Beginning the Principalship: A Practical Guide for New School Leaders

The Ultimate Resource to cultivate self-awareness and excellence in Today’s Principals A commitment to continuous improvement paves the road to true leadership. New and veteran principals who understand this will translate thoughts into sound decisions and inspire a vision that can nurture others. They will drive progress and invite innovation. These are today’s newest superheroes, leading by example and cultivating greatness in others.  But every superhero needs a mentor. In this updated bestseller, Beginning the Principalship, Daresh and Alexander offer intensive encouragement and help in a practical hands-on guide to help principals navigate the challenges of school leadership. The strategies and cases included here will inspire all school leaders and nurture their passion for the immense responsibility they have undertaken. Practical Questions, Points to Ponder, and numerous examples in every chapter help foster reflection and collaboration to build a shared vision for campus improvement. Plus, discover how to: Drive student learning as the primary mission of the school Deal with others’ expectations of you as principal Master the technical skills needed to run an efficient school Create and clarify a personal professional growth plan Work effectively with the greater community and parents Celebrate instructional and non-instructional staff in a positive school culture Don’t just survive your years as principal. Read this guide and thrive! "Novice and seasoned principals, and new and seasoned administrators would really benefit from reading this book for skill building and improvement. Each chapter provides a wealth of information and has a space to record one’s own plan for self-improvement." Delsia Easley, Principal Gadsden City Schools, Gadsden, AL "I am disappointed that I didn’t own this book when I started as a principal. This book would have answered some of my pressing questions and guided the work I did my first few years. I will recommend this to any friend or colleague starting a new principalship." Kelly VanLaeken, Principal Ruben A. Cirillo High School, Walworth, NY 

Table of Contents:
Introduction Plan for the Book A Word of Caution Suggested Readings A Framework for Understanding the Beginning Principal Case Study: I’m Not a Politician Case Study: To Go or Not to Go Case Study: Figuring Out the Papers Balance is the Key Suggestions for Improvement and Professional Development Suggested Readings and References PART I: Self Awareness Affirming Your Ethical Stance Returning to Elijah’s Dilemma Knowing the Difference between Right and Wrong Foundations of Ethical Judgments and Behaviors References Reviewing Personal Values Case: Because It’s Important to Me Case: But What About the Children? What Do You Do with the Platform? Your Personal Platform Being a “Boss" Others’ Perceptions So What Do You Do? Strategies to Reduce Isolation Easing into the Principalship as an Assistant Your Personal Plan Suggested Readings A Personal Leadership Checklist Critical Leadership Skills Your Personal Plan References PART II: Socialization Seeing Your Invisible Heroes Office Workers Custodial Staff Food Service Workers Building a Personal Plan Suggested Readings and References We’re All on the Same Side: Home-School-Community Relations Traditional Functions of Home-School Relations Fostering Effective Two-Way Communication as Relational Trust Utilizing Community Resources Your Personal Plan References Learning Your School’s Culture Don’t Just Look…See Listen… Don’t Just Hear Celebrate the Past Develop an Action Plan Others’ Expectations Critical Skills for Beginning Principals: A Survey So What Does this Mean? Your Personal Plan PART III: Technical and Managerial Skills Understanding the Environment of Accountability No Child Left Behind What Happened with NCLB and Where do we go from Here?

About the Author :
John C. Daresh is professor of educational leadership at the University of Texas at El Paso. Over the years, he has held faculty or administrative appointments at the University of Cincinnati, The Ohio State University, the University of Northern Colorado, and Illinois State University. He has also worked as a consultant on high school reform and administrator professional development for universities, state departments of education, national and state professional associations, and individual schools and districts across the United States, and also in Barbados, Canada, France, Holland, Israel, Turkey, South Africa, and Taiwan. By far, the bulk of Daresh’s international service has been in the United Kingdom where he served an advisor and trainer for the School Management Task Force that developed and promoted support programs for beginning headteachers, the National College for School Leadership, the Welsh Office of Education, the North West Network for Diploma Development in Cheshire, Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of Lincoln, the University of Hull, CREATE Consultancies, and literally dozens of Local Education Authorities and individual schools across England and Wales. Daresh recently completed three years of service as the lead consultant on principal mentoring programs for the Chicago Public Schools as that megadistrict was faced with the challenge of bringing in mostly inexperienced principals to serve in nearly of the school system’s elementary and high schools. Linda Alexander is a teacher and department chair for social studies at the Mission Valley Early College High School for the Socorro Independent Schools. Prior to that, she spent her teaching career as a teacher and testing coordinator at Coronado High School in El Paso. Her academic career included a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The Ohio State University and Masters degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Texas at El Paso.