Best Practices: Professional Development for Principals
Wallace Webinars
The NAESP Wallace webinar series are based on a set of five videos, School Leadership in Action: Principal Practices, produced by the Wallace Foundation. The videos feature exemplary principals in varied school settings nationwide, who bring to life and reinforce the five key practices of effective principals. Hosted by NAESP, the webinars feature educational leaders who share their stories and discuss the efficacy of the identified practices.
Moving Ordinary Schools to Extraordinary—Five Essential Skills for Every Effective Principal
Presenters
Lita Kelly, Specialist, Oxon Hill Staff Development Center; Monique Sloan, Principal, Calverton Elementary School; Dwayne Young, Principal, Centreville Elementary School; and Carol Riley, NAESP’s Director, National Mentor Training and Certification Program
Description
Are you ready to move your school to extraordinary? Join Carol Riley and a panel of principals as they explore five evidence-based leadership practices for effective leadership. Participants will share how they have exercised practices described in a recent report from The Wallace Foundation, The School Principal as Leader: Guiding Schools to Better Teaching and Learning. Hear from exemplary principals on how they have used the five guiding areas to improve school conditions for teaching and learning and honed their own instructional leadership skills.
Taking Wallace Research to Practice: Shaping a Vision of Academic Success for All Students
Presenters
Julie Hasson, Principal, Hillsborough County Schools, FL; Denis Parcells, Principal, Glendale School District, AZ; James Richardson, Principal, Buck Lodge Middle School, MD; and Carol Riley, NAESP’s Director, National Mentor Training and Certification Program
Description
Are you ready to move your school to extraordinary? Join Carol Riley and a panel of practicing principals as they explore successful practices associated with shaping a strong vision of academic success for all students, one based on high standards. Participants will share how they have exercised key practices described in the Wallace Foundation report entitled: The School Principal as Leader: Guiding Schools to Better Teaching and Learning. Learn how create strong leadership teams and a school climate that is conducive to improved student learning.
Taking Wallace Research to Practice: Creating a Climate Hospitable to Education
Presenters
Peter Carpenter, Principal, Howard County Schools, MD; Susan Holiday, Principal, Prince Georges County, MD; Kirk Downing, Principal, Brown Elementary School, MA; and Carol Riley, NAESP’s Director, National Mentor Training and Certification Program
Description
Join Carol Riley and a panel of practicing principals as they explore creating a climate hospitable to education in order that safety, a cooperative spirit, and other foundations of fruitful interaction prevail as noted in the Wallace Foundation report: “The School Principal as Leader: Guiding Schools to Better Teaching and Learning.”
Cultivating Leadership in Others
Presenters
Dr. William Blake, Principal, Stephen Decatur Middle School, Clinton, Maryland; and Deborah Tyler, Associate Executive Director, Professional Learning and Outreach, NAESP
Description
Just as we have come to learn that our teachers benefit from continuous collaboration and team work, principals have also experienced the benefit of empowering others. In this webinar, our goal is to share how principals have identified and cultivated the talents of leaders in their buildings such as assistant principals and teacher leaders.
Improving Instruction to Enable Teachers to Teach at their Best and Students to Learn to their Utmost
Presenters
Dwayne Young, Principal, Centreville Elementary School, Centreville, VA; and Deborah Tyler, Associate Executive Director, Professional Learning and Outreach, NAESP
Description
Research has shown that the most impactful staff development to foster building the instructional capacity of educators is job embedded with frequent opportunities to revisit and adapt skills. In this webinar, our goal is to have principals share the steps and processes they have taken to ensure that teachers have optimal opportunities to hone their craft.
Managing People, Data, and Processes to Foster School Improvement
Presenters
Robin Pinder, Principal, Homestead Elementary School, Crossville, TN and Deborah Tyler, Associate Executive Director, Professional Learning and Outreach, NAESP
Description
Rick DuFour frequently laments that our schools are data rich and information poor. How does a principal manage people and use data to inform practice to ensure accountability to student achievement? In this webinar, our goal is to have principals describe how they manage these three key components; people, data, and processes with the end goal in mind of school improvement.
From the Principal’s Office: How Leaders Drive Student Learning
Presenter
Sonja Brookins Santelises, Vice President of K-12 Policy and Practice, Education Trust
Description
Based on The Wallace Foundation 5 Key Practices, panelists will discuss what values, beliefs, and personal dimensions they bring to their role as building administrators to meet the specific needs of their school. The behaviors that make a principal successful as they drive student learning, such as resilience, self-confidence, self-analysis, flexibility, situational awareness, relational awareness, positivity, and mindfulness will be explored to drive student learning.
Building a Community of Educators: Fostering a Mindset in Staff and Students
Presenter
Kelli Cedo serves as an Assistant Principal in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools where she has served as Title I Coordinator, Division Contact for School Improvement, Literacy Coach, Academic Coordinator, and Family Engagement Liaison.
Description
What is your leadership mirror reflecting to your community? Have you asked yourself this question lately? During this session, we will explore fostering a stronger school team and growth mindsets. We will discuss how leadership cultivates and empowers the work of educators and ways to develop this within your school community. Participants will be able to reflect on what their leadership is reflecting every day and how it is impacting growth.
Articles from Principal Magazine
Principal May/June 2016:
“Professional Growth”
Principal May/June 2014:
“The Broad Spectrum of Principal Leadership”
Principal Jan/Feb 2013:
“Teacher & Staff Development”
Principal Sept/Oct 2012:
“The Common Core”
Articles from Communicator
Communicator August 2016:
“Fixing the Leaky Principal Pipeline”
Research on what school leaders and districts can do to help fix and strengthen the pipeline. Read more.
Communicator August 2016:
“Back-to-School Books for Principals”
These six reads can inspire you to innovate learning, improve teaching, and more. Read more.
Communicator June 2016:
“Four Strategies for Professional Growth”
Whether you are a novice or a veteran principal, you can take these steps to improve your practice. Read more.
Communicator May 2016:
“What Principals Need to Know About Making Assessments Work”
A new report on assessments and multiple measures stresses that more communication is needed. Read more.
Communicator April 2016:
“Membership Corner: 3 Reasons You Should Be a Mentor”
Pay it back: Shape future generations of principals. Read more.
Communicator February 2016:
“Get the Most Out of Your Mentor”
10 steps new principals can take to get the most out of mentoring relationships. Read more.
Communicator January 2016:
“A New Year for New Principals”
A snapshot of principals’ most frequently cited challenges—along with resources for support. Read more.
Communicator August 2016:
“Why You Should Help Teachers Find Their Voice”
How listening to and learning from teachers will help you be a better leader. Read more.
NAESP Conference Presentations
A Commitment Supporting Effective Principal Practice: The Wallace Foundation Panel of District and Principal Experts
Primary Presenters
Andy Cole, Wallace Foundation - Panelists: Kevin Maxwell, Ed.D., CEO, Prince Georges County Public Schools, Maryland; Douglas Anthony, PhD, PGCPS Wallace Project Director, Prince Georges County Public Schools, Maryland; Denise Dunn, Principal, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Hyattsville, MD; Emmett Hendershot, Principal, Paint Branch Elementary School, College Park, MD; Jacqueline M. Hall, Principal, G. James Gholson Middle School, Landover, MD
Description
The panel will open with a discussion of the PGCPS accomplishments in building a culture of support and a principal pipeline through The Wallace Foundation PLC network and the new PGCPS Leadership Center. This opening will be followed by a panel of three expert principals to feature their best practices. A short Q&A will also be held. The panel will be followed by facilitated table talk discussions led by principals.
A Leadership System that Empowers, Unites, and Inspires your Faculty: Five Essential Strategies for Principals
Primary Presenters
Kenneth B. Cooper, PhD. in School Admin. from CU, Boulder, MA in Elem. Edu. from Lesley, BA from Dartmouth College - Paul F. Doyon Memorial School, Ipswich, MA; Joseph G. Salah, MA American Studies and MA in Education, Salem State College. BA, Business Management from Boston University - Ipswich Public Schools
Description
The presenters will share the five primary elements of their unique leadership system. This system combines teamwork, shared decision-making and process-leadership skills to harness and focus the intrinsic motivation of a school’s staff. The result is powerful and ongoing cycles of school improvement.
Coaching the Frustrated and Frustrating
Primary Presenters
Annette Brinkman, M.Ed., Consultant, ObserverTab, LLC, Roy, Utah; Co-Presenter(s): Ellen Williams, PhD, Consultant, ObserverTab, LLC, South Jordan, Utah; Kim Heki, M.Ed., Principal, Dixie Sun Elementary School, St. George, Utah
Description
Coaching has many positive outcomes: higher test scores, job satisfaction, professional school culture, and more. What about teachers who are resistant to coaching? Session participants will experience an immediately transferable framework that will enable them to coach anyone... Join us to learn strategies to move people who are overwhelmed and/or resistant to forward (positive) action.
Redesigned Faculty Meetings
Primary Presenters
Kris Mitzner, PhD, Principal, Tays Junior High, Katy, Texas; Co-Presenter(s): Leah Lowry, Principal, Diane Winborn Elementary, Katy, Texas
Description
Learn how to transform your faculty meetings to 30 minute sessions focusing on professional learning, relationship building and problem solving. Explore how the use of technology can redesign your time and enhance learning experiences for your staff. We will share activities, resources and topics to replicate in your own setting.
Speaker Series: Building a Stronger Principalship: Evaluating and Supporting Principals-A Wallace Foundation Report
Primary Presenter
Lynn Scott, Leadership Development Consultant, New York City Leadership Academy, New York, New York
Description
This session will discuss the fourth report from an evaluation of the Wallace Foundation Principal Pipeline Initiative. This report addresses the implementation of principal evaluation and related supports viewing implementation in the context of districts’ aims, constraints, and capacity. Principal evaluation is part of the Wallace Principal Pipeline Initiative design, intended both as a means of assessing novice principals’ performance against clear standards and as a roadmap for tailoring professional development and one-on-one support to identified areas of need.
Transformation Unwrapped: How Effective Leaders Coach and Build Capacity for Effectiveness and Efficacy in Teachers
Primary Presenter
Datie Priest, Ed.D, Elementary Principal, NAESP, Decatur, Alabama
Description
Transforming learning begins with engaging the adults who teach them. In order to grow and develop effective teachers, principals should focus on high quality adult learning that is collaborative and reflective. This session is designed to help principals establish the framework necessary to transform learning communities of their schools.
I DIDN’T PICK THESE PEOPLE! - How to Work With Challenging Staff Members
Primary Presenters
Diane C. Watkins, MS in Education, Director of Assessment and Accountability, Chesapeake Public Schools, Virginia Beach, Virginia; Co-Presenter(s): Stephanie Johnson, Ed.D, Coordinator of Educational Leadership, Hampton University, Chesapeake, Virginia
Description
The joy of being appointed as principal quickly fades when you meet your new staff! Learn how to work effectively with the 10 most challenging types of people who drain the energy and attention of the principal and prevent you from focusing on students and the instructional goals for your school.
Mission Possible: How Principals Must Lead to Define Possibilities in Their Jobs
Primary Presenters
Paul G. Young, PhD Educational Administration, MMusic, BFA, Music Education, Adjunct Professor, Ohio University-Lancaster, Lancaster, Ohio; Co-Presenter(s): Jeromey M. Sheets, Ed.D., Director, Gifted and Professional Development, Lancaster City Schools, Lancaster, Ohio
Description
Effectively navigating the challenges of the principalship increasingly appears to be an impossible mission. Only with ingenuity and innovation can principals lead learners and maximize student achievement. Learn ideas and specific actions you can take to realize change in your school as well as your personal and professional life.
Maintaining Positive Building Morale Through the Use of Classroom Walkthroughs, Peer Observations and Teacher Reflection
Primary Presenters
Maureen C. Braunscheidel, NYS Building and District Certified Administrator, Intermediate Principal, Grades 3-5, Douglas J. Regan Intermediate School, Starpoint Central School District, Lockport NY, North Tonawanda, New York; John McKenna, Ed.D. President of the School Administrators Association of New York State, Principal, Tonawanda City School District, grand Island, New York
Description
To maintain positive building morale and to promote ongoing professional development, it is imperative for building administrators to find opportunities to recognize and reinforce their teachers accomplishments. This can be accomplished through providing feedback during classroom walkthroughs, provide opportunities for teacher reflection and promoting teacher/teacher observation and collaboration.
The Principal’s Role in Fostering a Culture of Feedback
Primary Presenters
Rachel Ball, Principal, Cool Spring Primary School in King William County Public Schools, Virginia, King William, Virginia; Co-Presenter(s): Jen Perry, Assistant Principal, Cool Spring Primary School in King William County Public Schools, Virginia, King William, Virginia
Description
Based on their engagement with the School University Research Network (SURN) Principal Academy at William and Mary, two administrators evolved into instructional leaders focused on formative feedback . This process led to a culture of reciprocal feedback among teachers and principals with a focus on data and the impact of instruction. By building relationships, focusing on student engagement, and monitoring the impact, principals supported a school culture focused on feedback.
Is It Me, or Has Our School Turned Around?: Seven Keys to Dramatic School Improvement
Primary Presenters
Simmie A. Raiford, PhD, Adjunct Faculty, Valdosta State University, Tallahassee, Florida; Co-Presenter(s): Michelle D. Hairston, M.Ed., Founder/CEO, Hairston Education, LLC, Chesterfield, Virginia
Description
This highly interactive session is designed for principals who are struggling with the challenges of turning around a chronically low-performing school, and provides high leverage strategies designed to both dramatically improve schools, and create structures for sustained improvement over time.