A Reader Asks... The Alternative Certification

A LYS Assistant Principal asks the following:

SC,

How do you convince prospective employers that an alternative certification as an instructional leader is just as valid as a traditional certification?  Does anyone look beyond the certification and examine objective school improvement and student success?

SC Response

I won’t tell you that alternative certification and traditional certification are viewed equally, because they are not.  At least not by most educators.  Whether or not this fair is of little practical use.  The bottom line is that the alternative certified educator is going to have to cast his/her net further and for a longer period of time, to get the first promotion. 

But after the first job, the playing field does level somewhat. And after the second promotion, experience and results take precedence for employers. Move your campus consistently and your certificate (either kind) becomes an overlooked placeholder in your file.

Overall, think of getting the promotion as tournament.  The positions are fewer the higher you go and the competition gets exponentially tougher.  If you want the promotion, you keep making yourself a better candidate until either you get the job or the effort to get the promotion is no longer worth the time and energy expended.  That tipping point is different for every individual.  Just remember that leadership is a volunteer position.  No one is making you apply for the job.  

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: NASSP National Conference; The 21^st Century High School Conference 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Reader Asks... Getting a Principalship

A LYS assistant principal is intrigued by the following situation.

SC,

I am not sure what has really transpired but I know that sharing my confusion with qualified and seasoned veterans will elicit some repose and encouragement.

Recently, two administrative leaders responsible for instructional leadership in my district were reassigned. Then, almost immediately, they both got positions in other districts in spite of poor recommendations from the superintendent. One of the positions was one that I also applied for, but didn't make the final cut.  This does not overly bother me, just stating a fact. 

But here is my question, how are hiring decisions made for principalships?  Because based on my observations in my district and the districts in my vicinity, there seems to be no logical selection criteria.  If the getting the next job is primarily based on random luck, where is the upside of working everyday to hone your skills and the skills of your team?

  

Thanks for listening.

SC Response

What you are seeing is that in many cases, from an objective standpoint, there is no rhyme and reason to who gets hired and why. And also, don't be so sure that the recommendations from the Superintendent were not good.  They very well could have been excellent.  Though I don't believe in the practice, many supervisors see their recommendations as a way to solve their problems. 

However, in terms of increasing your odds of getting a promotion, the following all seem to be successful strategies.

1. Be so bad, that they demote you up.

2. Be there long enough that it becomes your turn.

3. Be connected to someone making the decision.

4. Be so good, the next job is a given.

5. Be the new and novel choice.

6. Be the only one willing to take the job.

I’m not a fan of strategy 1 and 2, but I won’t pretend that it doesn’t work.

Strategy 6 is risky, but a number of old school LYSers, including myself, took that route to accelerate their careers.

Your best bet: Be good, be connected and be mobile.  And then realize that it becomes a numbers game.  50 applications for 10 interviews for 1 job.  If you are not near those numbers, don't get discouraged, just keep playing.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Multiple Presentations); NASSP National Conference 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Reader Writes... (Fear - Part 5)

In response to the posts on, “Fear,” a reader writes,

“Yes, I guess you could call me a psychopath; a psychopath for school improvement. :-)”

SC Response
I know this writer of this comment. He is aggressive, obsessive and just crazy enough to try anything once. And those are his good qualities. This is exactly why Brown and Brezina picked him out from the crowd early, as someone to watch and support. And he has made all of us proud, earning not one but three promotions in less than a year. From administrative intern, to middle school AP to high school AP.

And for the record, he absolutely frightens those dusty, retired on the job, central office types. This again, is another one of his good qualities.

Think Work. Achieve.

Your turn…