LEAD GREAT SCHOOLS

One of my favorite things about the beginning of a school year is the excitement that comes with a fresh start. Hallways are full again. Teachers are preparing classrooms. Students are wondering what this year will bring. There is an energy during the first week of school that you just can't recreate any other time of the year. At Sebastopol, our theme this year is Game Changers. To make a difference, do something different.

For both teachers and students, state testing is like competing in the state championship game. They’ve worked hard all year to reach their goals, and now they get a chance to show what they’ve accomplished throughout the year. Across the school, there’s a sense of urgency in every classroom. It’s a time of excitement, nervous energy, and stress. Great school leaders leverage the natural intensity before state testing to push their students and staff to achieve outstanding re

A few weeks ago, I ran several student data reports and saw that a few students needed urgent intervention for attendance, grades, or behavior. These students’ names had come up several times throughout the year in teacher meetings, and we had already implemented several strategies to improve their performance. Teachers had already reached out to parents several times. I could see that it was time to contact parents from the principal’s office. Whether you are just starting y

Leadership can be stressful. You put in long hours, often take work home, and spend a large part of your day dealing with the unexpected. The problems that aren’t easily solved get escalated directly to you. You make hundreds of choices each day that affect a large number of people. Deadlines approach quickly, and competing priorities always leave you reflecting on whether you made the best decisions. And yet the largest contributor to job stress may not be readily apparent..

Last week, we looked at three concerns raised in an anonymous letter from a teacher that listed various grievances about leadership in her school. This teacher stated that she would be “quiet quitting” until she could find another job elsewhere. If you missed that post, you can find it here . The original letter can be found here . Even though educational leaders are often just as overworked and overlooked as the teachers and staff they lead, you must do your part to preempt