An insightful and original take on educational leadership

Advice from the Principal’s Desk: 5 Pillars of School Leadership is a fresh, new take on school leadership from award-winning former school administrator and professor of education Dr. David Franklin. In the book, you’ll find the tools and strategies that veteran school administrators need to succeed in their roles. You’ll learn how to increase attendance and parental involvement in student affairs, minimize suspension, navigate budget cuts, and more.

The author explores five key areas that school leaders cannot neglect and examines how busy school leaders should spend their extremely limited time. You’ll also discover:

• Strategies you can deploy to best support your students and other stakeholders
• How to navigate the often-conflicting demands of parents, teacher unions, and governing bodies
• How to best use and implement technology to support your work and create a positive and productive school environment

An ideal resource for current and aspiring K-12 principals and school administrators, Advice from the Principal’s Desk is packed with the research, real-world examples, and practical techniques that education professionals need to improve the results of their leadership.

Introduction

Pillar One: Leadership

Chapter 1: Becoming

Chapter 2: Principal Leadership Matters

Chapter 3: Setting the Tone

Chapter 4: A Top-Down Approach vs Collaborative Approach

Chapter 5: Be Seen

Chapter 6: Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

Chapter 7: Looking at the Right Data

Tales from the Principal’s Desk

Pillar Two: Instruction

Chapter 8: Instruction Matters

Chapter 9: It’s Not How Much Time, but What You Do with It

Chapter 10: Shifting from Teacher-Led to Teacher-Facilitated Instruction

Chapter 11: Classroom Observations (Walkthroughs and Instructional Rounds)

Chapter 12: Implementing Instructional Technology

Chapter 13: Assessment for Learning

Tales from the Principal’s Desk

Pillar Three: Community

Chapter 14: We’re Not in Kansas Anymore

Chapter 15: School and Community Research

Chapter 16: Using Social Media in Schools

Chapter 17: Know Your Neighborhood

Chapter 18: Connecting with the Community

Chapter 19: One Call per Day

Chapter 20: Video Conferencing for All

Tales from the Principal’s Desk

Pillar Four: Attendance

Chapter 21: Get to School, Ferris!

Chapter 22: Get Butts in Seats

Chapter 23: Conducting Home Visits

Chapter 24: Creating Attendance Plans That Work

Chapter 25: Holding Parents Accountable

Tales from the Principal’s Desk

Pillar Five: Culture

Chapter 26: Culture Is Everything

Chapter 27: Inclusion for All

Chapter 28: Creating a Safe Environment

Chapter 29: Sharing Your Own Story

Chapter 30: Creating a Collaborative Culture from the Ground Up

Tales from the Principal’s Desk

Conclusion

References

Acknowledgements

About the Authors

Index