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…
Tag: educational administration
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
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
In every school there are teachers who may be fabulous and make teachers who are good look quite ordinary in comparison. In so many ways it is wonderful to have…
Read More What is reasonable? When great teachers make other teachers look bad
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
One of my favourite quotes is: “If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of itself.” from D.L.Moody. Our character is very much defined by our…
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…
Bringing new teachers and support staff into a school can give the energy boost it needs, or maintain the momentum of positive change that may have been built up over…
Read More Recruiting the ‘Tweeners – why staff induction programs matter
One of the obstacles educational leaders face when giving colleagues feedback is deflection. Over the years, through numerous conversations with educators centering on giving and receiving feedback, this issue of…
Read More Feedback that pops the bubble – overcoming the deflector shield
It is questionable whether teachers and leaders are given regular feedback in order to grow professionally. When teachers work with students feedback is given in most lessons throughout the learning…
Read More Are you getting in the way of the feedback you really need to grow?
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
Working in education is a lifelong passion for many teachers. Even when teachers are sick, they dose-up on vitamins, cold and flu medication, just to make it into school because…
A large number of schools still continue to use tick box evaluation models that make little difference to the impact a teacher has on teaching and learning in a school.…
Read More Why we must get away from tick box style teacher evaluations
Teacher and school leader workload is an issue that does not go away and receives a significant amount of attention in the media and in educational publications. Efforts have been…