Two lions, one young and one old, are peering down over the pride at some antelope. The younger, more inexperienced lion shifts from side to side, eager to pounce on the prey for a meal. She leans over to the grizzled veteran lion and eagerly implores, “Let’s run down this hill and eat those antelope!” The wise lion doesn’t move. She slowly turns her head and says, “No. We are going to walk down this hill and eat those antelope.”

Patience is the second of our 11 pillars of school leadership, derived from over 50 years of combined educational experiences, seven years and 125 episodes of the Rockstar Principals’ Podcast, dozens of interviews with education thought leaders, and feedback from over 80,000 listeners in 100 different countries on six continents. School leaders must possess a calm, focused, and intentional demeanor in all scenarios. This benefits both the leader and their followers. Patience allows the leader to think clearly, reason through possible eventualities, and respond appropriately. Rational judgment is clouded when one acts rashly, impulsively, and emotionally. This often leads to overlooking the best solution in favor of  a “quick fix.” Equanimity combined with forbearance prevents a leader from lashing out or otherwise making a bad choice in the heat of the moment.

Similarly, every decision that is made in a school should be done so with the best interests of the students in mind. If principals settle for the quick fix simply to get the problem off their desk, they may feel efficient in the moment, but those problems will eventually resurface with sharper teeth than when they first appeared. In crisis situations, equanimity becomes even more vital. As the saying goes, “When a principal sneezes, the entire school catches a cold.” If a principal panics or appears flustered, the followers will do the same—usually to a larger degree. Through many of the tragic events in schools over the past two decades, the leaders who have stepped up with a calm, poised position on the front lines (often at their own peril) are the ones who saved countless lives by their well-reasoned actions.

With all of this in mind, patience should not be confused with inaction. A quote from President Teddy Roosevelt illustrates this point beautifully: “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” Practicing patience allows us to be imperturbable, which in turn allows decision making to be tempered and wise.

So how do we learn patience? We must first learn to recognize our personal triggers that lead to impatient acts. What emotions bubble up inside you when you feel someone or something testing your patience? What strategies can you use to calm yourself down and show restraint (e.g., deep breathing, “Count to Ten and Think Again”)? An old Buddhist fable tells the tale of a buffalo tormented by a monkey who teases him endlessly. One day, the other animals ask the buffalo why he tolerates the monkey’s antics. The buffalo calmly responds, “Because the monkey teaches me patience. Patience leads to peace. And peace is bliss.”

Nicholas Indeglio, EdD, is the principal of Downingtown Middle School in Downingtown, PA. He is the 2017 NASSP Digital Principal of the Year and co-host of the Rockstar Principals Podcast. Follow him on Twitter (@DrIndeglio).

Dr. Jon Ross is a 2010 National Distinguished Principal and president of the Pennsylvania Principals Association.

If you’ve ever seen the movie Remember the Titans, you may know this quote: “Attitude reflects leadership.” As a school principal for over a decade, this quote is one I choose to keep close to my heart, embedded in my deep belief of servant leadership. I know the way I choose to lead will make or break the critical work that needs to be done on a daily basis in my school.

Educators want to believe in the work they do. They want to see purpose and value in the countless hours they pour into their beloved profession. There is not one person I’ve met in my 20-plus years in this profession that doesn’t want to feel part of a team, a family, and a larger purpose. How we cultivate that purpose in the work is everything.

I have always been a big believer in creating a high-energy learning environment. As a teacher, that looked like transforming my classroom into a place where I wanted to be every day or transforming a challenging lesson into something in which my students wanted to engage. As a principal, it is even bigger than that. That belief in creating a high-energy learning environment needs to fuel every classroom and every lesson. It has to be safe to take risks and make mistakes. It is something that I fully commit to each year and can be observed in the actions I choose to make every day.

Creating a Hook

Deciding where my leadership practice can make the biggest difference and have the greatest impact is deliberate. My staff, former and current, will tell you I go BIG to kick off the school year. It is something that I put a lot of thought and energy into, and it translates into a high-energy culture that sets the tone for how we will serve our students, each other, and our school community throughout the year. I’ve come to realize the importance of setting the tone in a way that inspires innovation, creativity, and risk-taking. It truly drives the work. I’ve gone to many lengths to make that happen for my staff, spending weeks (or months) creating a theme and vision that will last all year long—and I keep it a secret.

It’s a hook. It’s intentional. They never know what to expect, where they will go, or what they will see—both the anticipation and the implementation captures their full attention (and their hearts) every single time! As Dr. Justin Tarte (@justintarte) says, “School climate is what is said during a staff faculty meeting. School culture is what is said in the parking lot after the meeting.”  I want our staff so engaged in the work that they are talking about it in the parking lot—in a good way.

I’ve utilized themes, movie clips, experiences, educator celebrities, and complete transformations of the environment to align my content and move my staff, in mind and heart, to in turn go BIG for their students. For example, my administrative team and I transformed our school library into Fertitta Royale and used movie clips from James Bond to create a motto of going “All In” for our students and emphasizing the need to take risks to make big wins in our teaching.

This year, I knew there would be lots of sharp turns and bumps in the road while we completely changed our teaching practices, so I partnered with a local business and held our kick-off at Mini Grand Prix in Las Vegas with the theme of “Dare to Drive.” We focused on the necessity for differentiated support and the need to adapt to the changes in our road ahead. We drove race cars and used our lap times to model how we could respond to instruction through use of data.

The relatively small investment on my part to start the year with a high-energy vision has, in turn, led to so many creative and extraordinary ideas across our campus. It’s not about the fluff. It’s about encouraging risk-taking, creating a safe space, and breeding innovation in our work with students on a daily basis. We share the belief of two of our favorite educator celebrities and authors. In their book The Wild Card: 7 Steps to an Educator’s Creative Breakthrough, Hope and Wade King write, “When your students can’t wait to see what you’ll do next, you become the wild card that just might change the game for them.”  It has become what we do, ingrained in the culture and heart of our school. Hope and Wade recognized our school in their book, writing, “Once you find your own creative power, share it. Spread the magic. Don’t focus on who is getting credit for an idea. Imagine what education could become if we all worked together and supported each other like Dr. Ellis supported her teachers. We wouldn’t just be saying we want to change the world; we would be the change.”

We truly will go to any lengths to ensure engagement; 2020 distance learning has made that even more evident. If we want our kids to engage, we need to show up. Every. Single. Day.

Setting the Tone for a Challenging Year

If I’m being completely honest, I really had to dig deep to kick off the 2020–21 school year in a way that held up to the expectations of the past and how we do the work on our campus. I had to create a new way to set the tone for our work that also took into account the health and safety of our staff in the way we conducted “normal” business. I pushed myself to model the same level of creativity and care I was going to be asking our educators to give on each day forward for our students—the same level of creativity and care that we lived and breathed as a staff before a global pandemic turned our school (and our lives) upside down.

I knew that I’d be asking teachers to continue to be positive, creative, and innovative; take risks; and work harder than they have ever had to work before—in the midst of full-time distance learning and a complete transformation of our educational practice, teaching, and learning. I had to do the same. I had to be positive, creative, and innovative in the way that I worked with our educators on the steepest learning curve of their careers. I had to find the energy and the passion to ensure we maintained a positive culture that would allow us to move forward in education together. It is what our staff, our students, and our school community deserve.

As leaders, we will always set the tone on our school campuses, and our attitudes toward the hard work we have ahead of us in our current reality will only shine more light on that impact. I’ve always known that. I know deep in my heart that my attitude contributes to the purpose and passion of critical work every day, and in my experience I’ve seen how positivity can be just as contagious as negativity. Teachers, students, parents—they pick up on it. They are inspired by it.

A Wide-Angle View of Our School

I had an opportunity to visit innovative schools across the country last school year with a team of my staff members in an effort to continue to redesign what teaching and learning looks like for our students. The experience was truly priceless. Having the opportunity to learn and grow alongside others will always take our expectations and performance to another level. Our main takeaway from the school visits was the realization that a 360-degree lens to anything we do is much more powerful in our work. So while writing this blog article, I thought about that—how can I share that 360-degree view of our school? I can share with you, from my role as the school leader, how I perceived to have been successful in creating a high-energy culture of innovation on our campus. I can show you memorable moments with our staff, students, and school community that create an image of what that high-energy culture looks like. But, to clearly illustrate this point, I thought you should really hear the perceptions from our students, staff, and school community on how a leader contributes to the culture of a school (scan the QR code or follow this link to read). After all, in regard to a school’s culture, perception is reality.

Taking the time to seek out a wide-angle view of how others perceive you can be humbling, intimidating, and even courageous. It is an act of vulnerability, and as Brené Brown says in Dare to Lead, “vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change.” It is also a powerful opportunity to build trust. As school leaders, we must learn and grow alongside our staff and students. They must trust us and see us as allies in the work. They must see that our attitudes are unwavering as they reflect our values and beliefs in the vision and mission of the school—and our beliefs in them as individuals, as humans. I truly believe in doing so, you create an environment that leads to innovation and excellence. In reading the perspectives from my current and former school community members, I feel honored, humbled, and reflective. They make me want to work harder and be a better leader. Anything is possible when the culture of our schools encourages and inspires others to be better.

Dr. Cailin Ellis is principal of Victoria Fertitta Middle School in Las Vegas, NV, and the 2020 Nevada Principal of the Year. Follow her on Twitter (@VFMSPrincipal).

Ask the experts: Three questions about principal supervisors and how they can best support principals now

Reprinted with permission of The Wallace Blog.

​Last spring, the role of the principal changed overnight and continues to evolve. As the pandemic took hold, principals almost immediately shifted from leading a school within a building to leading virtual schools. Principal supervisors had to pivot, too.

Strong principal supervisors are high-touch with their principals, working with them intensively one-on-one and in learning communities, often in school buildings. How are they adapting to the online environment? What seems promising? What new supports do they need to adapt successfully?

This summer, Meredith Honig, a professor and director of the District Leadership Design Lab at the University of Washington; and Nancy Gutiérrez, president and CEO of The Leadership Academy, a national nonprofit organization, took on this question in a webinar in the series “Education Leadership for a Digital World.” The series was hosted by Digital Promise, with support from The Wallace Foundation.

After watching the replay of the webinar, I reached out to Gutiérrez and Honig for a follow-up conversation aimed at learning what principal supervisors can do to support their principals as the pandemic continues. If you are anything like me, you will be blown away by the depth of knowledge they shared in response to my questions. An edited version of our conversation follows.

How can principal supervisors be most supportive of principals now?

Honig: It’s as important as ever for principals to be leading powerfully for high-quality, culturally responsive, anti-racist teaching and learning. The shift to remote learning means many long-standing inequities may grow worse. So now is the time for principals to double down on their equity-focused instructional leadership and for principal supervisors to support them in that essential work.

In more typical times, maintaining that focus can be tough. That focus is definitely tough now as remote learning continues and too many students still do not have internet and laptops. Families are dealing with food insecurity, lack of access to childcare, and other basic supports they rely on schools for.

That’s what we and others are seeing: That shifting to remote learning has upped the ante on districts to ensure principals are supported to lead powerfully for excellent equitable instruction. And that they are trying to do that in the middle of a national public health crisis that, especially without federal support, continues to have dire consequences for school communities. Many of those consequences fall on the doorsteps of school districts and create incredible operational challenges. It’s tempting for principal supervisors to want to step in and help with that operational work. Our research and experience are clear that principal supervisors should resist that temptation. Principal supervisors are uniquely positioned to help principals keep their focus on equitable teaching and learning, and now’s not the time to let up.

Gutiérrez: I agree, Meredith. We have to drop evaluative tones and focus on capacity building. Commit to leveraging effective adult learning practices to ensure good use of the time commitment. (Our leaders are juggling multiple commitments). Align learning what we know about effective adult learning.

We have some essential beliefs about adult learning at The Leadership Academy. We structure our work to make sure principal supervisors learn from experience and reflection, have structured freedom, engage in learning as a social process, make meaning through stories, and have support through the most uncomfortable parts of learning. We model what we would like to see them do with the principals they lead.

What does this kind of hands-on support for principals look like with remote learning?

Gutiérrez: One key skill principal supervisors have learned to do well since last March has been to build capacity remotely. Believe it or not, it is still possible to visit classrooms with the same frequency and create feedback sessions for principals about the work in real time—remote coaching is one way to do this and follows the exact same five-step process a principal supervisor uses in person.

We would argue that remote support is not different from what we did pre-COVID. It requires building and maintaining relationships, coaching principals to better their practice as culturally responsive leaders, bringing small learning communities together to learn from each other, and being responsive to principals’ many questions and challenges in real time. The key here is not only to problem-solve in real time but to check on the social and emotional well-being of the adults. Adults need love too!

Some principal supervisors tell us that they can be even more supportive of principals’ instructional leadership growth now that they don’t have to spend so much time traveling to schools

Honig: Our ongoing research supports all of what you just shared, Nancy. When principal supervisors help principals grow as instructional leaders, they don’t actually supervise in the traditional sense of the word—that is, they do not mainly evaluate or direct principals.

Instead, they coach principals from a teaching-and-learning stance—helping principals lead their own learning and mentoring principals one-on-one and in learning communities. That’s still the right work and really, it’s especially the right work right now when principals need flexibility and support to navigate the challenges of ensuring equity with remote learning.

Much of that support can be provided remotely through video conferencing, for example. Some principal supervisors tell us that they can be even more supportive of principals’ instructional leadership growth now that they don’t have to spend so much time traveling to schools and that they can now more easily observe principals working with teachers online.

How can other district leaders support their principals and their supervisors as they navigate the new digital world we’re all living in?

Honig: District support for principal supervisors is key to their success every day and especially today. In particular, supervisors of principal supervisors have important roles to play in principal supervisor support by reinforcing principal supervisors’ focus on principals’ growth as equity-focused instructional leaders, protecting principal supervisors’ time for that work and mentoring them in taking a teaching-and-learning approach. In the webinar, I share examples of what that support looks like and the consequences of principal supervisors not receiving it.  Supervisors of principal supervisors can find those examples as well as tools to help principal supervisors in our book, Supervising Principals for Instructional Leadership.

District leaders can also support principals and their supervisors by taking a hard look at their central offices. The pandemic has provided a unique opportunity for all of us to see some fundamental mismatches between what central offices have traditionally done and what supporting educational equity takes. We outline some of those mismatches in a recent brief.

As districts consider how to come out of the pandemic with a much stronger anti-racist equity focus, the principal supervisor-principal relationship can provide a kind of beacon. When principal supervisors try to do the right work and focus on principals’ growth as equity-focused instructional leaders, when does the rest of the central office get in the way of that work? And how can we start to bring all of what we do into greater alignment?

Gutiérrez: The way districts can best support our principal supervisors: 1) build their capacity, too; 2) check on their social and emotional well-being; and 3) make this difficult work, and progress within it, tangible.

A great principal supervisor gives school leaders the support they need to make their school a culturally responsive, standards-aligned learning environment for every student. But they need help to do this. Virtual learning during the pandemic reinforces the need to defy individualism as a path to success—all of us, regardless of role or experience in the system, need to continue learning and growing. We need to know what is expected of us.

We define a culturally responsive leader as someone who recognizes the impact of institutionalized racism and embraces their role in mitigating, disrupting, and dismantling systemic oppression. Leaders like this must first work on themselves by reflecting on their biases and beliefs. Only then can they move to publicly modeling belief systems grounded in equity; being responsive to, and inclusive of, student and staff cultural identities when making decisions; confronting and changing institutional biases that marginalize students; and, finally, creating systems and structures that promote equity, particularly for traditionally marginalized students.

One great tool to help leaders guide principal supervisors to assess their own progress in being more culturally responsive is The Leadership Academy’s Culturally Responsive Actions for Principal Supervisors (specifically pages 51–64). The guide provides a set of tangible observable actions to do this important work, which is important to note because the work around equity is so big that it can be intangible.

Source: The Leadership Academy

School as we knew it has changed, and we are sailing in a different direction. We once worried about students being late for classes and missing assignments, but now our concerns involve students being quarantined and missing instruction with a cloud of COVID-19 fear hovering over their heads. Things are different, there is no doubt about it. It is time we reboot our minds when it comes to remote learning and truly focus on what matters most in any form of learning—community and relational trust.

I have always carried this banner and have tried really hard to continue to deliver this message to my staff as we sail into uncharted waters. Today more than ever, our students need us. They are going through a whirlwind of emotions, and they are trying to adapt to this new form of learning that is so foreign to all of us.  As a school leader, I am feeling the stress every day that comes with the new challenges face in education. If I, an adult, have stress and struggles, I can only imagine what our students are going through.

In September, my school district gave parents the choice of what type of learning they wanted for their children, and we started this school year with 60 percent of our students learning in person and 40 percent learning remotely from home. This alone brought challenges with scheduling and staffing, but we got through it and we hit the ground running.

Mask mandates, seating charts in classrooms and lunchrooms, one-directional hallways, classroom cleaning during passing time, and so much more were hurdles we got over with barely an issue. But what really started to trip us up was how to build community with our remote students who we can only see from the screens of our computers. Community, connection, and positive relationships are the foundation learning builds upon, and creating a climate hospitable to education is one of the foundational elements of school leadership, according to the Wallace Foundation. Even in the midst of a pandemic, we need to make sure we have a solid foundation to build on. We can show students how to do math, but at the end of the day it will not be truly effective if we don’t show them we care. We need to make sure we have these right factors in our equation in order to see success in our schools.

Below are three simple practices that you as a school leader can implement today to build community with your students and staff. By leading through example and sharing out the positives occurring in your own practice and relationships, your teachers will be more comfortable doing the same. Let’s reboot our mindsets to what truly mattered when school was “normal” and remember we are all in the same boat together.

1. Checking In With Remote Students Outside of the Class Period
   I ask teachers to share names of students who are not connecting with school. I started to reach out to these students weekly over the phone and talk with them and their parents to get a clear picture of what they are going through. I began implementing Zoom sessions after school with the students I felt needed a more intensive intervention. In these Zoom sessions, we talk as a small group and open up about the struggles we are having and then create short- and long-term goals for ourselves. We meet biweekly to hold each other accountable and celebrate our successes.
2. Being a Helping Hand to Remote Students and Families
   Many times in my discussions with families, they bring up specific things they need help with. From lack of food for lunches to school supplies and needed technology, as a school leader you need to be a helping hand and find a way to meet those needs. The biggest hurdle we face is the lack of transportation for parents to come up to the school and get lunches, supplies, and technology. As a school leader, you may need to hop in your car every once in a while and do a porch drop off. If Uber can drop off a meal on a front porch, then we can do the same to ensure our students and families have their needs met as we gain a side of trust in the process.
3. Being the Voice of Empathy
   Being a teacher is hard, especially today. With trying to do your job in a situation that you did not sign up for, stress can creep in quickly. It is easy to get frustrated with students who do not attend classes, show up late, won’t keep their cameras on, and are constantly being distracted by things happening in their homes. What you can do as a school leader is continue to remind your teachers that everyone is trying their best. Conversely, going around the school and complaining about this whole remote learning situation and the frustrations you have with your students and parents will open up a can of worms that is hard to close. By being the voice of empathy, you are modeling empathy to your staff. By looking at the glass half full, you are making this situation easier to swallow. Focusing on the negative and the struggle that is all around us will only make things worse, and as a leader it is your job to make things better. So change the flow and make sure empathy is the captain.

Roger Gurganus is an assistant principal at Brownstown Middle School, a grades 6–7 building in Brownstown, MI. He has a passion for children and education and strives to ensure that every student is connected and feels part of the positive communities he creates. Along with creating a culture of hope and love in his own middle school, Roger also is committed to bringing hope, love, and education to the children of Uganda, Africa, where each summer he travels in hope of making a bigger difference in the lives of students who need it the most. Follow his educational and leadership journey on Twitter (@RogerGurganusII) and his blog (https://raiseyouranchor.blogspot.com).

In order to empower people on some level, you first need to engage them. It is nearly impossible to create a culture of learning if there are elements of boredom, inactivity, and lack of relevance. This is a lesson I learned most recently as a presenter and workshop facilitator. Early on, I used more traditional strategies since this was a new arena for me. The shift from principal to full-time consultant brought a certain amount of fear, and I reverted back to what I was comfortable with in terms of what I could control and perceive that educators wanted. I basically became the sage on the stage and a master of direct instruction with little participant interaction.

I thought I was doing a pretty good job, as no one told me otherwise. There was consistent eye contact, and all of the feedback I received from surveys was mostly positive. It wasn’t until a presentation at a major conference where I got the kick in the butt that I desperately needed—but wasn’t aware of until then. As I was reading tweets from the session, a participant basically told me that I spoke at them the entire time and didn’t provide ample opportunities for greater discourse, practical application, or reflection.

It was at this point about four years ago where I began to embrace and model the very same strategies that were being used at my high school when I was a principal. Multiple opportunities for discourse and collaboration were included as well as time to develop action steps. Engagement was amplified with a focus on the how, models from all types of schools, and the use of digital tools to provide everyone with an opportunity to respond. In essence, my role is now more of a facilitator of learning. Another fundamental change was intentionally developing ways to personalize the experience for those I am fortunate to work with in my role. For example, I really appreciate Michael Ford pushing me in this direction when he asked me to create a choice board as part of a professional learning date with his staff.

The pandemic has created myriad issues for educators, with engagement being at the top of the list. Every day I am asked for suggestions, especially when it comes to remote learners, no matter whether or not they are hybrid at this point. In addition to some of the ideas that I shared above, I strongly encourage you to check out this post, where I outline six specific focus areas. Below are some additional ideas:

• Begin each lesson with an anticipatory setto get kids excited and impart relevance.
• Call on students who have their camera and microphone off. By doing this consistently, the stage will be set for increased attention and participation.
• Integrate breakout rooms for discourseand randomly pop into them.
• Utilize quick checks for understanding (1–3 questions max) throughout the lesson using Google or Canvas forms.
• Leverage digital tools for voice and choice. It is also good to use these following any breakout room activity to get a grasp on engagement levels.
• Use the Rigor Relevance Frameworkas a means to evaluate the level of relevance in questions, tasks, and assessments.
• Develop means for accountability through routine feedback and timely grading. I cringe when mentioning the latter, but we must look at any and all strategies during these difficult times.
• Include closureat the end of each lesson or synchronous session.
• Move to tasks and work that are more purposeful through blended strategies such as station rotation, choice boards, playlists, self-paced activities, and flipped approaches.
• Assign less work while going deeper into concepts.

The above ideas are more teaching-facing. However, engaging learners is a shared responsibility. Administrators can assist with the above by providing teachers nonevaluative feedback during remote lesson drop-ins or using a walk-through process. Additionally, job-embedded and ongoing professional learning is critical for all educators, regardless of position, to improve engagement in pedagogically sound ways. Another way that administrators can help out teachers in this area is through relentless communication with families. In Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times, I outline how a multifaceted approach that meets stakeholders where they are is the most effective way. It is essential during times like these not just to get out information, but also to engage families in a dialogue.

Overcoming my previous hurdles with engagement, combined with what I hope is a unique style grounded in relationships, has enabled me to better connect with educators and benefit from these changes in the current remote and hybrid world. As someone who currently supports educators and schools all over the world in this area, it is critical that I not only engage as many people as possible, but also model the most effective strategies that can be implemented in the classroom. I recently saw the fruits of my labor in action during a keynote with over 2,000 educators. Using one of the strategies listed above, I was able to get over 1,200 responses to a question part of the way through using Mentimeter.

When it is all said and done, engagement is grounded in a learner’s sense of why they are learning something and how it will be used in the real world through their lens. It can be achieved through a combination of context and application. Think about what motivated you as a learner and what still does today. This might be the best starting point of all.

Eric Sheninger is an associate partner with the International Center for Leadership in Education. Prior to this, he was an award-winning principal at New Milford High School in New Milford, NJ. A 2012 Digital Principal of the Year, he has authored six books, including the bestselling Digital Leadership. Follow him on Twitter (@E_Sheninger) or visit his website.

We are firmly within the 21st century, yet we still use phrases such as “21st-century skills” and “college and career readiness.” As leaders, it is high time that we refocus our vernacular to reframe the conversation around how we prepare students for the world. We have seen many examples of professional learning and topics related to preparation for life after high school, but what about life after middle level education? There have been multiple programs designed to tackle this question, but here is a perspective that has been positively embraced by students, parents, and educators at Fountain Middle School.

High School Readiness

Ask yourself, how did you know you were ready to graduate high school? What single result told you that you were ready? If you are like the majority of teens in America, the answer is simple. You had spent four years in high school and reached the number of credits required to graduate. Graduating is what naturally comes next. But what comes after that? Sure, why not college? Ask yourself again, how did you know you were ready for college?

Across the nation, we recognize that we want to produce generations of young adults who are prepared and ready for the world that awaits them after high school. However, if we struggle to answer a question as simple as “How did I know I was ready to graduate high school?” with anything better than, “It was time,” then what about transitioning to high school? How do students know they are ready to leave middle level education? In many instances, the expectations at high school are more comprehensive, and it is more difficult to recover from missteps. On the other hand, many now recognize the risks in not moving students along with their age equivalent and social peers. Therefore, unprepared students often enter a cycle of credit deficiency and social and emotional distress.

One solution may be to ask what middle level schools can do to expose students to the culture of high school in a risk-free environment. At Fountain Middle School, the answer to “How do I know I am ready to leave middle school?” involves two fundamental pillars for eighth-grade students: credit expectations and core competencies. Upon entering eighth grade, students are educated on credits, the importance of staying credit proficient, and the consequences of not doing so.

Students are expected to meet a specific number of credits that are equivalent to successfully completing two semesters at a comprehensive high school. When students are successful, this success is celebrated. Students who are not tracking toward this expectation by mid-year begin to enter a credit recovery mechanism in which they choose after-school support, virtual learning options, or (in severe cases) during-the-day interventions to recover lost credits. After successful completion of the recovery option chosen, students have regained lost credits. At the end of eighth grade, students who successfully meet the credit expectations have demonstrated one of two requirements to know they are ready for high school. Students who have not earned the necessary credits still move to high school, however, they bring with them a body of evidence for high school counselors and teachers to support the needs of the student from day one.

The second pillar of high school readiness is core competencies. Here teachers have identified six core competencies that all students should demonstrate prior to finishing eighth grade to demonstrate high school readiness. Students can commonly demonstrate these core competencies in a variety of units of instruction, and do not require anything new to be provided by the teacher. What changes is that the teacher deliberately creates transparency in the desired competency, and the student tracks their mastery of the competency. For example, one core competency indicates that students “use interpersonal skills to learn and work with individuals from diverse backgrounds to find value in the perspective expressed by others.” This can be accomplished within a Socratic Circle, a debate, or a piece of persuasive writing, among other possibilities.

Students who have earned all required eighth-grade credits and have demonstrated mastery of all core competencies have demonstrated high school readiness and can answer how they knew they were ready for high school. Students who have not met both pillars of readiness expectations know that they enter high school with a need to seek assistance and focus their efforts, while the high school knows these students may need immediate attention and support to be successful.

Postsecondary Pathways

Another area where middle level schools can reframe the conversation around postsecondary readiness is college and career readiness. Think back to one of the previous questions—how you knew you were ready to graduate high school. What was your answer? Did you know immediately what your career would be? It is safe to say most students don’t. Just look at the rate of students who change majors within their first two years in college.

How have schools sought to address this need? Often through interest tests and poster projects where students research a career, what it takes to obtain that career, and how much they will make once they do. Are projects like this worth the lost instructional time? What if schools created alignment in core courses, exploratory courses, and extracurricular activities with a student’s interest and aptitudes?

This is what pathways attempt to accomplish. The Colorado Career Cluster Model is just one example that schools can use to anchor their work. It identifies six major career clusters; two examples are Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Energy, as well as Business, Marketing, and Public Administrations. Fountain Middle School has taken these six clusters and created pathways for each one. The pathways include identification of “foundational courses” such as Pre-AP Science or Introduction to Cybersecurity, as well as “supporting courses” such as video production or Project Lead the Way Medical Detectives.

Each of the six identified pathways suggest which foundational and supporting courses will allow students to best explore that pathway. Each pathway also outlines which supporting activities and clubs students are recommended to explore, such as the robotics team or creative writing club. Finally, upon entering the comprehensive high school, each pathway leads to opportunities aligned with that pathway upon entering high school. For example, the Business, Marketing, and Public Administration Pathway is aligned with the Finance and Accounting Pathway in high school.

Collectively, by reframing the concept of postsecondary readiness to focus on high school readiness and pathway alignment, middle level schools can more effectively prepare students for the environments they will face upon leaving the comforts and supports of a middle level environment.

How will you reframe the conversation of postsecondary readiness to meet the evolving needs of all students? What role does your middle level school play in this development?

Dr. William Dallas is the principal at Fountain Middle School in Fountain, CO, serving approximately 1,100 grade 6–8 students each year. William has 19 years of experience in education, 12 of which are in school leadership. William is the 2016 Colorado Rookie Elementary School Principal of the Year and the 2020 Colorado Middle School Principal and Colorado Secondary School Principal of the Year. Follow him on Twitter (@Bill_Dallas91).

Beginning band was an exciting time for my middle level students. For many, it was the first time receiving musical instruction, playing an instrument, reading music, and working collaboratively to create art. This experience led students through a journey of learning, challenges, excitement, frustration, determination, and euphoria. A conductor depends upon those they lead—if they are able to become self-aware, recognize individual strengths, develop a collaborative atmosphere, and celebrate success, they will be successful in preparing those they serve for the performance. This post will dive into these critical lessons learned and how they influence my leadership philosophy as an educational leader.

Become Self-Aware

When we talk about musical performance, we often describe it as a means of self-expression. However, we often neglect to acknowledge that we must know ourselves before we can conduct and evoke artistry from others. In his book, The Musician’s Soul, James Jordan says it like this: “One must take time to understand and accept who one is … At the risk of oversimplifying, one must be able to love oneself first before that love can be shared with an ensemble or an audience through the music.” Not only must the conductor know themselves, so must the musicians.

Many leaders consider this “knowing their ‘why,’” as described in Simon Sinek’s TED Talk How Great Leaders Inspire Action. The question is, how do we discover our “why” and, more importantly, help our teachers discover theirs? Having teachers reflect on their “journey line” on why they became a teacher is a great first step. This exercise requires them to write down memorable events that inspired them to enter the teaching profession and then share one of those stories with their peers.

Tapping the power of storytelling to help discover or possibly rediscover our “why” during virtual and hybrid instruction will only benefit our teachers and their students. Sometimes it helps people to select an Endowed Object that connects them, the storyteller, to something tangible in order to share their personal narrative through the object. Only when we know who we are can we be the leaders our teachers and students need us to be.

Recognize Strengths

Every member in an ensemble has a unique strength. It could be rhythmic accuracy, vibrato, tone, or musical interpretation. When planning a concert program, it is the conductor’s task to recognize these strengths and to select repertoire that highlights and builds upon the strengths of those around them. As a middle level band director, I knew which section was stronger and would select repertoire that showcased their talent while providing the other sections the support they needed to grow. As educational leaders, we must do the same.

Our greatest assets are our teachers. They are highly trained professionals that bring unique talents, perspectives, and innovation in our buildings every day. When planning professional development, consider the following:

• Identify the strength of each teacher. Through observational data, walk-throughs, and conversations, make note of a unique strength of every teacher on your campus. Use this list to recruit presenters for your professional development sessions.
• Create a peer coaching support. As Bruce Joyce and Beverly Showers’ research on peer training shows, professional development outcomes that use coaching see the highest transfer to teacher practice.

Create a Collaborative Atmosphere

Prior to the beginning of any concert, each musician warms up by playing excerpts from the music, etudes, or scales, or they improvise a melody to express their story. During this time, each musician acts as an individual. However, when the concert master stands and plays a single note, the ensemble begins to tune, collaboratively working together to sound as one. The conductor has a vast responsibility to pull highly trained and often sensitive musicians together for a common purpose—to retell the composer’s story.

Conductors accomplish this task by identifying what Itay Talgram calls gaps. In education, gaps are often viewed in a negative light—think about the following gaps often expressed by our teachers:

• The administration never gives us answers.
• There are not enough funds allocated for (fill in the blank).
• Our students are just not motivated to learn.
• That’s the way we’ve always done it here.

Imagine if these gaps were addressed as opportunities to spark innovation and creativity. Composers provide musicians these gaps by being vague in their directions, such as play soft, loud, slow down, orspeed up. The directions are never specific, which allows the individual to retell the story using their own personal narrative and expression. It allows a piece of music to be unpredictable within a set framework. Gaps have to be assigned meaning, and they must happen collaboratively. By doing so, we can change the gaps listed above into something like this:

• The administration never gives us answers—they expect us to collaborate and bring ideas to PLCs and to our leadership team.
• There are not enough funds allocated for (fill in the blank). Luckily, we were able to find community partners.
• I reflected on my own practice to discover why my students are not motivated. I am going to try something different next week.
• That’s the way we have always done it here, but I like your idea. Let’s try incorporating it!

This empowering approach supports the five Community Learning Exchange (CLE) axioms, or guiding values discussed in “Mobilize the Power of CLEs: Don’t Leave Community Learning Exchanges Behind.”

Celebrate Success

Beginning band was my favorite part of teaching band to middle level students. The excitement students had about trying something new (gaps), seeing their leadership skills develop (recognizing strengths), and the experience of creating music together for the first time (creating a collaborative atmosphere) can be euphoric. However, this euphoria doesn’t come without hardship and challenges.

When we began the 2020–21 school year using the hybrid instruction model, I challenged my staff to think of beginning band. I wanted them to see this as an opportunity to make mistakes, try new strategies, and to recognize their own abilities.

We designed our professional development to model hybrid instruction and to immerse our staff in the digital tools and high-yield strategies they could use to reach their students. I explained that while beginning band is often messy and chaotic, with practice and repetition, it quickly becomes something beautiful.

We must celebrate the risk our teachers are taking every day to reach our students and be there to lift them up and coach them when they attempt a new strategy. After all, the performance is about the musicians, not the conductor on the podium, our job is to open the space for others to shine.

Conclusion

If I was to summarize this post with one quote, I would have to choose one from conductor Benjamin Zander’s TED Talk: “The conductor of an orchestra doesn’t make a sound. He depends, for his power, on his ability to make other people powerful.” This quote has guided my philosophy as a band director and continues to do so as an instructional leader.

As we move forward this school year, I challenge you to become more self-aware, identify the strengths of your staff, develop a collaborative atmosphere, celebrate the success of those around you, and lead like a conductor.

What lessons did you learn in the classroom that influence your leadership philosophy? How can reflecting on these lessons keep us connected and grounded?

Carl Cruthis is assistant principal of Southwest High School, Onslow County Schools, in Jacksonville, NC. He was a middle level band director for eight years and has been an assistant principal for five. He is the 2020 North Carolina Assistant Principal of the Year. Follow him on Twitter (@carlcruthis).

This school year has presented more challenges than ever before. As leaders, we are charged with keeping it all together at the schoolhouse—while at the same time, as individuals, we are in need of support and self-care due to the uncertainty and unrest that surround us. How, with all that we have going on this school year, do we have time to think about our core values? I sincerely believe that we must make time to reflect on and challenge our core values to understand how they shape our school culture and student success.

If members of our school communities would be asked to describe us as leaders, to express what they believe are our core values, what would they say? Do we communicate our values? How do we challenge ourselves and others to keep our core values in check? These questions, along with countless others, resurface over and over for me as I strive to grow as an educational leader.

Our Students, Our Peers, Ourselves

As we work to improve schools and education as a whole, we give it all we’ve got. We look for ways to increase funding, we purchase new curricula, we plan and implement professional development, we try new strategies, we increase rigor, we track student growth and make adjustments to meet student needs, we hold ourselves accountable through high-stakes assessments; the list goes on and on. However, I propose that there is much deeper work for us to do if we truly seek continued, sustainable growth for our students. We must devote time to identify, evaluate, challenge, and communicate our core values, especially as they pertain to beliefs about our students, our peers, and ourselves.

When examining our beliefs, we have to be honest with ourselves and others. We should start with easier questions that tend to unify us as educators, like why we chose to be educators and how our work changes the world. Then we must move onto more difficult questions that sometimes require us to face hard truths, see things from others’ perspectives, and change our mindsets.

We must ask ourselves what we believe about the potential of our students, if we truly value each and every student regardless of perceived differences and/or perceived challenges. Are we prejudging students’ capabilities or labeling them based on unfair criteria? When it comes to our students, do we have the mentality that “we are just doing the best we can with who we’ve got”?

We must also ask ourselves if we truly value each and every educator in the building, in what each adult on campus contributes to the success of our students. Do we really believe in the power of the collective effort? Do we show each adult on campus, regardless of the role they serve, that we value their work?

Finally, we must reflect on our own self-worth and self-efficacy to determine if we truly believe we are up to the task of positively affecting student growth and success, if we truly believe that what we do makes a difference in this world. We must ask ourselves if we are willing to put in the work to continuously seek opportunities to grow and improve.

The Bottom Line

I think most districts and school leaders shy away from work around core values for many reasons. It is not just that we want to avoid hard work and difficult discussions, but with all the constant pressures to improve academically, many of us are on the lookout for the next quick fix. I mean, we are shaping children’s lives; there is not much time to spare, I get it! But until our core values include a sincere belief in the value of all students, of one another as educators, and of ourselves—until this is deeply rooted in our hearts and in the work we do, all the other so-called solutions to our problems will not work. Sure, new and improved programs and policies can help us find short-term wins, but we cannot sustain academic growth and student success over time without digging deep. We cannot change the world, one student at a time, if we do not have the basic belief in our abilities to do so.

Next Steps

As principals, we must go first by examining our own core values. We must do the work in order to be able to lead others in doing the same. For years, I have reflected on my own core values and believed that my daily words and actions were enough to communicate my beliefs and what I value. However, 2020 has prompted me to ask myself if this is enough.

Since then, one action step I have taken to communicate my belief in the value of each student and staff member, regardless of perceived differences or challenges, was to start a faculty-led Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity task force whose self-created mission is to “actively seek to understand ways we can all grow together to develop a more inclusive and equitable environment that validates the dignity of every Griffin and the rich complexities in a diverse, ever-changing world.” Although having such a task force had been on my heart for some time, I placed the idea on the back burner several years in a row because I questioned the timing of starting such an important initiative and because I felt pulled in so many other directions—and ultimately allowed other focus areas to trump what I believed was critical to our school culture and student success.

It is time we devote as much energy into who we are, what we believe, and how we value others as we spend in researching other solutions to improve. Of course, we cannot stop looking for ways to increase funding or stop looking for better curricula; we cannot stop offering professional development or trying new strategies, but the only way to ensure these best practices are authentic, effective, and long-lasting is if we dig deep and do the hard work to keep our core values in check.

Carli A. Francois is the principal of Dutchtown High School in Geismar, LA, and the 2020 Louisiana Principal of the Year. She is the wife of Reuben Francois and has three amazing children: Reuben II, Olivia, and Isabella; they, along with her extended family and friends, have always supported her in her life’s work to make a difference in the lives of others. Follow her on Twitter (@carliafrancois).

It’s a fact—secondary teachers are by nature more individualistic than lower-grade teachers. In most schools, they are singleton teachers who are specialists in their content area. Although this specificity is critical at the secondary level, it can often prevent collaboration and collegiality from becoming part of your school culture. The question for secondary school leaders is, how do you encourage content-area teachers to work together for the benefit of all students? Essentially, how do you transition from a staff to a team?

Although every educational leader must select strategies that fit their specific school environment, at Big Piney High School, we have implemented the following practices that I believe encourage a high level of collaboration and collective efficacy.

1. Agree upon and set schoolwide goals.

One of our schoolwide goals was to raise the proficiency level of our ACT scores. Prior to 2014, our high school had never scored above the state average on the state-mandated ACT. We looked at the data and devised a schoolwide plan to make improvements. Although I won’t get into all the specifics, the centerpiece was to involve everyone, not just the English, math, and science departments. Each teacher, regardless of their content area, is required to lead critical thinking and ACT exercises during every block period (twice a week for us). All students experience eight such exercises a week. The history teacher, the art teacher, the music teacher, the P.E. teacher, and the welding teacher all become part of the team to raise our scores. As a result, our high school experienced five consecutive years of scoring in the top half of the state and had the highest ACT math score in Wyoming.

2. Provide leadership opportunities for your team members.

Just as engaged students learn more, engaging your teachers grows their efficacy. At Big Piney High School, each teacher serves on at least one leadership team. We let teachers select from the following teams:

• Data/Assessment
• Peer Mentor/Culture
• Advisory/Guided Reading
• Technology

Each team meets monthly with a stated purpose and agenda. This allows a small group of teachers to focus on schoolwide issues within their team’s domain. Leadership team members plan specific strategies to address our school’s needs and then communicate their ideas to the entire teaching staff.

For example, our technology leadership team addressed a common challenge for 1:1 schools—preventing damage to school issued devices. Instead of just fining students or having them pay for costly repairs, our team came up with the proactive idea of rewarding students that have damage-free devices. Teachers inspect student devices each quarter, and students that have no new damage to their device are entered into a grade-level drawing for local gift cards. Leadership teams help us maximize our human resources, provide teacher engagement into addressing schoolwide issues, and, of course, promote teacher leadership.

3. Share effective learning strategies.

This practice allows our teachers to highlight and share their most effective strategies with their colleagues. All teachers take a piece of scheduled professional development time to highlight a particular practice they are using in their content area that could be applicable to all content areas. We provide different themes for teachers to focus on each year, including providing feedback to students, implementing high engagement learning activities, developing literacy skills within a specific content area, and using technology, to name a few. This single practice has really broken down walls within our school and promoted collaboration within our team. I love these sessions because I learn so much from my teachers.

4. Encourage peer observations.

“The single greatest influence on the professional practices of teachers is the direct observation of other teachers.”—Douglas B. Reeves

Remember that secondary teachers are by nature more individualistic than lower-grade teachers—they are singletons by nature and design. In their defense, they often lack the opportunity to collaborate with their colleagues. As educational leaders, we need to provide that opportunity. In our high school, we require teachers to schedule peer observations with their colleagues at the high school, middle level, or elementary school. We also encourage day trips to observe teachers from different schools in our area. Teachers record their peer observations and the debriefing that follows between the host and visiting teacher on a shared Google doc. Our goal is to tear down the walls that divide teachers and content areas and promote transparency and collaboration. We want to be known as an effective instructional team that learns from each other. If you have tremendous things happening in a specific classroom, why would you not want all your teachers to observe, experience, and learn from that environment?

5. Model a collaborative mindset.

School leaders must model whatever change or improvement they are seeking to create in their school. For me, it means I need to be an authentic collaborator that listens and is open to the ideas of my team as well as my colleagues in other schools. If I expect my teachers to collaborate and learn from each other, I too need to seek ideas and input from other principals. A major influence for me has been my involvement in our state principals’ association. In Wyoming, we use a roundtable discussion format that we call “campfires.” Before COVID-19, these were often in-person gatherings, but lately they have turned into “Zoom fires.” I have picked up leadership strategies and practices from these collaborative opportunities, and I know several principals that I feel comfortable reaching out to for advice and input.

I am confident that you have practices that are effective for you when it comes to getting your teachers to work together as a team for the benefit of all your students. What does your most effective practice for uniting your staff look like?  

Jeff Makelky is principal of Big Piney High School in Big Piney, WY, and the 2020 Wyoming Principal of the Year. Follow him on Twitter (@jmakelky).

Have you ever found yourself scrolling through Twitter and getting the feeling that you aren’t doing enough? Do you ask yourself how others find time to do what they do? Having an online professional learning network (PLN) is extremely important and beneficial; however, if I am being honest, I have found myself comparing where I am and what I am doing with others.

Your Behind the Scenes vs. Their Highlight Reel

In real life, to make an impact or see positive results takes time. The work that we see posted online is other people’s highlight reels. It is the best of the best that an individual has to display.  It is not the behind-the-scenes look at the daily grind it took to get to that moment.

When we look at these posts, we compare their highlight reels to our behind the scenes. We don’t see the work it took to kick off incorporating the “house system,” like the Ron Clark Academy. It does not show all the home visits that went to improving daily attendance.   Administrators do not post the late nights and early mornings that we put in to take the extra work off the desks of our teachers and staff so they can come in and be the best they can be.

It is dangerous to compare your behind the scenes with other people’s highlight reels because you will never measure up. Their highlight reel may take behind-the-scenes work that you may not have the time or opportunity to do. That is OK!

Your highlight reel is not supposed to be the best you see in others.

Your Best for Right Now

Always remember that you were hired because of what you have to offer. We often sell ourselves short because we feel there is always more that needs to be done. Guess what? You are right! There will always be more that can and will be done.

The goal is always to be the best you can be for today, right now, at this very moment. We move from fire to fire, decision to decision, behavior issue to behavior issue. In the midst of that, you check in with your staff, return phone calls, send out cards, make a student’s birthday feel special, greet students at the door, and so much more!

You can’t compare what you were able to do yesterday, last year, or what others can do in a day. You have to be the best that you can be for that day.

When you stop and look at the best you were for that day, you will realize all the great things you have accomplished.

Create Your Own Highlight Reel

First, let me say if you are not on Twitter, what are you waiting for? I have developed some fantastic professional relationships and friendships through Twitter chats and stories. I have found that this has helped me feel like I am not on an island going through this principalship journey by myself.

One important step I did take with my PLN is to put everything into perspective. I had to stop watching, viewing, scrolling in admiration, and move to action steps. I had to create my own highlight reel. Here are ways you can do the same:

1. Tell your story.

If you don’t tell your story, then someone else will tell it for you. We often hear that when talking about our school building. I believe this is also true in the role of principalship. We often tell other people’s stories and do not even think about our own. Remember, your story is also part of your school’s perception. Students, parents, staff, and community members need to know who you are, what you are doing, and the impact you are having.

2. Borrow great ideas.

Many of my best ideas have been borrowed from inspiration from what others are doing around the country. I wish I could say I have many original ideas. Instead, I take many ideas that I have seen or read about and put a spin on them to make them more of me or impactful for my school community.

3. Capture the moment.

Yes, it is raining, and you’re outside with an umbrella walking students into the building! Take a picture, post, and caption it. You are working with a student to help them catch up on missing work. You are supporting your custodians by sweeping up in the cafeteria. Take a picture, post, and caption it!

What I have found is the little things make a big impact on your school community. Too often, we view it as bragging or focusing on us. But your caption would let them know that no job is too big or too small for you to support your students, staff, and school. Your school community will be able to share that their principal is willing to get out of the office and help them. Your parents will be able to share and show others what their school is all about.

4. Designate a photographer.

I am telling you to have your own entourage. We create impactful moments in our school and host major events. We have a school yearbook person, but that person often is not looking for those “refrigerator art” moments.  Refrigerator art back in the day were those items I would bring home and my mother would put on the refrigerator to let me know she was proud of what I did or made. Nowadays, refrigerator art involves the moments that you post on social media and that others want to share on their own feeds.

You want to have a specific person during events that take pictures that you can post to let your school community know your story. The end goal is telling your story, which also shares your school’s story. Capture the moments and create your own highlight reel.

What are the important highlight reel moments that you share? Why do you think it is important to share the highlight reels of principals?

Tron Young is the principal at Joseph Arthur Middle School in O’Fallon, IL.  He is the 2020 Illinois Middle School Principal of the Year. Follow him on Twitter (@tron2teach4u).