By Jamie Bricker and Jack Barclay The principal’s role is always multi-faceted, but never is a school leader juggling more different, yet equally important, agendas than during this time of year. There are clearly many important decisions required for the successful completion of the current school year, as well as some key considerations that will ...

By Jamie Bricker and Jack Barclay The essence of the principal’s role is a combination of school leader and school manager, and the leadership and management components are far from mutually exclusive. In fact, a strong management framework must be in place before sustainable leadership has a legitimate chance to prosper. Management issues tend to ...

By Jamie Bricker and Jack Barclay This is the time of the school year when principals do their best to meet two very important, and very different, mandates: ensure a successful conclusion to the current school year and begin the planning process for September. Specific staffing parameters will be provided by each school district. The ...

As discussed in last month’s article, conflict is an inevitable part of school life. While astute leadership can certainly prevent many contentious issues from percolating, there always will be sources of conflict totally beyond the principal’s control. What is always very much within the principal’s control, however, is how he/she addresses this discord. Students clearly have either a direct ...

By Jamie Bricker and Jack Barclay At this point of the school year, initial plans have been partially, if not fully, implemented. Mere implementation, however, most definitely does not ensure desired impact. It is now incumbent upon administrators to monitor actively the key school initiatives; recognize successes and concerns; and, revise plans accordingly.  It is important ...