No One Should Have to Lead Alone
The Leadership “Island” One of the things no one fully prepares you for when you become an administrator is how much your relationships change. As a teacher, you have colleagues you laugh with, problem-solve with and turn to when you need advice or just someone who understands your day. You share stories about your families, celebrate successes and work through frustrations together. Those relationships become part of what makes your school feel…
Before You Hit Record: What School Leaders Need to Know About AI Transcription
AI transcription tools are already in our classrooms, often arriving one principal at a time and well ahead of district policy. That is where the conversation has to start. A classroom recording is never just a recording of the teacher. It captures students' voices, names and more. That brings FERPA, COPPA, and Michigan's evaluation law into play, and the tool you choose and how you use it determine whether you stay on…
Evaluation Season Is Underway: What Should Be Happening Right Now?
By October, assistant principals and principals are visiting classrooms, teachers are adjusting instruction based on what they’re learning about students, and the daily demands of leading a school continue to compete for time and attention. Evaluation can easily get pushed aside as more immediate needs arise, yet the work we do now shapes the opportunities teachers and administrators will have to learn and improve throughout the year. Michigan’s evaluation law reinforces that…
Open Your Doors: Make Principals Month a Leadership Opportunity
October is Principals Month, a time to recognize the important work principals do every day. It's also an opportunity to help others understand that work by inviting lawmakers to see it firsthand. When was the last time your state representative or senator spent a day in a school? Maybe they attended a graduation, cut a ribbon, or posed for a photo. But have they experienced the work of a school leader? Do…
The Hardest Part of Being Experienced Is Learning How to Be New Again
I have been an administrator for almost 15 years. I have worked in three buildings at multiple levels, and I have spent the past 10 years as a high school administrator. I know how to lead a staff meeting. I know how to start a school year. I know how to navigate the inevitable challenges of leading a school. And then I started in a new building. There is something humbling about…
New Fiscal Year, New Rules: Your FY 2027 Compliance Checklist
Governor Whitmer signed the FY 2027 State School Aid Act (Public Act 25 of 2026) on July 21, 2026. The Act attaches several compliance obligations to district funding — and falling short on any of them can mean real money out of the District’s pocket. Some of these obligations carry over from prior years, but the 2026–27 cycle introduces new requirements that every building principal and central office administrator needs to understand. …
Six Weeks In: Leverage Early Warning Data as the Instructional Leader
Six weeks into the school year, attendance, discipline and course performance data are beginning to tell a story. The question is whether we are looking across those indicators closely enough to notice which students may be getting off track and what they need from us next. As building leaders, it is on us to not only comply with Michigan’s MTSS requirements, but to fill the role of instructional leaders and steward what’s…
Homecoming: School Culture Comes to Life
There are plenty of serious moments in the life of a principal, but Homecoming week reminds me why I became an educator: Sometimes the most important work we do is helping students have fun, feel like they belong, and create memories they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. At Woodhaven High School, Homecoming is much more than a football game and a dance. It is a week when…
Work Permits Are Changing: What Principals Need to Know Now
Beginning Oct. 2, Michigan is moving youth work permits out of local schools and into the state’s new Youth Employment Permit Portal (YEPP) run by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO). For principals, there are two things to know right now: There is very little that schools need to do and nothing that has to be done urgently. The new system may create opportunities to use information about student…
Student Fundraising Pitfalls to Avoid
Student fundraising is a staple of the secondary school experience, funding everything from robotics trips and athletics to senior proms. The beginning of the school year can bring about numerous requests for fundraising. However, for secondary school administrators, managing these initiatives carries significant compliance, financial, and ethical responsibilities. Under Neola Policy 5830 (Student Fundraising), board policy establishes a clear framework: Because compulsory attendance laws make students a "captive audience," student solicitation must…