School Improvement Tips for Principals

To blog or not to blog… that is the question. After many years in the education field, I’ve come to the realization that while what I learned in college was informative, most of what I’ve learned about school leadership has been O.J.T. – On the Job Training.  OJT is a highly valuable type of training, however, the School of Hard Knocks isn’t the easiest way to learn.

My goal in this blog is to share the valuable information that I have acquired over the past 26 or so years and make it quickly and easily accessible to those involved in improving schools. Education is a worthy field, but it is a challenging one and becoming increasingly so.

I hope to make it just a little easier for the good people who care about kids and want to make a positive difference. I hope to tap into all of the expertise of those people who have worked so hard to make things better for students.

This blog is intended to give principals, assistant (or vice) principals, aspiring school administrators, and/or anyone in the central office whose focus is on improving schools quick, no-nonsense, to-the-point advice and direction. I don’t claim to know everything. But as I once heard said, “I know a lot of things, but I don’t know a lot of other things.”

As I look back to when I first became a principal, I wish there had been a place where I could have gone to ask questions, get quick advice (from a lot of experts), and most importantly, a place where I could have gone to ask questions and not feel looked down upon.  I hope this becomes such a place for you.

Lastly, everyone here is knowledgeable in some area of school leadership and you all have had many different experiences. You all have a wealth of knowledge to share. I hope this becomes a community where you will feel comfortable doing so. Please excuse any grammar mistakes, quirky comments, or strong opinions.

As I have always loved quotes, and even posted one quote a day for my entire teaching career, I will leave you with a quote on each post. Some may be serious, some may  be irreverent, and some may just strike my fancy. Hopefully, you will enjoy them all. Let’s do this!

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.

• Albert Einstein

Don’t ever forget why we’re here… if you do what’s right for children, you won’t go wrong.