The principal's companion : strategies for making the job easier

Author(s)

    • Robbins, Pamela
    • Alvy, Harvey B.

Bibliographic Information

The principal's companion : strategies for making the job easier

Pam Robbins, Harvey B. Alvy ; foreword by Kent D. Peterson

Corwin Press, c2009

3rd ed

  • : pbk

Available at  / 2 libraries

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Note

Includes bibliographical references (p. 239-244) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

'In the heroic effort to improve our nation's schools, this newly revised volume is a gift to the profession...and to the professionals' - Roland S. Barth, Former Public School Teacher and Principal Founding Director, Harvard Principals' Center 'The Principal's Companion is rightfully regarded as 'the bible' of resource books for current and aspiring principals. No other single source provides such a thorough treatment of the multiple roles and dimensions involved in effective school leadership' - Jay McTighe, Author and Educational Consultant A guide on the side to help you excel in all areas of the principalship! This third edition of a bestseller serves as a personal mentor for principals, providing the practical resources and tools to help inservice and aspiring administrators manage the challenges of leading a learning organization and facilitating school improvement. Educational leadership consultant Pam Robbins and experienced principal Harvey B. Alvy guide school leaders on such critical areas as leadership skills, developing vision and a mission, teacher evaluation and supervision, curriculum, technology use, and conducting faculty meetings. This revised and updated guide reflects recent changes in a wide range of educational issues, including data-driven decision making and high-stakes accountability, instructional implications of brain research, federal legislation, cyberbullying, and social responsibility. This book provides: - Research-based strategies for succeeding with issues deemed critical to the principalship by practicing principals - An interactive format with reflective questions at the end of each chapter - A matrix that aligns practices with ISLLC standards The Principal's Companion is the principal's ideal accompaniment for creating an environment that supports teachers' efforts to bring about successful student performance.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Kent D. Peterson Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors Part I. The Principal's Many Roles 1. Leader as Learner Principal as Lifelong Learner Learning in Many Contexts The School as a Powerful Context for Learning A Global Perspective When Old and New Ideas Converge 2. Leader as Manager Good Leadership Requires Effective Management Management Responsibilities and Strategies Crisis Management Planning A Final Observation Regarding School Management 3. Leader as Shaper of School Culture Core Beliefs and Values Are the Heart of Culture The Physical Environment Reflects Core Values Rituals Display Core Values and Call Attention to What Is Important Celebrations Call Attention to What Is Important How People Spend Time Reflects Core Values Norms Are the Unwritten Rules of Culture Powerful Stories Communicate and Reinforce Cultural Values Reading, Transforming, or Shaping a Culture Final Thoughts on Culture Part II. Critical Skills for Effective Leadership 4. The Art of Human Relations: Getting the Job Done Task and Relationship Behaviors Differentiated Support Personality Styles Recommendations for Skillful Human Relations The Role of Emotions in the Organization: Remembering the Heart 5. Managing Time Brevity, Fragmentation, and Variety Techniques for Time Management Managing Bifocally Multi-Tasking: A Modern Day Solution or Hazard? Final Thoughts on Using Time 6. Effectively Working With the Central Office and Other Schools: Forging Success Through Collaboration Caught in the Middle How Is the School District Governed? Communication Between the School and the Central Office Management Tips for Working With the Central Office Maintaining a Strong Relationship Between the Central Office and the School Forging a School and Central Office Partnership: Putting Staff and Student Learning First Part III. Honoring the School's Mission 7. Understanding, Planning, and Implementing Change Change Brings Loss and Resistance Influencing Individuals and the Institution Building Trust for Successful Change Conflict Can Contribute to Positive Change Strategies to Promote Trust Classical Insights Regarding Change and Continuous Improvement Three Phases of Change A Look at Change From the Individual's Perspective Stages of Concern Some Final Thoughts on Change 8. Building a Vision and a Mission Together Why Have a School Vision and Mission? School Activities That Highlight the Mission Joint Administrative and Faculty Mission Statement Mission-Building Activity Developing Yearly School Improvement Goals to Accomplish the Mission Part IV. Working Together to Build a Learning Organization 9. Enhancing Teacher Growth Through Supervision and Evaluation Practices Designed to Promote Student Learning Issues and Dilemmas Essential Ingredients for Successful Supervision Effective Instructional Strategies Brain-Compatible Teaching Practices Increasing Teacher and Administrative Reflection Through Clinical Supervision Tips for Conferencing and Observing Walkthroughs, Snapshots, or Drive-Bys Guidelines Related to Evaluation and Legal Concerns Final Thoughts on Supervision and Evaluation 10. Maximizing Feedback About Teaching: Differentiated Professional Growth Options Reflections on Feedback Moving Toward Collaborative Feedback Differentiated Professional Growth Options: How the System Works Sources of Feedback: Categories and Approaches Self-Assessment: Establishing Benchmarks of Progress Individual Reflection and Institutional Renewal 11. Building a Collaborative School: The Power of Teacher Leadership and Community Portrait of a Collaborative School: The Professional Learning Community An Image of Reality The Case for Collaboration Moving Toward Collaboration Necessary Conditions for a Collaborative School A Spectrum of Activities Teacher Leadership and the Collaborative School The Principal and Collaboration Some Final Thoughts on Collaboration 12. Fueling the Learning Organization Through Professional Development Why Professional Development? Professional Development Defined Creating an Atmosphere for Professional Development to Thrive: Some Guidelines Planning a Peer-Coaching Program Facilitating the Individual's Professional Development Experience The Big Picture 13. Faculty Meetings: A Tool for Capacity Building Faculty Meetings as Learning Opportunities The School Mission and Faculty Meetings Increasing the Teachers' Roles in Faculty Meetings Some Successful Faculty Meeting Strategies A Final Thought 14. Asking the Right Questions About Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment: Getting to Know the C.I.A. Keeping the Curriculum Relevant Asking the Right Questions Continuing the Curriculum Discussion Part V. Starting Effectively and Staying the Course 15. First Days of School Logistical Concerns Beginning-of-the-Year Faculty Meetings Set a Tone Departmental and Grade-Level Meetings Orienting Teachers Who Are New to the School Teacher Time in the Classroom Welcoming Students and Parents Be Visible on the First Days of School 16. Tips: Ideas That Work and Align With the School's Mission Organizing Your Time Making Record Keeping Easier Additional Helpful Ideas to Stay On Task Tips on Using Technology to Enhance a Principal's Performance Providing Experiences to Celebrate the School's Culture Tips on Opening a New School Practical Guidelines for Preparing Printed Materials for Internal and External School Community Members Using Tips in Your Setting Part VI. Understanding Your Constituencies 17. Working With Parents and Partnering With the Greater Community Effectively Communicating With Parents Building Bridges With the Parent Community Additional Ways to Bring Parents and Community Members Into School Broadening School Support and Partnerships Community-Based Organizations Seeking School Support Through Educational Grants Reaching Out and Working With the Media A Reflection on Partnering With Parents and the Community 18. Making a Difference for Students: The Heart of the School Social Justice and the Challenge of Excellence and Equality "Those Kids" and Their Stories The Right to Be a Child and to Make Mistakes Maximizing Opportunities for Students With Disabilities Structuring Student Success Discipline Guidelines Effective Classroom Management: Handling Disciplinary Problems Reducing Bullying Behavior Cyberbullying and Social Responsibility The High School Dropout Crisis Student and Teacher Resiliency Final Thoughts on "Those Kids" Part VII. The Principal's Professional and Personal Worlds 19. The Newcomer to the Principalship Problems That Challenge New Principals A Profile of the New Principal Helping Prospective and New Principals Make the Grade Practical Suggestions for Newcomers Final Thoughts on the Newcomer Experience 20. Taking Care of Yourself The Selfish Nature of Martyrdom Taking Control of Your Schedule to Care for Yourself A Personal Mission Statement Gaining Perspective by Spending Time With Students Body and Mind: Healthy and Ill Together Maintaining Institutional and Individual Balance 21. Keeping the Professional Candle Lit Institutionalizing Professional Growth Activities Reflection as a Tool A Principal's Portfolio Other Growth Opportunities 22. Reflections on the Principalship Serving the School Community Where Do We Go From Here? The Good School Take Time to Smell the Roses References and Additional Readings Index

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