Communication Competency – Part 3: Cultures of Communication
Regardless of our why, whether our communication is at a time of crisis, community building or celebration, how we communicate matters. It works to establish that positive communication culture that we strive toward. That “how” is not just the medium but the style of communication and how that style impacts the intended audience as we tell our stories. While it is easy to blast our generic communication to all, we may be…
Cultural Pride Leads to Student Body Success
Establishing a positive culture within your school, one where students feel welcome and successful, has become increasingly important, especially as many of our students have returned from long gaps in face to face education. Building leaders are charged with doing so during what seems like unending culture wars that have done more to divide than ever before. In order to grow this culture in Lincoln Park, the administrative team and key staff…
Black Authors Calendar
When I was growing up, I read extensively. I found that books opened new worlds for me. I was very fortunate to have a mother who regularly took me to the library and encouraged me to “take home as many books as you can carry,” parents who read to me, and strong teachers who inspired me to read and to explore many topics. While I read a lot, I found out, as…
Communication Competency Part 2: Telling OUR Stories
The community school was and ought to be the hub of our community! There is a reason that an overwhelming number of our parents have confidence in our schools. However, perennial surveys demonstrate that while we trust our own schools our publics think most “other” schools are failing to meet that trust quotient. How did schools go from being the center of the community to being a pin-cushion? Our intentionality in communicating…
Employee Misconduct
When faced with alleged misconduct, school officials are sometimes eager to impose discipline. However, navigating through employment protections applicable to the employee and adequately investigating the alleged misconduct are important preliminary steps that will help you minimize potential legal exposure. Under Michigan law, employment is presumed to be “at-will,” meaning an employer may discipline an employee without notice and without cause. But, depending on the employee’s unique circumstances, an employment contract, a…
Communication Competency, Part 1: Five Principles of Positive Communication Culture
The task of leadership is building collective efficacy. We need to get our teams to work and act as such, moving and doing with shared purpose! A wise friend, who has literally been my teacher, my coach, boss, best man, associate principal, a colleague as a principal and my boss again, lamented on the challenges of the Principalship. He said, people assume that as a Principal you have tremendous authority, when in…
Going Digital! How the PSAT and SAT are Changing and What You Need to Know
In 2016, the first set of Michigan students began taking the PSAT and SAT assessment suite. In this seventh year of the PSAT and SAT, we’re still waiting to find out whether the State of Michigan is going to continue with the College Board for year eight and beyond or move to another assessment. While there may be questions about whether the SAT is going to be reauthorized for MI students and/or…
Public Perception of our Profession: A Crisis of Perception, An Opportunity to Build Confidence
Each year, PDK releases their poll of public perceptions on the profession of education. It is often not flattering and follows the ebbs and flows of our cultural whims. This past year, Americans rated their public school at their highest level in the last 48 years. Though that sounds incredibly positive a deeper dive into the data presents a much more nuanced and concerning challenge to us as educational leaders and opportunities,…
Strengthening Leaders, Impacting Schools: A Professional Learning Network for Aspiring, Emerging and Advancing Principals
Good principals aren’t born, they’re mentored. In 2008, I was a new administrator tasked with leading a group of educators to create a new school. That challenge was exacerbated by the fact that it was an IB school with a unique teaching structure, curriculum and unique enrollment and student system. I was not prepared for the task and was on an island. I needed a community of support and was desperate for…
Onboarding, Leveling Up, and Enhancing Teacher Practice! MASSP Teacher+ Program is your one-stop professional development support portal.
The core function of every instructional leader is helping educators become their best to better serve their communities. Principals have the best intent to provide top-notch professional learning to our team, yet, every principal faces the challenge of balancing a million responsibilities, many of which feel like competing interests. Time is that invaluable resource we all strive to maximize. Critical planning and training with your team often takes the backseat to pressing…