You're the Principal! Now What? Strategies and Solutions for New School Leaders

Jen Schwanke

Table of Contents

About the Author

About This Book

A principal's job is astonishingly complex, and its competing demands can be overwhelming, especially in the first few years. In this book, Jen Schwanke, a principal herself, provides a mentor's guidance to steer new principals through the period of adjustment and set the foundation for a long and rewarding career. The topics you wish your graduate program had covered are covered here—directly, practically, and without the jargon.

Drawing on her own experience, Schwanke provides strategies for tackling the most common yet most daunting challenges of the principalship, including

• Establishing productive professional relationships
• Building and maintaining a positive school culture
• Resolving conflict among staff and parents
• Providing effective instructional leadership
• Supporting students' social-emotional needs
• Conducting staff evaluations and delivering feedback
• Keeping up with district, state, and federal mandates
• Managing the facility and the budget
• Providing focused and effective professional development
• Prioritizing responsibilities
• Learning from student and schoolwide data
• Planning for growth and change
• Working through behavior and discipline issues
• Hiring high-quality teachers and supporting new ones
• Leading effective meetings
• Maintaining balance

The standalone chapters provide easy access to the solutions you need for the situations you face. Along with real-life scenarios and critical tips for success, you'll find helpful models of what to do, what to say, and how to say it. This book is a source for ideas any time you encounter a problem and think, "Now what?" It's the beginning of an ongoing conversation about the wonderful and rewarding work of being a principal.

See the book's table of contents and read excerpts

About the Author

JEN SCHWANKE began her career as a language arts educator and is currently a principal for the Dublin City School District in Dublin, Ohio. A graduate instructor in educational leadership, she has written frequently for literacy and educational leadership publications and blogs about her experiences in learning and leading.

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