Principal Matters: The School Leader's Podcast with William D. Parker

Great teams understand the importance of depending on one another. Photo by joncandy – Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License https://www.flickr.com/photos/37195744@N03 With the many roles of a school leader, one of the biggest challenges is moving from independence to interdependence. In other words, how do you shift from a school culture with teachers isolated from one another to a place of shared ideas and teamwork – a culture of strong collaboration? How do you practice teamwork that works and improves student outcomes? In a recent webinar presentation, Ms. Diana Lebsack, Principal of Yukon Middle School and Oklahoma’s 2018 Middle School Principal of the Year, shares her experiences in leading stronger collaboration. Meet Diana Lebsack For the past four years, she has served grades 6-8 with a school population of 2,000 students and 130 teachers. Prior to Yukon, she spent ten years in school leadership as a high school and middle school principal in Putnam City, Oklahoma. In 2018, Diana was named Oklahoma’s Middle School Principal of the Year. Her school has a strong commitment to shared decisions and professional learning communities. In this conversation, Diana shares three main takeaways: 1. Define Expectations for Collaboration Defining expectations starts by setting the stage early. One way is by modeling collaboration through hiring with teams. When interviewing, frame your hiring questions with PLC samples, beliefs, and models of collaborative learning. Ask questions like: What experience do you have in PLC’s and what have you learned in the past? This allows you to identify where candidates have strengths or need growth before they join the team. Ask yourself if they have the capacity to work collaboratively? If so, they will be a good fit for a school committed to collaboration. Explain your beliefs and discover how a candidate’s values match those of your school. 2. Set Clear Frameworks for Collaboration Do teachers know the cycles, evidences, and resources for collaboration. Consider these questions from Solution Tree’s All Things PLC flowchart: • What do you want students to know? • How will we know when they learn it? • How will we respond when they have not learned it? • How will we respond when they already know it? Every PLC meeting should be focused on one of these tenets based on where you are in the cycle of learning. Also, you can share docs via Google Drive. Set schedules and dates when evidence is due from each of your collaboration teams. Use your faculty handbook to include an index of resources including Every SMART Goal form, and include a form shortcut sheet, and a weekly email to touch base on PLC focuses. In other word, provide the resources teachers need to succeed as teams. 3. Define Healthy Collaboration with Checkups How are you modeling collaboration for your teachers? Are you openly talking about PLC’s throughout the year? Share these four quadrants with your teachers and ask them to self-reflect their teams by identifying where they fall in these areas: • Quadrant 1: High Productivity/High Relationships • Quadrant 2: High Productivity/Low Relationships • Quadrant 3: Low Productivity/High Relationships • Quadrant 4: Low Productivity/Low Relationships Once teachers have reflected and identified current practices, you can have honest conversations about how to move forward toward Quadrant 1 as the ideal. Let’s Wrap This Up As you begin a new semester, don’t let the process of learning overwhelm you. Moving from independence to interdependence is hard work, but it is worth it to see teachers grow as teams and students meeting shared learning standards. Now It’s Your Turn What is one step you can take toward strengthening collaboration for your school? How can you restructure your hiring process, revisit your framework, or provide checkups for your professional learning communities? Don’t let the hard work of learning derail you from taking one step at a time toward improved student outcomes. You can see the video and slides for this presentation here. If you’d like to connect with Diana Lebsack for more information, you can reach her by email at diana.lebsack@yukonps.com. Sign-Up For Free Updates and Ebook When you enter your email address below, you will automatically receive my newest posts and a free Ebook, 8 Hats: Essential Roles for School Leaders. Let’s keep learning together! Subscribe for free weekly updates and receive free e-book! * indicates required Email Address * First Name Last Name (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]=’EMAIL’;ftypes[0]=’email’;fnames[1]=’FNAME’;ftypes[1]=’text’;fnames[2]=’LNAME’;ftypes[2]=’text’;}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Principal Matters–The Book! School leaders are very busy, so each of the twenty-four chapters is designed as a quick-read and followed with take-action questions for follow-up or reflection. If you want practical ideas on understanding your purpose, managing school teams, dealing with challenges, and leading with courage, action, motivation, and teamwork, go HERE to pick up a copy for you or your team. Messaging Matters Harness the power of messaging to create a culture of acknowledgment, respect, and celebration. Written specially for leaders, this title is divided into three parts, helping readers to maximize their role as chief communicators with students, teachers, and parents and community. Each chapter includes suggestions for using digital tools to enhance messaging and ends with reflection questions and practical next steps. The post PMP:139 Building Stronger Collaboration – Interview with Diana Lebsack appeared first on Principal Matters.

Recently, Education Week shared a post, A Look at How Principals Really Drive School Improvement, with a summary of a study conducted by the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. Researchers studied over 600 elementary and secondary schools over seven years, comparing student test results with surveys from teachers and students about their experiences in school. Then the group conducted 12 deeper case studies, comparing elementary and high schools with rising or declining test scores.” Co-author, Elaine Allensworth, summarized the findings by saying: “We just keep finding over and over again, the more students feel safe and supported in school … the stronger the learning gains and the bigger the improvement in learning gains. It’s easy to get caught up in all the other things you could be doing as a principal and lose sight of the importance of students feeling safe and supported.” As you launch a new semester, consider the way you are cultivating positivity in your school culture. Whatever level you serve, I’m excited to introduce you to the ideas promoted through the Kindness Campaign being led by Daniel O’Donnell. Meet Daniel O’Donnell Daniel is the Director the Kind Schools Network, a national campaign with StandforChildren.org focused on “teaching kids to practice kindness on a regular basis and manage their emotions, actions, and statements, they become better equipped to navigate our complex world.” Daniel was raised in Springfield, Tennessee, the youngest in a family that strongly valued education. He attended public schools through high school, then graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in Political Science and Music. He joined Barack Obama’s campaign in the summer of 2007, leading efforts to register, organize and mobilize voters in seven states. After the 2008 election, Daniel joined President Obama’s administration as the Deputy White House Liaison to the US Department of Energy. Moved by the love of his hometown and the desire to make a difference more locally, Daniel returned to Nashville in 2012. Among his many responsibilities, Daniel now directs the Middle School Kindness Challenge Campaign. In this week’s podcast interview, Daniel and I discuss the following: How he became involved in the Middle School Kindness Challenge campaign and why it’s important for school leaders What influences middle schools currently face that warrant a national campaign to foster kindness The student outcomes by schools involved in the challenge (over 26,000 lessons have been used by schools across the nation) How educators can participate in the challenge and see improvements in student behavior and performance Feedback from schools where the Kindness Challenge is making a difference How can principals and educators can connect to find out more information Let’s Wrap This Up It is no secret that schools with strong cultures see greater gains in student achievement, but sometimes we need reminders or resources to keep cultivating those cultures. You can sign-up now to participate in the Middle School Kindness Challenge for this new semester by visiting the website https://kindnesschallenge.com. If you’re not serving the middle level, consider how to use these resources in creative ways at your level. And pass this challenge along to someone who may be leading at the middle level. The post PMP:138 Middle Level Kindness Challenge – Interview with Daniel O’Donnell appeared first on Principal Matters.

One day I was walking through one of my high school buildings when I heard the sound of a teacher yelling for help. I sprinted toward the sound, and I found a teacher trying to guide a student into the hallway. He was a special education student I knew – a teenage boy whose development level was closer to that preschool student. He had become so violent that he was knocking over furniture. Thankfully, when I stepped in, he responded to my request to come to the office. He was crying so much, however, that I had to hold him up as we walked. It was almost like cradling a toddler. I found out later from the teacher that the boy’s mother had been taken to the hospital for surgery. He had very limited verbal skills, and his emotional outburst was closely tied to the fear and concern he was experiencing. As an education leader, I know you also deal with situations that often place you outside your comfort-zone. Sometimes you are managing situations involving students with special needs. But you also deal with students at every level who struggle with emotional or behavioral outbursts for various reasons. This school year I have talked to many principals who recognize the growing number of students living in environments where they may have experienced trauma. This can range from children who are experiencing violence or tragedy to others who live in unsafe or unstable environments. Students touched by trauma can often have difficulty learning. For school leaders, it can be a difficult balance in knowing how to provide a safe learning environment for all students while also finding ways to help students heal. Dr. Barbara Sorrels As I’ve searched for helpful resources, I was privileged to be introduced to Dr. Barbara Sorrels. She is the author of two books, including Reaching and Teaching Children Exposed to Trauma. Dr. Sorrels is also the executive director of The Institute for Childhood Education in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a professional development and consulting firm for those who live and work with children. She has more than twenty years of child care, kindergarten, and elementary teaching experience, as well as more than five years of experience teaching graduate and undergraduate students at the university level. In this week’s podcast episode, Dr. Sorrels and I dive into a discussion on ways educators can learn to reach and teach students exposed to trauma. Here are the topics we cover: How understanding of brain science influences the way you work with students Advice for teachers or school leaders searching for behavior strategies that work with students who experience trauma Examples from teachers and schools engaged in learning options that may include manipulates, environmental changes, rhythm, play, and movement activities The challenges or opportunities in managing students with severe behavior or anxiety issues while also maintaining a safe learning environment for all students in the classroom or school I encourage you to listen to our conversation and to check out Dr. Sorels’ resources. For my Oklahoma listeners, you may be interested in an upcoming workshop she will leading in Oklahoma City on March 13, 2019, on Strategies for Working with Students Experiencing Trauma. You can find out more information here. Or you can reach out to Dr. Sorrels directly via her website: http://www.drbarbarasorrels.com. Let’s Wrap This Up There is not a “one-size-fits-all” solution to working with students touched by trauma. Understanding is the first step. And then exploring helpful strategies, developing shared plans of actions, and committing to “right fit” practices for your students can also help. As you think about the students in your school, think about the ideas Dr. Sorrels discusses in her practice and how they may apply to the ways your school is reaching and teaching students. Now It’s Your Turn Who are the students in your school whose lives have been touched by trauma? As you think about ways to maintain nurturing and productive school environments, how can you better understand the stories students bring with them to school each day? How can you stay committed to building trusting relationships with those in your school community so you can find creative, effective ways to respond to student needs? Sign-Up For Free Updates and Ebook When you enter your email address here, you will automatically receive my newest posts and a free Ebook, 8 Hats: Essential Roles for School Leaders. Let’s keep learning together! Principal Matters–The Book! School leaders are very busy, so each of the twenty-four chapters is designed as a quick-read and followed with take-action questions for follow-up or reflection. If you want practical ideas on understanding your purpose, managing school teams, dealing with challenges, and leading with courage, action, motivation, and teamwork, go HERE to pick up a copy for you or your team. Messaging Matters Harness the power of messaging to create a culture of acknowledgment, respect, and celebration. Written specially for leaders, this title is divided into three parts, helping readers to maximize their role as chief communicators with students, teachers, and parents and community. Each chapter includes suggestions for using digital tools to enhance messaging and ends with reflection questions and practical next steps. The post PMP:137 Reaching and Teaching Students Exposed to Trauma with Dr. Barbara Sorrels appeared first on Principal Matters.

I’ve been on the road a lot lately. And as I travel, I often think about how to reach my destination while also making the experience a positive one. For me, that means trying to learn while I drive by listening to helpful podcasts, audio-books, or news programs. Or sometimes it means connecting with friends or colleagues for phone chats. As we wrap up another semester of the school year, my family is also planning a road trip. During the holidays, we normally travel back east for time in West Tennessee with my parents and family members there. It’s a long road from Oklahoma there, so we try to make the trip as enjoyable as possible: good snacks, and good books, music and movies downloaded on devices. But long road trips can also be difficult when you grow tired of the road or sometimes grow tired of one another. And sometimes the journey through a school year can be a lot like a road trip. You pack up the car with lots of hope and anticipation, but hours into the drive, you grow tired of being on the road, and maybe the passengers grow tired of each other too. How do you keep driving toward a positive destination on the long journey of a school year? Recently, I was presenting at a workshop for Assistant Principals when we began discussing how to manage difficult moments or crucial conversations while also staying focused on the positive. I was reminded of two authors whose work has been helpful when thinking about working with school teams on the destination of completing a successful school year. First, Dr. Todd Whitaker has some great takeaways in What Do Great Principals Do Differently. I’ve heard Todd present several times, and he often reminds principals that if you spend your time focused on the group of negative team members in your school instead of the positive ones, you will inevitably find yourself leading from a mindset of reaction instead of empowerment. Todd’s advice is to keep your eyes on the most positive members as a first priority. As you include them in decision-making and ask what is best for them, you inevitably raise the tide for the entire school culture. I’ve also heard presentations by Dr. Anthony Muhammed, author of Transforming School Culture: How To Overcome Staff Division who explains that school leaders cannot ignore negative culture. When team members are pulling down others, you must be willing to have crucial conversations that threaten positive expectations and remind others of the non-negotiables of your school. When you are willing to confront these “resisters”, you place the focus back on the destination and goals of your school. This is a difficult balance. A couple of years ago, I was sitting in a presentation with Dr. Muhammed when I asked him how to reconcile the need to focus on your positive members while also addressing negative ones with crucial conversations. He explained that it is irresponsible to avoid tough conversations, and the balance of strong leadership is the ability to focus on the positive but not allow the negative to infect your culture. A Road Trip Analogy I’ve been thinking about these lessons as I drive to visit schools and work with school leaders. Just like a long road trip, you manage so many dynamics while you “drive” your school through each day. Several years ago, my wife and I loaded up our children for a long trip to Tennessee for Christmas. When it was time to return home, my kids asked if we could stay an extra day. I had set our return date so I could have some additional time to prepare for the return to school so I told them we needed to stick with the schedule. We loaded up the morning of our return, and started down the road. I noticed no one was talking, and as I looked in the rearview mirror, I could see all four of the kids were crying. No one was talking, but there were a lot of tears. Two narratives were going through my head. Narrative one: I want to get back home because I have a lot of work to do before school begins, and I don’t like to feel rushed. Narrative two: We actually have time to spend an extra day and maybe I need to ask my kids why staying an extra day is so important to them. I looked at my wife, and she looked back me with an expression that read: “This was your decision, now what are you going to do about it?”. Before long, I pulled over and we had a long conversation. I explained again why I wanted to get home soon. They explained how hard it was to be such a long distance from my parents and how much they’d like just one more day. After listening, we had a decision to make. In this case, we decided to give them one more day there. I turned around and headed back to my parents’ home. And guess what? We had one more joyful, fun-filled day. The drive home the next day was a lot easier. Looking back now, I know that situation could have gone a lot of directions. But the lesson I learned as a dad is that reaching destinations and goals is just as important as maintaining positive relationships along the way. And as school leaders, we need to keep that idea in mind as well. Let’s Wrap This Up As you think about the journey you are on this school year, you will likely be looking at both sides of the coin when it comes to focusing on the positives while also addressing negatives. Yes, you must invest and rely on your strongest team members for creating positive outcomes. At the same time, you cannot ignore the crucial conversations necessary to maintain a healthy school culture. And as you do both, you are driving toward a destination that will require lots of patience, wisdom, and collaboration along the way. Now It’s Your Turn As you drive the road ahead, what ways can you stay focused on the positive outcomes you want to see for your students and teachers? How can you focus on the destination while also having crucial conversations along the way? And what is one step you can take today to add some joy to the journey for those around you? Sign-Up For Free Updates and Ebook When you enter your email address here, you will automatically receive my newest posts and a free Ebook, 8 Hats: Essential Roles for School Leaders. Let’s keep learning together! Principal Matters–The Book! School leaders are very busy, so each of the twenty-four chapters is designed as a quick-read and followed with take-action questions for follow-up or reflection. If you want practical ideas on understanding your purpose, managing school teams, dealing with challenges, and leading with courage, action, motivation, and teamwork, go HERE to pick up a copy for you or your team. Messaging Matters Harness the power of messaging to create a culture of acknowledgment, respect, and celebration. Written specially for leaders, this title is divided into three parts, helping readers to maximize their role as chief communicators with students, teachers, and parents and community. Each chapter includes suggestions for using digital tools to enhance messaging and ends with reflection questions and practical next steps. The post PMP:136 Crucial Conversations for Reaching Targeted Destinations appeared first on Principal Matters.

In a recent conversation with author and generation expert Dr. Tim Elmore, he shared how many students are affected by “FOMO” (Fear of Missing Out).For many young people, this condition is demonstrated by a preoccupation with wanting to constantly know what is happening with peers or social media contacts. FOMO can sometimes lead to levels of anxiety that make it difficult for them to disconnect from social media. (See Psychology Today article by Dr. Elmore here.) When Kim Coody, Principal of Glenpool High School, near Tulsa, Oklahoma told me she was creating FOMO experiences for her student, I was intrigued. She explained that this school year, her staff has committed to increasing engagement with students so that they fear missing out on school. What has this looked like for her school? Kim’s Bio Kim Coody has spent 21 years working with Oklahoma students as a special education teacher, high school assistant principal, middle school principal and high school principal. Kim has 15 years in secondary administration experience at Glenpool Public Schools. She began her administrative career as the high school assistant principal for 8 years. She spent 3 years as the principal at Glenpool Middle School before being named the high school principal in 2015. In 2018, Kim was named Oklahoma’s OASSP High School Principal of the Year and represents the Oklahoma Association of Secondary Principals as President-Elect. Kim prides herself on Glenpool High School’s high graduation rate and her staff’s commitment to building positive relationships with students. Leadership Takeaways In this week’s podcast, Principal Coody shares several ways her school has built a strong culture: 1. Increasing positive “FOMO” with welcome back videos2. Greeting students as they come to school3. Developing more engaging lessons4. Finding real-life applications for learning5. Shadowing a student for a day6. Piloting job shadowing and internships for seniors through Oklahoma’s ICAP (Individual Career Academic Plans) As a result, Glenpool students are finding relevant applications for their learning, seeing fewer disciplinary referrals, increasing attendance rates, and making academic gains. Listen-in to this week’s podcast for ideas that can inspire you in your school leadership. You can view a webinar version of our conversation or see Kim’s slides and photos HERE. Now It’s Your Turn How do your students view their experience in school? What are ways your team is enhancing your learning environment so that students are afraid of missing out on school? What ways can you put yourself in the roles of students to see school from their perspective? What is one way you can introduce them to real-life applications of learning? Sign-Up For Free Updates and Ebook When you enter your email address here, you will automatically receive my newest posts and a free Ebook, 8 Hats: Essential Roles for School Leaders. Let’s keep learning together! Principal Matters–The Book! School leaders are very busy, so each of the twenty-four chapters is designed as a quick-read and followed with take-action questions for follow-up or reflection. If you want practical ideas on understanding your purpose, managing school teams, dealing with challenges, and leading with courage, action, motivation, and teamwork, go HERE to pick up a copy for you or your team. Messaging Matters Harness the power of messaging to create a culture of acknowledgment, respect, and celebration. Written specially for leaders, this title is divided into three parts, helping readers to maximize their role as chief communicators with students, teachers, and parents and community. Each chapter includes suggestions for using digital tools to enhance messaging and ends with reflection questions and practical next steps. The post PMP:135 Using FOMO for Positive School Culture with Kim Coody appeared first on Principal Matters.

How do engage students while also understanding the unique challenges and strengths of Generation Z students? Several years ago, I was introduced to Dr. Tim Elmore through his curriculum and online resources for leadership. He is known as an expert in researching generational trends and is the author of dozens of books on developing leadership. He may be best known for his Habitudes series, lessons using images to teach leadership principles for students from public schools to university settings. Over the past couple of years, Tim and I have developed a strong working relationship. I have attended and spoken at his conferences, and I have heard him present and speak several times as well. On a personal level, I view Tim as one of my mentors. As I’ve talked to him, read his books, and watched him lead others, I have come to admire him as someone who practices what he teaches. Tim’s Bio Dr. Tim Elmore, President and Founder of Growing Leaders, is a best-selling author and international speaker. Dr. Elmore uses his knowledge to equip educators, coaches, leaders, parents, and other adults to impart practical life and leadership skills to young adults that will help them navigate through life. He has spoken to more than 300,000 students, faculty, and staff on hundreds of campuses across the country and provided leadership training and resources for multiple NCAA and professional athletic programs. In addition, a number of government offices in Washington, D.C. have utilized Dr. Elmore’s curriculum. In addition to teaching leadership to cooperate leaders, universities and graduate schools across the U.S., he has also shared his insights in more than forty countries–including India, Russia, China, and Australia. He has written more than 25 books, including his newest book, Marching Off the Map: Inspire Students to Navigate a Brand New World, released in 2017. For years, he worked alongside internationally recognized leadership expert Dr. John Maxwell. According to Maxwell, “No one teaches leadership better than Tim Elmore.” Engaging Cultures & Developing Gen-Z Leaders Listen-in to this week’s podcast conversation to learn more about: 1. How schools and organizations can create engaging cultures 2. The foundational principles that work in developing engagement 3. The specific differences among generational mindsets 4. Ways to leverage the strengths and challenges found in the emerging leaders of Generation-Z. Let’s Wrap This Up If you are an Oklahoma reader or listener, mark your calendar for June 5-6, 2019 as CCOSA, our state administration association is hosting Tim as a keynote for our state leadership conference in Norman, Oklahoma. In late June 2019, Tim is hosting a Round-Table for Principals event in Atlanta, Georgia. Tim’s team is also offering Principal Matters listeners the opportunity to sign-up for the chance to win a free registration. Now It’s Your Turn What is one way you can create stronger engagement for your school or team? How can understanding the differences in the emerging generation better inform your practice? Sign-Up For Free Updates and Ebook When you enter your email address here, you will automatically receive my newest posts and a free Ebook, 8 Hats: Essential Roles for School Leaders. Let’s keep learning together! Principal Matters–The Book! School leaders are very busy, so each of the twenty-four chapters is designed as a quick-read and followed with take-action questions for follow-up or reflection. If you want practical ideas on understanding your purpose, managing school teams, dealing with challenges, and leading with courage, action, motivation, and teamwork, go HERE to pick up a copy for you or your team. Messaging Matters Harness the power of messaging to create a culture of acknowledgment, respect, and celebration. Written specially for leaders, this title is divided into three parts, helping readers to maximize their role as chief communicators with students, teachers, and parents and community. Each chapter includes suggestions for using digital tools to enhance messaging and ends with reflection questions and practical next steps. The post PMP:134 Creating Engaging Cultures with Dr. Tim Elmore appeared first on Principal Matters.

Five years ago this month, our son Jack was diagnosed with a rare disease called Kawasaki that brought our normal world to a stand still as we circled together searching for answers and praying for his healing. The disease inflames the blood vessel, and if untreated, it can be fatal. As I look back at his recovery years later, I remember how overwhelmed my wife and I were at the time. I remember seeing our little boy in his hospital gown, hooked up to tubes and wires. When he went into shock during treatments, he had to rest for several days while his medical team reevaluated. Eventually his condition stabilized enough for him to receive the helpful IV solutions he needed. After ten long days, treatments normalized his body, and he was finally healed. It was a Thanksgiving I won’t forget as we celebrated having our little boy home again. The good side of this difficult season was that it brought me back to all those areas of life that matter most: faith, family, and friends. I remember during those days, how encouraged we were by the flood of love and support from others: our friends, school, and church. We were thankful for an expert team of doctors and nurses. We were thankful for my school, where my team worked hard to protect me from interruption and sacrificed every day to fill in the gaps. We were thankful for so many prayers and visits. Memories are often good reminders of the many reasons to be thankful. As you start the holiday season, here are three very quick “thank-you’s” to keep in mind today: 1. Your family Don’t forget to thank your better-half who sacrifices for you every day. For little ones in your life who provide you with both encouragement and challenge. For your extended family members who hug, call, or send messages. God gave you your family for a reason so be grateful for the ones you have. 2. Your friends For old and new friends who make time to check-in and visit. For the blessings of meals or just catching up during good and hard times. Give thanks for the community that surrounds you and reminds you that you are not always strong enough alone. 3. Your calling For work that is more than a job but is an extended family. For educators who care more about relationships than they do about compliance or legislation — everyday heroes who unify around what matters. Not everyone has the privilege of working with people dedicated to building better communities. Let’s Wrap This Up This past week as I watched Jack, who is now 13, walking around the house, I was struck by how tall he is becoming. His long legs and arms are outgrowing all his clothes. He is healthy and enjoys running cross country or playing Fort-Nite with you his friends. I’m thankful to watch him grow up. And I’m thankful for the many prayers, visits and supports from our friends, family, and teammates who surrounded us then and still support us today. This week, please take time to reflect on what matters most. And in case you haven’t heard it lately: Thank you for the part you play every day in serving your families, schools, and communities. Happy Thanksgiving! Bonus Songs I also wanted to share some joy from my family to yours. A little background info: My wife and I have four children: three girls and one boy. During Thanksgiving break a few years ago, I took time to record a couple of songs that I wanted to include as podcast bonus tracks. During Thanksgiving, we host family members including cousin, Joy, who is one year older than our oldest daughter. When the girls were little, our two oldest and Joy were very close, and we wrote a song together called “3 Little Girls.” When Joy grew up and attended college nearby, we were singing the song one day when we decided to record it together at the kitchen table with a microphone, their voices, and my guitar. Here are the lyrics and a direct link to the recording of the song: Three Little Girlsby William D. ParkerThanksgiving 2012Music recorded Thanksgiving 2016 1. One time there were three little girlsThey played in a make-believe worldOooh, ooh, oohPretending they were mommy’s thenThey held their Barbies and their KensOooh, ooh, ooh Chorus:And they wrote a little songAnd everybody sang alongoooh, oooh, ooooh 2. One day the three grew into teensThey shared their make up and their dreamsoooh, ooh, oohThey laughed and dreamed of life awayWhere they could span the globe somedayoooh, ooh, ooh(chorus) 3. A few years later and they metAt the church where one was wedooh, ooh, oohThey laughed and cried some happy tearsAs they thought back on those yearsoooh, ooh, ooh(chorus) O Holy NightThat same day, Joy also blessed us with a solo of O Holy Night, one of my favorite Christmas songs. If you want enjoy this simply beautiful song, listen in here. Happy Holidays! Sign-Up For Free Updates and Ebook When you enter your email address here, you will automatically receive my newest posts and a free Ebook, 8 Hats: Essential Roles for School Leaders. Let’s keep learning together! Principal Matters–The Book! School leaders are very busy, so each of the twenty-four chapters is designed as a quick-read and followed with take-action questions for follow-up or reflection. If you want practical ideas on understanding your purpose, managing school teams, dealing with challenges, and leading with courage, action, motivation, and teamwork, go HERE to pick up a copy for you or your team. Messaging Matters Harness the power of messaging to create a culture of acknowledgment, respect, and celebration. Written specially for leaders, this title is divided into three parts, helping readers to maximize their role as chief communicators with students, teachers, and parents and community. Each chapter includes suggestions for using digital tools to enhance messaging and ends with reflection questions and practical next steps. The post PMP:133 Three Reasons to be Thankful appeared first on Principal Matters.

The European Space Agency’s historical comet landing of the spacecraft Rosetta in 2014 was an amazing feat. Imagine organizing a team of scientists and space engineers who design and launch a spacecraft with the goal of intersecting with a comet 500 million kilometers from Earth. Then imagine ten years later, your findings show the spacecraft is indeed crossing paths with the targeted comet. From 500 million kilometers away, your Earth-bound team maneuvers the activation of the spacecraft’s previously inert power source, it orbits around the comet, and it attempts a landing. You must wait a half hour for the data from the spacecraft to transmit back to Earth to even know what its “current” status may be. Finally, the images of the comet’s surface appear on your computer screens, and you know the landing has happened. Let the cheering begin! From 500 million kilometers away, a team’s dream had become a reality. The euphoria, amazement, thrill, and adrenaline rush must have been electric. I get excited every time I think about how many seemingly insurmountable obstacles were overcome to achieve this profound result! But here’s my question for those of us back on earth: What challenges are you facing at school, in leadership or in life right now? Three Reflection Questions for Facing Challenges Here are three questions to keep your own challenges in perspective: 1. What kind of team are you on? No one achieves epic milestones like comet landings by flying solo. Monumental accomplishments require teams of like-minded people who can share a vision, collaborate, and execute. Your ambitions may not be as galactic in proportion, but they are still important. And to reach them, you need others. In your school, what goals have you set for your students, teachers, and yourself? Remember that you cannot accomplish them alone. You need others if you want to reach school-wide goals. Whether that is working in professional learning teams or student advisories, you will always accomplish more with the sharing of ideas and relying on input from others. 2. What kind of commitments do you have? Amazing feats are not accomplished half-heartedly. If you want to reach a goal, you must be dedicated to finishing whatever race you’ve started. I like to remind students, for instance, that school is like a marathon. You can start off with a big rush of energy, but it is maintaining momentum in the mundane, pushing on even during tough times, and holding on to the hope of reaching the end that keeps runners moving their feet. The same commitment is necessary to reach any big goals. It’s not easy or sometimes even probable, but without commitment, it is impossible. For instance, if you’ve set specific learning goals for students, these cannot be reached without being measured. Rocket scientists cannot simply guess on their math when aiming for targets, and helping students learn requires targeting specific learning standards and committing to the hardworking of reaching them. Don’t give up on the commitments and hard work necessary to reach those goals. 3. Are you willing to take calculated risks? If you or your team are going to reach new milestones, then just doing what you’ve always won’t help. For example, a few years ago, I was talking to our high school football team’s head coach. His team was 10-1 and entering the second round of playoffs. It had exciting season. But just three years before, his team had no wins. Zero. What made the difference in three years? When I asked him, he said, “Three years ago after we lost all our games, we asked ourselves ‘What can we control?’ We knew we couldn’t control how we matched other teams in terms of size or speed. But we did know we could control how conditioned our players are.” His boys began systematic routines of work-outs, weights, and running while still practicing drills, plays and strategy. After each practice, they run some more. As a result, the team has often seen its strongest performance during the 4th quarter of a games. When other teams are wearing down, and opponent players are holding their sides, his boys are still running strong. Why? Because they were willing to try something they hadn’t before. And it worked. Calculated risks often mean you’re willing to try something that achieve your ultimate goal. But then again, you’ll never know until you try. Your teachers and students need a leader who is willing to take bold, courageous actions. Let’s Wrap This Up In Tim Elmore’s Habitudes series, he introduces the idea of “Checker and Chess.” Leaders often approach their work like checkers: seeing every person as having the same abilities, potential or outcomes. But exceptional leaders see their work as chess: recognizing the unique gifting, abilities, and potential each person plays — and then making wise decisions about how to move forward with strategy, commitment and risk-taking.Are you playing checkers or chess in leadership? No one would have ever thought a man could ever catch a comet. But it’s been done. Monumental events like spacecrafts catching a comet or teams winning championships are inspiring. But they happen with a mix of both inspiring imagination and committed teamwork. What goals have you set for your school this year? Amazing possibilities lay ahead when you work as a team, commit to reaching shared goals, and decide to risk trying new strategies. Now It’s Your Turn What have you been dreaming of doing with your school or team? If anything was possible, what steps would begin taking next to accomplish audacious goals? Revisit the goals you have set for your school this week and think about the next best step in reaching them. Sign-Up For Free Updates and Ebook When you enter your email address here, you will automatically receive my newest posts and a free Ebook, 8 Hats: Essential Roles for School Leaders. Let’s keep learning together! Principal Matters–The Book! School leaders are very busy, so each of the twenty-four chapters is designed as a quick-read and followed with take-action questions for follow-up or reflection. If you want practical ideas on understanding your purpose, managing school teams, dealing with challenges, and leading with courage, action, motivation, and teamwork, go HERE to pick up a copy for you or your team. Messaging Matters Harness the power of messaging to create a culture of acknowledgment, respect, and celebration. Written specially for leaders, this title is divided into three parts, helping readers to maximize their role as chief communicators with students, teachers, and parents and community. Each chapter includes suggestions for using digital tools to enhance messaging and ends with reflection questions and practical next steps. The post PMP:Encore043 What Can You Accomplish Together? appeared first on Principal Matters.

During my second year as a high school assistant principal, I received notice one morning that a number of students were missing items from their lockers. Upon further investigation, we discovered that in one hallway of the school, an entire row of lockers had broken into and contents were missing from several. Thankfully, we had cameras in that section of the building, and I began watching tape – rewinding from the time school was dismissed the day before and viewing until the morning of the report. I finally found footage of several students late the evening before, and I could see them breaking into the lockers. It was during evening credit-recovery classes we offered, and the students seemed to be on what appeared to be a bathroom break and had chosen a hallway where the lights were off. For the most part, all I could see were their silhouettes. Throughout the day, I pulled in some of my staff and team members who helped me match descriptions with the names on evening class roll. After our day-time students went home that day, I stayed late to talk to the teacher in charge of evening classes and to meet one-on-one with each student suspected of being involved. Luckily, as I questioned students one-on-one, most were cooperative and admitted to what happened. But one young lady was not cooperative. I’ll call her Lizzy. As I talked to Lizzy about what I had observed on camera, she insisted she wasn’t involved. She certainly matched the physical traits of what I could see in the video, so I switched into “interrogator’ assistant principal mode: “Listen, Lizzy.” I said, “I know it’s hard to admit when you’ve done something wrong, but not cooperating is not going to help as talk about appropriate consequences for breaking into lockers.” Lizzy began to cry. “I promise it wasn’t me, Mr. Parker.” So, I asked her to take a seat in the office waiting area and think about her actions as I still had other students to question. I’ll come back to that conversation at the end of this post, but I was thinking about that day recently when talking to new principals about how to manage student discipline. The Challenge of Managing Behavior I believe student discipline is often the hardest and most difficult part of a school leader’s work. Because I served as an assistant principal for nine years before becoming a high school principal, I spent a lot of time managing hundreds if not thousands of student discipline scenarios. At first, the pressure involved in decisions that were often so emotional for students or parents, was overwhelming. When you are managing difficult discipline scenarios, you also spend very little of that time on other important matters – like classroom observations or scheduled team meetings. Although the tasks of managing behavior never become “easy,” I do believe relying on best practices can help over time. Great Resource for New School Leaders A great resource I’ve pointed principals toward lately is Jen Schwanke’s You’re the Principal, Now What? Strategies and Solutions for New School Leaders, published in 2016. In her chapter on student discipline, she shares some helpful and practical tips, including:• Empowering your teachers in student discipline• Clarifying that when problems reach you, you take the lead in deciding discipline• Knowing your districts student handbook and policies• Differentiating discipline• Prioritizing student safety• Investigating situations fully• Letting time be your friend• Getting second opinions• Avoiding group consequences• Involving parents whenever possible (Schwanke, 160-166) I highly recommend her book for the many other scenarios and challenges faced by new school leaders. 7 Tips for Communicating While Managing Student Discipline In previous posts and in my books, I share suggestions on how to communicate during student discipline that may help you in your practice. Here are seven to keep in mind: 1. Communicate in writing (importance of handbooks) When you know your policies and procedures ahead of time, and have them in writing, you have a strong guide for school-wide expectations and enforcement. Handbooks don’t replace wise decision-making, but without them you will be open to inconsistent or litigious practice. So know the ground-rules and make sure they are clear in writing. 2. Communicate in person (power of presentations) Students need to see and hear from face-to-face about what your expectations are for their behavior. This is why I’m a big fan of small group meetings with students at the start of each school year. It takes more time in large student populations, but you not only communicate consistent expectations in-person, but also you have the opportunity to look into the eyes of students and build rapport. 3. Communicate consistently (pre-determine consequences and rewards) Students thrive in environments where they know what is expected and then see those expectations enforced firmly, fairly, and consistently. This is best done when you’ve already decided ahead of time what actions to take for common and expected misbehaviors. Keep consequences closely tied to level of student safety involved. 4. Communicate to parents (before, during, and after discipline) Parents are likely to partner with you when you keep them informed along the way. When they hear from you often through other positive means, they are also more likely to trust and support your decisions. When dealing with student discipline, especially, keeping them informed is an important part of being on the same page. 5. Communicate with superiors (eliminate surprises for upper admin) In addition to students and parents, your administrative supervisors usually like to be in-the-know when it comes to discipline – especially situations they may also have to address. 6. Communicate with your team (keeping your staff in the loop) Sometimes principals fail to let teachers know important information about student discipline. Although some information must be kept confidential, a student’s teachers normally see him or her on a more consistent basis than you. If a teacher has referred a student to you, he or she will normally be curious or anxious to know if the situation was managed. Do the courtesy to keep them informed when appropriate. 7. Communicate for future reference (documentation for reports) If you don’t write it down, it didn’t happen – or at least you may be held liable later that it didn’t. Documentation takes time and can be a hassle, but good documentation provides you with consistent reporting, follow-up, and records for any future questions or concerns. What does research say about school discipline? Dr. Sameer Hinduja is a Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University and Co-Director of the Cyberbullying Research Center. Last month I heard him speak about his research on school culture at AMLE’s national conference for middle school educators in Orlando, Florida. You can see all his resources at his website. In research of schools and the kinds of environments where students feel most secure in learning, Dr. Hinduja shared three models for comparison: 1. Permissive models – These are schools that are low on discipline but high on social emotional support.2. Authoritarian models – These are schools that are high on discipline and low on social emotional support.3. Authoritative models – These are schools that are high on discipline and high on social emotional support. You’ve probably already guessed the most effective – where students and teachers feel most safe: The Authoritative: High Discipline and High Support Model. In this model, 97% of surveyed students feel safe – a significant difference in comparison to the other two models. The biggest takeaway from Dr. Hinduja’s presentation for me was that strong cultures take both strong discipline and strong student support. It’s just like strong parenting: you must consistently implement and enforce expectations while also providing strong emotional and social support for students to learn and thrive. Let’s Wrap This Up Let’s go back to my first story: As Lizzy waited outside my office during my locker investigations, I called in more students for questioning. One boy, in particular, began to list the other students who had participated breaking into lockers. As he talked, he mentioned a female student I did not have on my list. I pulled up the video footage, and this time I realized she was the young woman I thought was Lizzy. Needless to say, it was long, exhausting evening, as I interviewed students, called parents, retrieved missing items, and assigned appropriate school discipline. Of course, the evening instructor and I also talked about appropriate supervision. But I had something else important to do: When I called Lizzy back in my office, guess what I did next? I apologized. “Lizzy,” I said, “I’m so sorry I wrongly accused you and then didn’t believe you when you told me truth. I feel horrible for putting you through this situation and hope you can forgive me.” To my surprise, Lizzy said, “It’s okay, Mr. Parker. I know it must be hard doing your job and we all make mistakes.” And you know what, Lizzy was right. You have a hard job. Whether it is instructional leadership, school culture, student supervision, or organizational planning – you have a lot on your plate. And school discipline is one of the hardest parts. But as you think about the importance of an “authoritative” culture – one that holds students to high standards, communicates those expectations, enforces them consistently, and maintains the dignity of students in the process — then you have the ability to build a school community where students feel safe to learn and sometimes still trust you even when you screw up. You will never do the work of leadership perfectly. Give yourself some grace, reach out to others who can help, do the best you can with practices that work, and when you mess up, apologize and move on. When it comes to student discipline, know that in the end, these best practices generally produce strong cultures for student learning and growth. Now It’s Your Turn Think about the authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive models. What kind of culture do you think your students or teachers would say is practiced at your school? How can you revisit your practices with your team to ensure high expectations and high support are both happening? What is one step you can take to model that approach today? More Resources For other posts I’ve shared on discipline, you can check out: 7 tips for dealing with challenging students, or 8 tips for disciplining with dignity. Sign-Up For Free Updates and Ebook When you enter your email address here, you will automatically receive my newest posts and a free Ebook, 8 Hats: Essential Roles for School Leaders. Let’s keep learning together! Principal Matters–The Book! School leaders are very busy, so each of the twenty-four chapters is designed as a quick-read and followed with take-action questions for follow-up or reflection. If you want practical ideas on understanding your purpose, managing school teams, dealing with challenges, and leading with courage, action, motivation, and teamwork, go HERE to pick up a copy for you or your team. Messaging Matters Harness the power of messaging to create a culture of acknowledgment, respect, and celebration. Written specially for leaders, this title is divided into three parts, helping readers to maximize their role as chief communicators with students, teachers, and parents and community. Each chapter includes suggestions for using digital tools to enhance messaging and ends with reflection questions and practical next steps. The post PMP:132 Frameworks for Managing Student Discipline appeared first on Principal Matters.

On Tuesday, September 25, 2018, I walked into a D.C. high school called School Without Walls, a four-story building interspersed with hallways full of art.I saw hand-built go-carts with bicycle parts lining a floor-way. Sky-lights hovering over walls of exposed brick created a sense of old and new. Expansions to the building allow School Without Wall to serve just over 600 students, grades 9-12. The top floor is home to a library with windows looking across at George Washington University. School Without Wall boasts the following mission: “[To] provide every student with a rigorous, college preparatory, humanities program that incorporates global and local resources in an experiential and interdisciplinary methodology to teaching and learning.” Every senior is required to submit a senior research project and present his or her findings in order to receive a SWW diploma.” Over 1,300 students apply to attend each year with 140 accepted to the incoming freshman class. Every student is required to take AP Language and AP Literature, and each graduate earns an Associate Degree through concurrent credits at The George Washington University. With offers from universities all across American, 84% of School Without Walls graduates finish college. Dr. Ross, the 2018 National Principal of the Year, from Chaplin, South Carolina, had invited me to accompany him there. He graduated from the high school in 1998. Twenty years later, he returned to hug the neck of Ms. Sylvia Isaac, a former teacher and now Associate Principal at the school. We also sat with Principal Richard Trogisch and Assistant Principal Simone Anderson as they shared data and background information with us. Dr. Ross told me he remembers the school most for its commitment to take learning into the city. Every teacher is required to conduct at least two field trips per quarter with the goal of providing hands-on learning experiences for students in every subject. Interview with Principal Richard Trogisch Later, I followed up in a Zoom-chat with Principal Richard Trogisch who has served the school for 13 years. Mr. Trogish has been an educator both internationally as well as in the D.C. area. His philosophy of education was born from the European models he saw committed to the humanities. In this conversation, he explains what makes his school work. As a National Blue Ribbon school, students are not only introduced to a strenuous application process and rigor academics but also they experience a culture of acceptance, safety, and opportunity from teacher and parent partnerships with them. In a follow-up Zoom conversation, we talked about the following:• Embracing and celebrating a community’s culture.• Providing safe learning environments where teachers love students.• Placing high standards on academics and rigor.• Including wraparound programs to support students academically and emotionally.• Partnering with parents, teachers and students in being proud of their school. I encourage you to listen in to the audio-version of our conversation for the full conversation. Let’s Wrap This Up Later after my visit to School Without Walls, I was having dinner at a restaurant called Bantam King on the north side of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. It’s a small shop that serves Raman dishes and incredible fried chicken. The wall across from me was covered in patterns of cafeteria trays glued to wall in blue, aqua green and yellow rectangle patterns. Hanging through the middle of the room were paper lanterns in colors of red, white, and yellow. The ceiling tiles were made from basket weave, and the wallpaper from faded cutouts of newspaper Japanese cartoons. A constant beat of hip-hop played over the hum of voices and the clink of spoons in soup. As I looked across the small diner, I felt like I was observing a microcosm of global citizenship right in the middle of the nation’s capital. And I felt this same sentiment when walking through the hallways of The School Without Walls earlier in the day. But every city, town, parish and community has its own flavor. Whether I am in the small towns of rural Oklahoma, a suburban school near Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, or the urban settings of Washington, D.C., I see commonalities among schools that work. These schools commit to the essentials of culture, academics, emotional-support, and parent/community partnerships. You may not be able to replicate a ‘School Without Walls’ in your community, but you can replicate the essential qualities that make yours a thriving school that works for your community. Now It’s Your Turn How would you rate your school in the following categories?• We embrace and celebrate their community’s culture.• We provide safe learning environments where teachers love students.• We place high standards on academics and rigor.• We include wraparound programs to support students academically and emotionally.• We are proud of our teachers and students, and partner with parents and communities.What’s one step you can take today toward growth in one of these essential areas? Sign-Up For Free Updates and Ebook When you enter your email address here, you will automatically receive my newest posts and a free Ebook, 8 Hats: Essential Roles for School Leaders. Let’s keep learning together! Principal Matters–The Book! School leaders are very busy, so each of the twenty-four chapters is designed as a quick-read and followed with take-action questions for follow-up or reflection. If you want practical ideas on understanding your purpose, managing school teams, dealing with challenges, and leading with courage, action, motivation, and teamwork, go HERE to pick up a copy for you or your team. Messaging Matters Harness the power of messaging to create a culture of acknowledgment, respect, and celebration. Written specially for leaders, this title is divided into three parts, helping readers to maximize their role as chief communicators with students, teachers, and parents and community. Each chapter includes suggestions for using digital tools to enhance messaging and ends with reflection questions and practical next steps. The post PMP:131 School Without Walls – Interview with Richard Trogisch appeared first on Principal Matters.