15 Leadership Steps for Principals

A colleague of mine mentioned that she was pulling a 2003 ASCD book off of the shelf to review and I took up the offer to join her.  Leadership Capacity for Lasting School Improvement by Linda Lambert is a quick read packed with great vignettes and tangible steps for principals.  On page 52 she shares “15 Leadership Capacity Action Steps for Principals.”

The Right Reasons

 

Photo from Flickr by Mike Gifford

 

Illinois superintendent Michael Smith’s post this morning called “Dumbest Education Thing Ever.  At Least Since Duck and Cover” took me a bit off guard, but as good blogging does, it pushed me to consider some of the why behind decisions I make.  His post is rooted in the frustration most or all administrators have to deal with in March – particularly in economic times like this.  In this business, March is the season of figuring out enrollment and budget projections and nailing down the list of possible layoffs and budget cuts.  He’s simply calling the question – why is it a formula of last hired = first to go in the cutting process?  It’s a fair question after all and one a principal or superintendent that has any sense of feelings will wrestle with.  We all understand and empathize with the feeling that years of service should account for something, but should

Leadership for greatness demands simplicity

This morning I was challenged to reflect on how the call to make a signficant, positive impact on our schools and communities demands understanding the deep wisdom of simplicity.  The message struck sharply against the grain of constant news feeds, sound bites, sales pitches, and so called “silver bullets.”  It pushed me to think about how I communicate and just how trained we have all become to glorify the latest and greatest technology, educational program or professional development package.  Real leaders find ways to make the complex simple and demonstrate an unwaivering focus on their core mission – without distraction from all the bells and whistles.  I accept that challenge, although I have much to learn about how to do it well, especially in times of light speed change in education. 

21st Century Administrator

While digging for some help preparing for an upcoming meeting, I looked through one of the shared presentations by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach on technology and leadership.  This one says so much in just a few images.  Where are we on this journey?