THE ROLE OF A FIRST YEAR PRINCIPAL

Chris Causey Andrea Butzler Amberly Harper Valissa Howe

Four Corners
Look at the four different leadership styles on the next slide and choose the leader you most closely identify with. Each leader is paired with a specific number. After choosing your leader, go stand by the number in the room that represents the leader you chose. Share within your group why this is effective leadership and choose someone to give a report of your discussion.

Which Leadership Style Best fits you?

1. Willie Robertson Duck Dynasty Passive 2. Ax Men Boss Controlling

3. Buddy - Cake Boss Creative, Whole Picture, Put the pieces together

4. Undercover Bosses Understand the Human Relations side

Reality is
To be the best leader you need to have traits from each of these styles and know when each mode of leadership is appropriate.

Being an Effective 1st Year Principal

There are three key areas: Students Staff Parents / Community

Students
When interviewing current principals, 3 out of 4 indicated their highest priority is making decisions based on benefiting students.

As a principal you must know what is required to meet the needs of the students All decisions should be motivated by the needs of the students

Students
Administrators must build relationships and trust with students.
Find ways to communicate with students Be intentional Dana L. Mitra, 2008, indicates that student voice initiatives give young people the opportunity to share with administrators and faculty their opinions about school problems. In some initiatives students collaborate with adults to address problems in the school

Students
Administrators should be a model for students

Your character traits will be continually observed by students and staff Have fun and enjoy the positive contributions that you will make to the school and society as a whole

Yvette Jackson and Veronica McDermott, 2009, indicated that administrators should act as architects, ministers, soul friends, and muses in order to make the most positive impact on students and education.

Staff
Interpersonal skills are one of the keys to success in your new position (Lovely, 2004).

Take the time to build relationships Earn the trust of your teachers and staff members Be approachable

Leading a group of professionals requires that you invest in their skills and abilities (Birks and Richardson, 2007).

Support high-quality professional development with both time and the budget Integrate professional development into already

Staff
Communicate to your staff through your words and actions (Smith, 2008).

Be clear and understood Dont trust that word will get around, communicate with everyone Communication is essential

Enjoy your leadership position (Colin Powell).

Take the work seriously but have fun doing it Take time for yourself, family, and friends and encourage your staff to do the same

Staff
You are going to make changes. Understand change and the difficulties associated with it (Calabrese, 2002).

Allow staff to be a part of the change Teach ways to manage the stress that accompanies change Be flexible because no matter how well you have things planned out, something will go wrong

In the beginning, you dont have much control over existing staff members but you can be selective in who you hire (Colin Powell).

Know what you are looking for when building your staff Look for competence and good judgment Surround yourself with those that have a drive to get things

Parents / Community
Communicate

Need to communicate things 7 ways / times Communicate about the bad situations so people hear the fact from you not hear say Communicate the good things about your school accomplishments

Ask for and listen for feedback

Principals who are in effective schools are out and about because they recognize the value of maintaining personal contact with the many publics working in the school (Waterman 2004).

Parents / Community
Make connections with business and individuals

Especially media personnel Find ways to recognize businesses that support you It takes a community to help your school

Be wise in your words

Make sure it is professional proof for errors Remember written communication is forever

Parents / Community
Be visible

Being visible helps keep teachers accountable Being visible in the community gives stakeholders a chance to feel connected to the school

Transparency open and clear

Let the parents and community hear it from you -This helps them identify with the school and trust what is going on at school

Personal Character Traits

In order to be an effective leader, you need to

Be organized Accept failure in yourself and others Be willing to learn

-

Find someone you respect as a leader and use them as a mentor. Dont be afraid to ask for help

Be a role model
-For your students and your staff

Be a servant leader

Personal Character Traits

Dont be afraid to have fun!

Smile Your staff and students want to follow someone who is genuinely happy

Get a hobby

Do something outside of school that you enjoy and that will help you relax

Read The Way of the Shepherd by Dr. Kevin Leman and Bill Pentak

Sources
Birks , C., & Richardson, J. (2007). Tips for first year principals: Eight ways to make your mark.. National Association of Secondary School Principals. Retrieved from http://www.nassp.org/Content.aspx?topic=60479 Calabrese, R. (2002). The Leadership Assignment Creating Change. Boston, MA. Allyn and Bacon. Colin Powell Power point, A Leadership Primer. First-Year Principals: Actions and Outcomes. (2012). Principal, 91(5), 5. Jackson, Y. &McDermott, V. (2009). Fearless Leading. Educational Leadership, 67 (2), 34-39 Leman, K., & Pentak, B. (2004). The way of the shepherd. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Lovely, S. (2004). Staffing the principalship: Finding, coaching, and mentoring school leaders. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/104010/chapters/Supporting-aPrincipal's-First-Years-on-the-Job.aspx
Mitra, D.L. (2008). Amplifying Student Voice. Educational Leadership, 66(3), 20-25.