Communicating School Finance


Book Description

Communicating School Finance is an essential fiscal guide for beginning principals, designed to help them become truly conversant in the language of everyday educational money issues. Dr. Charles R. Waggoner discusses the basics and current trends of educational finance to provide the beginning principal with a firm foundation that is essential for novice principals. An excellent reference that is written in a clear, comprehensive manner, Communicating School Finance focuses on how to build budgets, how the principal affects the budget, and how the principal communicates the budget to the staff. It provides real-life examples that will guide school officials through the often incomprehensible maze of school funding. "Dr. Charles Waggoner has a wealth of successful experience from which to draw. Resourceful and very well read, Chuck has guided the financial fortunes of several districts with expediency and appropriate frugalness. This book is like a friend talking to the reader. Tells 'em all they need to know and doesn't scare them off or put them to sleep. Prospective principals should find it very useful without being overly labored." -Roger Icenogle, ex-principal and assistant regional superintendent of schools. "Chuck Waggoner is a financial genius." -Fred Abel, former professor of education




Principaled


Book Description

The best view comes after the hardest climb. While the principal's office may sometimes feel like the loneliest place in the building, it doesn't have to be. In Principaled, veteran principals Kate Barker, Kourtney Ferrua, and Rachael George draw back the curtain on their years of experience, revealing the strategies, mind-sets, and practices that have helped them flourish in their roles. With humor, humility, and candor, the authors detail the key ingredients to finding balance as a school leader: taking time to reflect and learn, seeking out mentors, crafting simple and clear goals, and not neglecting self-care. The authors present a step-by-step approach to facing the challenges of school change and demonstrate that achievement and improving culture are not mutually exclusive goals. Strengthened by their hard-earned wisdom, the dynamic trio behind Principaled will elevate school leaders and help them find their footing along the route to career contentment. "Being a principal is a rocky ride. Tomorrow always has surprises waiting, there are always too many priorities, and for most of us good is not good enough. This is a rare book, written from the front line. A must-have for future, new, and experienced school leaders." -John Hattie, PhD, director of the Melbourne Educational Research Institute "Barker, Ferrua, and George's Principaled should be required as the go-to playbook for every education leader seeking to lead effectively. The reader is left with the seeds of effective leadership and a developed purpose, and presented with a comprehensive game plan on how effective principals can be cultivated through strategic reflection." -Dr. A. Katrise Perera, 2015 NASS Superintendent of the Year "Barker, Ferrua, and George masterfully identify the areas where it matters the most: knowing yourself, knowing your people, and knowing your skill sets. The authors share personal stories and relevant examples with refreshing honesty and insight." -Jimmy Casas, leadership coach, educator, author, and speaker




You're the Principal! Now What?


Book Description

A principal's job is astonishingly complex, and its competing demands can be overwhelming, especially in the first few years. In this book, Jen Schwanke, a principal herself, provides a mentor's guidance to steer new principals through the period of adjustment and set the foundation for a long and rewarding career. The topics you wish your graduate program had covered are covered here—directly, practically, and without the jargon. Drawing on her own experience, Schwanke provides strategies for tackling the most common yet most daunting challenges of the principalship, including Establishing productive professional relationships Building and maintaining a positive school culture Resolving conflict among staff and parents Providing effective instructional leadership Supporting students' social-emotional needs Conducting staff evaluations and delivering feedback Keeping up with district, state, and federal mandates Managing the facility and the budget Providing focused and effective professional development Prioritizing responsibilities Learning from student and schoolwide data Planning for growth and change Working through behavior and discipline issues Hiring high-quality teachers and supporting new ones Leading effective meetings Maintaining balance The standalone chapters provide easy access to the solutions you need for the situations you face. Along with real-life scenarios and critical tips for success, you'll find helpful models of what to do, what to say, and how to say it. This book is a source for ideas any time you encounter a problem and think, "Now what?" It's the beginning of an ongoing conversation about the wonderful and rewarding work of being a principal.




Being a Successful Principal


Book Description

This book is for administrators, aspiring administrators, and those who are interested in how schools operate on a day-to-day basis. Many principals will recognize the stressors that are described and that typify a shared-leadership school. Chapter 1 focuses on communication as the foundational skill for all principals, a skill that entails as much listening as it does speaking. Chapter 2 emphasizes the need for principals to trust themselves and to trust others, both of which are important in a job that tends to isolate. The next two chapters focus on the need to be receptive to change and the need for principals to recognize that the classroom is not the only place to learn and that all of a school's resources should be used to provide a practical, real-life learning environment. Chapter 5 examines the need to be prepared for large-scale changes, whereas chapter 6 provides advice on mediating the inevitable conflicts that visit all schools. The last few chapters discuss the importance of exercising the power of the principal's office; how to assess students, staff, and schools; and the need to maintain balance in one's life. A final section offers anecdotes and tips for thriving in the difficult job that is called the principalship. (Contains 59 references and an index.) (RJM)




The Principal's Guide to Time Management


Book Description

Make the most of your time—and your leadership Is your school’s vision getting buried under paperwork? If you spend more time picking up pieces than putting them together, this is your book. Written by seasoned school principals, this plan of action will get you back to the essence of your job: instructional leadership. By using educational technology to maximize efficiency, you’ll improve teaching, student achievement, resource management, and school culture. This comprehensive guide features: Easy-to-follow, single-topic chapters Standards–based scenarios and questions Time-management self-assessments Easily adaptable experiential exercises Strategies for battling the “silent time thief”




The Principal's Survival Guide


Book Description

This hands-on school leadership guide for new and veteran principals and administrators offers practical advice for leading a school successfully. Want honest student input? Try texting. Got a group of angry parents? Arrange one-on-one meetings—you’ll avoid a mob scene and give each family the attention it deserves. Trying to make a teacher feel appreciated? Shoot a quick email after stopping by his classroom and describe something cool you saw him do. It takes ten seconds but has a big impact. These tips and hundreds more are the collective wisdom of three experienced principals who know how to connect with kids, staff, families, and stakeholders, and help students succeed.




The Aspiring Principal 50


Book Description

So, you want to be a principal? Are you a new principal who could benefit from the wisdom of a successful four-time principal? Could you use help preparing for a school administrator job interview? Then this is the book for you. In The Aspiring Principal 50, school leadership expert Baruti Kafele presents reflective questions aimed at assisting both new and aspiring school leaders as they work to become effective school leaders and consider making a leap to a leadership position, respectively. This book will help aspiring principals determine whether "The Principal" is truly who they want to be and help new principals grow and thrive in the principalship. Additionally, the book contains an entire chapter devoted to preparing for the school administrator job interview. Kafele infuses the book from beginning to end with succinct advice on everything from remaining focused on the principal's number one priority—student achievement—to addressing maintenance concerns, managing budget allocations, and ensuring that the school's website puts the school in the best possible light. With The Aspiring Principal 50, you can increase the likelihood that your tenure as principal will be a successful, beneficial, and healthful one.




The Principal as Instructional Leader


Book Description

First published in 2007. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.




The Assistant Principal 50


Book Description

You're an Assistant Principal. Whatever your status—the sole AP in your school, one of two or more APs in your school, a career AP, an AP aspiring to the principalship—yours is one of the most misunderstood and underutilized positions in education. Positioned between teachers and the principal, you are an instructional leader. However, you are not the leader of the school. Therefore, you must carefully navigate your way to ensure that you thrive in your role without "stepping on the toes" of your principal. In The Assistant Principal 50, award-winning, four-time principal Baruti Kafele presents reflective questions that encompass the breadth and depth of the assistant principalship—from finding your leadership "lane" to thriving and being an asset to your principal. Kafele infuses the book (which also includes guidance and insights for principals and aspiring assistant principals) from beginning to end with personal anecdotes and accounts of both failures and successes from his years as an assistant principal. He arms you with tools and insights that will drive you to view the assistant principalship as critical to the climate and culture of your school as well as to student achievement. You, assistant principal, play a critical role in your school's success. The questions that Kafele asks you to consider will aid you as you hone your leadership skills toward becoming an effective leader in your school.




Becoming a School Principal


Book Description

The principal’s role is increasingly understood as a critical lever for school improvement. Yet the job can be a solitary one, offering few opportunities to reflect with colleagues. What does it take to manage the work of continuous improvement—to push staff members constantly to operate outside their comfort zones? What dilemmas and challenges must principals confront? How can school leaders learn from their mistakes and move forward? In Becoming a School Principal, Sarah E. Fiarman describes her first few years as a school principal committed to enacting a powerful vision of leading and learning. Drawing thoughtfully on the literature of school reform and change leadership, Fiarman discusses a wide range of topics, including empowering teachers, building trust, addressing racial and economic inequities, and supporting a culture of continuous learning, as well as thornier issues such as learning to use authority skillfully, dealing with resistance, and managing supervision and evaluation. The book addresses common challenges and highlights missteps as well as successes. A contributing author to several leading books on school reform and instructional improvement, Fiarman engages readers in a lively, frank, and revealing conversation about building the vision and capacity to provide effective instruction for all students and the intensely personal process of learning to lead.