To have a successful school, it requires leaders who are abreast of how everything in a school works. Schools are highly complex places where poor decision-making in one area of the school can have significant impact on another. Schools are complex in that external forces that either mandate or create pressure for change on certain... Continue Reading →
Ask teachers about how they feel about the parents in their school community and responses will probably be wide-ranging. We have heard of the ‘helicopter’ parents, the ‘tiger moms’ and those parents who make life for teachers, well, inconvenient. On the other hand, some teachers feel that a number of parents are not interested, have... Continue Reading →
A large number of schools use teacher surveys for different reasons during a school year. To some teachers on the receiving end, it can feel like there are a lot of surveys to complete. Requests to complete surveys do not solely come from within the school, with education bodies, education researchers and conference and workshop... Continue Reading →
Teacher and school leader workload issues very much stem from the fact that there is not enough time to do the job properly. Some time back I commented on two ways that leaders can support teachers with workload issues, as to a large extent school leaders must take the initiative and lead in providing teachers... Continue Reading →
Professional sports teams have coaches and they have leaders. Leaders in sports teams do not have to be the coach. All sports teams, however, have a person that must be the coach and a leader. Professional teachers and teaching teams require the same. Schools have a responsibility to provide leaders who are not just instructional coaches but they coach collaboration.
We often face questions from parents and colleagues about how we select teachers to work in our schools. With no single right answer to what makes a good teacher, I thought I would take this opportunity to share what I originally wrote here: It is a difficult job selecting the most important qualities for a... Continue Reading →
Schools will change their structures from time to time. Reporting lines may change, or a new position can be added, which is intended to support the school's overall improvement. When thinking about creating a new position in our schools, we often think that the new position may solve a particular problem. For example, if we... Continue Reading →
There are some traits that I believe stand out above all in great educators and school leaders. These traits typify the ideal of having educators that are lifelong learners striving to be the very best that they can be and making a positive difference to students and the school community at large. Reflective, Student-Centered Educators... Continue Reading →
I recently watched a documentary about Sir Alex Ferguson, who shared his views on leadership with Harvard Business School undergraduates. There were some wonderful insights on leadership and I would advocate investing their time to watch this production. Much of the conversation centered on how Ferguson shaped the culture of Manchester United. Words such as... Continue Reading →
