A Reader Asks... Campus Administration Survival Skills

A LYS Assistant Principal asks the following:

SC,

What knowledge or skills help a campus leader move through a range of demands and decisions required to efficiently and effectively manage operations and resources?

SC Response

Great question that has a two-part answer.

Part 1: Experience.  The principalship represents the greatest learning curve in education.  To go from having input in decisions or limited decision making authority to being responsible for the performance and behavior of students and staff, 24/7 is at first overwhelming.  For the first year principal, everything is new, everything must be reviewed and the pace is relentless. Which is why, all things be equal, the experienced principal gets hired over the in-experienced assistant principal in most districts.

Part 2: After experience, here are the basic skills, understanding and characteristics that any decent principal must have.

1. The ability to deal with people, especially difficult people.

2. The ability to manage up.

3. A solid understanding of pedagogy.

4. A solid understanding of effective literacy practice.

5. A solid understanding of basic data analysis and adjustment practices.

6. A solid understanding of how to build and manage a flexible budget.

7. A burning desire to recruit staff and build successful teams.

8. The discipline and fortitude to fire.

9. A fundamental need to compete.

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 
• Upcoming Conference Presentations: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool)
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Coming Soon... My New Book

I'm happy to announce that I have a new book that will be released within the next two months.  The title is, “On School Vouchers: Honest Arguments in a Debate of Lies.”

The book is a compilation of the posts I have written on the topic over the last three years. 

My goals for the book are two-fold. First, is to educate the non-educator on why school vouchers are bad public policy, in spite of political rhetoric they are bombarded with daily.

Second, is to provide assistance to you, the public school educator. The book will be a slate of compelling arguments to share with our constituents, friend and neighbors.

The battle against school vouchers is an unfair fight.  The Anti-Public School Politician is bound by neither truth nor a commitment to the common good.  Hopefully, this book can tilt the argument back towards public schools a little bit.

It will be available as a paperback and a Kindle e-book. I’ll announce the release date as soon as I know more. 

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 
• Upcoming Conference Presentations: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets from the Week of July 16, 2017

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of July 16, 2017 when they were first posted.  And if you are on Twitter, you might want to check out the Tweeters who made this week’s list.

1. John McCain is an American hero and one of the bravest fighters I've ever known. Cancer doesn't know what it's up against. Give it hell, John. (By @BarackObama)

2. Vouchers are an orchestrated doom loop that victimizes a public trust for elitist and anti-democratic gain. Shameful. (By @LYSNation)

3. Unlike PUBLIC schools, private schools are allowed to EXCLUDE and SAY NO for any reason, at their sole discretion. (By @LYSNation)

4. So simple, even a cave man gets it... Vouchers BAD. Public schools GOOD!  (By @LYSNation)

5. Formative and summative systems must be independent, otherwise everything is summative. (By @jenn_frantz)

6. As much as possible, avoid solving conflict and failure with added policies and procedures. (By @Leadershipfreak)

7. An investment in teaching new teachers about building positive relationships creates productive and positive classrooms for students. (By @barnes_glenn)

8. Don’t make decisions based on feedback from haters and degraders. (By @Leadershipfreak)

9. I am not remotely interested in just being good. –Vince Lombardi (By @SportsMotto)

10. The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird) is a required book for the Education Leadership – Curriculum & Instruction course at the University of North Texas - Dallas. Students are encouraged to follow LYS on Twitter. (By @DrJerryRBurkett)

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 
• Upcoming Conference Presentations: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook