These are not rhetorical questions, but questions to look each other in the eye and ask. And answer. And awkwardly stare and wait in silence as long as it takes for a response.
Category: Leadership
Communication is such an important element of leading schools successfully, yet the amount of time we spend planning communication is grossly underestimated. Good communication within and external to a school…
Knowing when it is your turn, or your time, as a leader is an important skill to master that if done well can have a significant positive effect on those…
Read More Leaders need to learn when to go first and when to go last
One of the greatest challenges, I believe, facing school leaders today is the doom and gloom in education. There is so much material out there about what is wrong with…
Read More The problem of presenting a ‘deficit model’ to teachers
What will happen? How will they react? How will I be viewed? These are some of the questions that will go through the minds of school leaders when faced with…
Read More What can happen when school leaders commit to courageous decisions and feedback?
Inspired by a great post by Stacy Hurst, “What is the Difference Between RtI and MTSS” (very informative!), and all the thought-provoking reflective readers who commented, I began to…
There’s so much that we can improve in our schools, the trouble is where do we start? Prioritizing the work that needs to get done in our schools is a…
Read More When it comes to school improvement, remember where we came from
Going around someone in order to ensure that something gets done is not uncommon in most workplaces, including schools. Yet it can create significant issues for school culture and challenges…
Read More Circumvention without a conversation – what it means for school leaders
Ask teachers about how they feel about the parents in their school community and responses will probably be wide-ranging. We have heard of the ‘helicopter’ parents, the ‘tiger moms’ and…
Read More 3 ways for keeping parents informed and involved in our schools
When new leaders are appointed to their various roles in schools, they are often eager to make change, to help the school improve and move forward. There is nothing wrong…
Read More Changing school culture – Push too far, then face the kick back
School leadership is a tough business. Our colleagues can be harsh critics at times and greatly supportive at others. Over the years, I have worked with some wonderful people who…
Read More Relationships matter, so beware of your leadership iceberg
School leaders receive many suggestions from other leaders, teachers and support staff for what can be improved in their school. In some instances, people are taking action themselves, often on…
Read More Towards a ‘Slower Ed’ movement – when to move fast and when to move slow?
Understanding our role and responsibilities as leaders in schools is better understood by examining the way relationships change in the building as one moves up the leadership ladder. When we…
Read More 4 ways to lead school improvement with and through others
The degree to which school leaders are involved in actual teaching practice varies considerably between schools, which brings us to the question: Should school leaders teach more? To clarify for…
A significant number of educators aspire to move into formal educational leadership positions, or to move up another rung on the leadership ladder. Moving into an educational leadership position can…
Read More Leading in schools does not start, or end, in a formal leadership position
Numerous school leadership courses and programs exist, designed to prepare aspiring leaders, or to further support existing leaders in their roles. Looking closely at these courses there are common themes…
Read More 3 things that most school leadership training does not prepare you for but should
This is a post in which I am sort of “thinking out loud” so I would love your thoughts. I went for breakfast with a great critical friend of mine,…
A huge amount of effort goes into improving schools yet we often can overlook how much work is needed to maintain a high performance culture. As schools get better they…
Read More The more schools improve the harder it becomes to maintain performance
There are an overwhelming number of initiatives that schools can invest time in developing in order to improve and change for the better. Some schools may charge full-on into as…
Read More Is it more important for school leaders to manage change rather than lead it?
Does your ‘To Do’ list seem never-ending and continues to grow by the day? Well you are not alone, this is the case for most, if not all, school leaders.…