By Perry Zirkel
Principal, May/June 2013

Recent litigation reflects some of the intended and unintended consequences of the latest stages of high-stakes testing since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). This legislation is of direct significance to elementary school principals.

By Mary Kay Sommers
Principal, May/June 2013

Imagine if classrooms had the same appeal for a 12-year-old as playing Angry Birds on an iPad. Students would be intently focused to win. I’ve seen it happen, and the tips in this article can help you achieve these results.

By Shawn Riley
Principal, May/June 2013

The interview went off without a hitch. You studied the school, swam through years of data, and bought that new suit. The panel loved you, and you loved them right back. But walking into that empty office the first day in July, you may temporarily doubt yourself as you feel the weight of responsibility. The decisions you make and leadership you bring to that school will impact the school’s measures of success as well as its teachers, staff, parents, and students.

The New School Management by Wandering Around
By William A. Streshly, Susan Penny Gray, and Larry E. Frase.
Corwin, 2013, 310 pages.

According to the authors, Management by Wandering Around (MBWA) is “an approach to leadership based on the belief that leadership is visionary, goal focused, and people centered.”

By Ruby Larson
Principal, May/June 2013

As the 2010-2011 school year approached, I noted five issues as I assessed the current state of affairs at Hillside Elementary, a Title I school in Omaha, Nebraska:

By Joe Crawford
Principal, May/June 2013

Many educators are overwhelmed by the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) due not only to the change they represent, but also to their length and complexity. However, the reality is that we already know how to operationalize the CCSS in a straightforward, proven approach to curriculum alignment.

By James Pedersen
Principal, May/June 2013

Today’s divide is much more subtle, centering on participation and teacher preparation.
By James Michael Brodie
Principal, May/June 2013
Web Resources

This college president and dynamic NAESP conference speaker outlines the key building blocks to closing the achievement gap.
Principal, May/June 2013
Web Resources

By Linda Fisher
Principal, March/April 2013

Students, teachers, parents, district administrators, and staff members all need a principal’s time. The key challenge for school leaders is to leverage their time in a way that makes the most positive impact on students’ academic success.

By Perry Zirkel
Principal, March/April 2013

Sexual harassment has become a major source of education litigation. In these cases, the alleged harasser is a school employee (most often a teacher), and the frequency of these liability suits calls to mind the recent tragic spate of clergy abuse cases. Similar to the church practice revealed in some of these cases, the disturbing “solution” in some school cases is to move the teacher to another school.

By Heidi Arthur
Principal, March/April 2013

A seventh grader is too tired to go to school because she stays up late play­ing video games. A sixth grader convinces his mom to let him skip class because of problems with a school bully. An eighth grader’s family schedules a vacation to start two days before spring break begins. Whatever the reason, chronic absenteeism puts a child’s academic performance and high school graduation at greater risk. Educators need to make it clear to students and par­ents that every school day matters.

By Carolyn Carter Miller
Principal, March/April 2013

After reading myriad books and articles about professional learning com­munities (PLCs) over the years, it dawned on me recently that I’ve never read anything about one valid reason to invest the time and energy to establish PLCs in your schools: Retirement!

Leadership Standards in Action: The School Principal as Servant Leader
By Cade Brumley
Rowman & Littlefield, 2012, 145 pages.

By Sandra C. Birchfield
Principal, March/April 2013

By Joe Mazza
Principal, March/April 2013

Principals, assistant principals, directors, and superintendents can serve as family engagement deal makers or breakers. If school leaders don’t understand and respond to family engagement research and lead the charge, best practice family engagement is highly unlikely to occur.

By the 2014-2015 school year, states will implement next-generation assessments that align with Common Core State Standards. Here’s what principals need to know.
By Joe Willhoft
Principal, March/April 2013
Web Resources

Teachers can help transform students’ capacities to excel with brain-favorable approaches to teaching and learning.
By Judy Willis
Principal, March/April 2013
Web Resources

By Raphael Crawford
Principal, March/April 2013

I have always considered myself to be a transformational leader. So, I readily accepted the challenge when I was offered the opportu­nity to serve as the new principal of a well-established Montessori school with a pre-K program. The public school had performed well as a Montessori environment, but had not aligned its instructional practices with district curricular standards and benchmarks.

By Gaily Connelly
Principal, January/February 2013

Teachers and principals are the most important factors in student achievement, according to research. Together, they form the core instructional team within a school’s learning community, and it’s no secret that all great schools have great principals and teachers. What’s less clear is how best to measure the things that make them great.