional practices. If a student is struggling in a class, the principal might ask the student what she is doing to work with the teacher to bring her scores up rather than simply discussing the problem with the teacher alone. "You need to talk to the kids about what they're learning," Cary adds.
But as all teachers and parents know, asking students direct questions does not always guarantee a satisfactory answer. "Uh-huh," or similarly noncommittal responses may mask difficulties in particular areas. To encourage more open communication during office meetings with students, some principals employ a strategy well known to parents: Food.
"We have a ‘pizza with the principal’ lunch at our school every month," says Augie Frattali, principal of Rachel Carson Middle School in Herndon, Va. "The teachers select the students—I usually have eight total for each month's luncheon—and we talk about everything." Discussion topics range from school lessons to favorite vacations, and Frattali finds that the conversations are also helpful in gaining insight into students' experiences at Carson. "It really helps keep me connected," he asserts.
Touring the Castle
In addition to connecting with students and staff, many principals also emphasize the importance of visibility in establishing one's position as an instructional leader. Staying in the office to tackle paperwork, return calls, answer e-mails, and address the countless other day-to-day needs is understandable, but many administrators say that they make a significant effort every day to block out some time for walking through the halls and classrooms of their schools. "I try to get out once a day and do a walk through both floors," Frattali says. "I call it ‘touring the castle.’"
Other principals who share this belief do even more than simply walk through their buildings; they make a point of being out in front of them every day to emphasize accessibility and personal connections. "My main thing every day is to be the first person that the kids see when they come off the bus or walk through the door," says Laurie Haynie, principal of Appeal Elementary School in Lusby, Md. "I want to be the first person they see every day, and I want to say hello to everyone."
Not all principals place the same value on walk-arounds, however; some eschew the "castle tour" in favor of maintaining a different presence. "I think the advice for new principals is to remember that visibility is wonderful, but it needs to be coupled with other things," notes Dan Parris, principal of Rocky Run Middle School in Fairfax County, Va. "What are you doing while you're visible? Are you developing an awareness of your building and how it operates?"
Others agree. "I don't dress up and walk down the halls at my school," says Ted Haynie, director of the department of systems performance at Calvert County Public Schools in Prince Frederick, Md. "I know many principals who think they need to be doing things and be on every lunch duty, all bus duties, but that's not my role as I see it." Instead, Haynie empowers his staff to fulfill such roles while he focuses on working with teams to determine what strategies would best improve learning at his school. "The biggest concern for me is mentoring," he adds. "It's a critical piece for success. You need to create opportunities for teachers to learn from each other. Finding the time and opportunities to get teachers together so we can be a professional learning community has to begin with the principal."
Principals' opinions may differ when it comes to maintaining visibility throughout their schools, but all cite interaction with teachers through regular classroom observations as essential for success. Such visits can be unnerving initially, but with time and frequency, the drop-ins can become an accepted part of teacher-principal interaction. "I make a commitment to do my [classroom visits] twice a day," says Peggy Dumler, principal of Clemens Crossing Elementary in Columbia, Md. She confesses, "At first, teachers would stop teaching, but now I go right to the students to see what they're working on; I don't go near the teachers." Now that the visits have become a regular part of school practice, she says, students and faculty alike accept them as a normal part of the everyday routine.
Additionally, the visits provide opportunities for feedback to educators. "I made a commitment to do three to five notes per day to recognize my teachers for their achievements," Dumler says. "If I see something, I try very hard to note it." The note can be as simple as a comment that the teacher's attention or focus has improved or an accolade for a roundabout or inventive way the teacher has devised for helping a struggling student. As an example of the latter, Dumler recalls a teacher who wanted a student to focus more on school, so she asked if the student could come in early to feed the fish in the class aquarium as a special responsibility. "I try to focus on the 98 percent that's positive," Dumler adds.
Going Slower Gets You Farther
With so many responsibilities and commitments, many principals confess that feeling overwhelmed at some point is practically inevitable. Dealing with such sentiments requires accepting personal limits—and a willingness to admit when something is not working so a course correction can be made.
"One of the most common mistakes new principals make is assuming that, because you're the leader, you have to be responsible for all decisions and for sticking with the ones you've made even if you realize later that one wasn't for the best," says Cary. She cites the example of one principal she knew who made an unpopular decision but refused to back down in the face of growing opposition. When the principal finally acknowledged her decision was an error, she found she gained a great deal more support from her staff. "Remember, people who work for you are actually working with you," Cary cautions. "They can make things work for you if you ask for advice, and you need to know when to say ‘when’ because you simply will not know everything."
Many principals take the job—and consequently leave the classroom—with the hopes of making their schools more effective, only to find that assuming a leadership position ends up making them better instructors. "I was not a very astute instructional leader when I first became a principal," admits Ted Haynie. "But I became a much better one after leaving the classroom. Why? Because I had so many opportunities to observe master teachers in their classrooms."
