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Surviving and Thriving as a New Principal:  Tools for Success

One of the challenges new principals face is that they must lead as they are learning to lead.  Regardless of the time they have spent in the role, members of the school and community view the principal as leader.  This session will explore critical leadership practices that foster school success and student learning.  Specific research based leadership behaviors that influence organizational productivity and learning will be highlighted.

Participants will examine those conditions that must be present in a school in order for learning to flourish, as well as what leaders do to influence and promote those conditions.  Rich case studies and stories of new principals facing day-to-day challenges will be shared and discussed.  Every participant will leave the session with practical “tools” and a plan to implement these in local contexts.

The content areas to be addressed reflect what great leaders do.  The session will focus on:

• Developing a personal leadership vision that functions as an “inner compass” and fosters a “relentless commitment to excellence”
• Balancing leadership and management responsibilities
• Building trust and relationships within the organization; modeling emotional intelligent behavior
• Creating positive, student focused learning cultures; “busting” and transforming toxic cultures
• Developing a shared vision of continuous improvement
• Fostering and maintaining professional learning communities that inspire student success
• Using supervision, daily communications, meetings and professional development to enhance teaching and learning.