Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Trials of a First-Year Principal: The Change Process - as published in the NAESP Communicator December, 2020

 


Change is inevitable when taking on a new position. As principal, I am ultimately responsible for the learning outcomes and daily operations within our learning community. The journey, however, is not one that I can go alone if I hope to be successful in implementing change. Building capacity for change can be a slow and arduous task for any leader, but it’s necessary to foster growth in staff efficacy and student learning.

The Current Reality

Understanding the current reality of my campus was important as I began my new role as principal. Through working my entry plan, I listened to as many stakeholders as possible prior to laying the groundwork for the upcoming school year. I learned varying perceptions of the current state of our learning community. Teachers and campus support staff began to paint the picture of campus culture through their experiences. District administrators shared their thoughts on current operations, areas to celebrate, and ways to improve. Parents expressed their perceptions on what life was like for their children. And, once school began, I was able to hear what students thought about their learning community.

Sometimes these groups of stakeholders shared common themes about the current reality. Often, the perception differed from group to group and person to person. The most difficult task to tackle through the entry phase was to build the road map for our learning community based on the broad range of perceptions. When meeting with individuals connected to my campus, I would jot down notes of words and phrases that stuck out to me. I then looked for the “big words.” Words like communication, support, team, discipline, caring, and family. I organized these words into a spreadsheet and looked for common themes. As themes emerged, I created guiding questions on these themes for future conversations with stakeholders to either confirm a theme as something that needed immediate attention or to recognize a theme as something to consider down the road. This process allowed me to get a sense of how fast or slow to move in certain areas. With this information in hand, it was time to start laying the foundation for work to come.

Building Capacity for Change

In School Leadership That Works: From Research to Results, author Robert Marzano describes two types of changes: first order change as change that can be implemented based on current practices, with an existing knowledge base, and in the current paradigm of operations, and second order change, which will require new skills to be developed, new or different resources, and a break with the way it has been done in the past.

I began developing capacity for change through the administrative team. We met early on during the transition to start building relationships and understanding how we would collaborate within our new team. Including me, three of the five administrators were new to the campus, so the process of getting to know each other and how each of us operated within the team was vital to future success.

The most meaningful activity to me was a ghost walk throughout the building. Our newly formed team spent a full day walking into every classroom, common area, office space, and storage closet. We got a glimpse into understanding the physical plant of the building and veteran members of our team could share their experiences on campus. An organic discussion emerged of some of the great things already happening on our campus and some areas that required immediate attention. Instead of those ideas being my ideas, this opportunity allowed for the administrative teams as a group to own the ideas of what changes would be valuable to our campus.

Another opportunity to build capacity for change came while considering master schedule changes. I met with a group of teacher leaders, via Zoom, to get their feedback on what input they had on the master schedule development in the past and what they would like to see moving forward. I knew from previous conversations that changes to the master schedule were going to be needed, so this allowed me to give teachers a voice in this process. By asking for this feedback, teachers were predisposed to the changes that were forthcoming in hopes that this would ease the transition from what they knew in the past.

Change is hard. Change is messy. Change is critical for our organization to grow. I would love to say that all areas of change that were identified have been implemented smoothly and with perfect lines of communication. The reality is, however, that I have not communicated every change as effectively as I hoped. I have most likely failed in my communication about a change more times than I have succeeded. With change comes a spectrum of responses to that change. I have much to share on this topic next month.

Christopher Bailey, Ed.D., is principal of Clack Middle School in the Abilene Independent School District in Texas. Connect with him on Twitter at @stixbailey. 

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Saturday, November 14, 2020

Trials of a First-Year Principal: Transition Plan - as published in the NAESP Communicator November, 2020


Have you ever signed up to do something not actually thinking you would be chosen for the task? If so, you know the feeling of “yikes, what do I do now?” After receiving the call from my current superintendent that he was recommending me for the principalship and after a moment of exhilaration, that reality set in for me.

I spent the next 24 hours with my mind racing about the next steps. How do I communicate with my current district? When do I put my house on the market? Where will my kids go to school? How will I meet the new staff? The questions mounted with no quick answers in sight. Accepting a new job leading a campus is not just career-changing; it also can be life-changing.

The Entry Plan

During the time leading up to the official start of the principalship, I began to lay the groundwork of communication with as many stakeholders as possible as outlined in my entry plan. This work was especially important as a new principal in a new school district.

The coronavirus pandemic presented a challenge in meeting stakeholders, but it also marshalled in new avenues of communication. I met with both the staff and the administrative team via Zoom meetings. I also sent a letter to the staff and an email to parents introducing myself and expressing my core beliefs as a leader of learners. Regardless of the medium, think through how you will make your first impression. This will be your foundation of support as you begin the work of leading a campus.

Then it was time to listen, listen, and listen more. Whether you are becoming the principal on a campus you currently work in, another school within the same district, or in a different district, listening to every person possible connected with the school will help create the road map for the direction you intend to travel. I started by reaching out to the previous principal to gather where the campus was in the staff hiring process for the next school year and to get a baseline on current practices within the learning community. This was a helpful launch point to understand some of the conversations with other staff members to come.

After visiting with the outgoing principal, I met with the administrative team, current teacher leaders, special education staff, athletic coordinators, and teachers from each content and grade-level. As I continued to have conversations, a pattern of strengths and areas to explore became evident.

While most of the hiring process took place prior to my appointment, understanding the current landscape helped inform my decision-making for the last few hires and what structural changes needed to take priority.

Data Analysis

The qualitative data that is derived by listening to stakeholders is important to understand in comparison to the quantitative data. Being new to the campus and district, during the interview process, I did not have access to much instructional or cultural data other than what was publicly available. Once I had access to district resources, I was able to compare the thoughts of stakeholders to the campus data. In some areas, the information matched, and in others, there was a level of variance.

For example, discussions about student academic achievement aligned closely with data on assessment history. However, when listening to stakeholders about student discipline, there was some discrepancy compared to discipline reports. As a new principal to campus, it is important to develop the deepest level of understanding possible by researching every possible point of data. This has served me well in the infancy of my principalship by narrowing my focus on areas that need immediate attention.

Modeling Expectation

In the few times that I have changed jobs, I have always taken the opportunity to refine my own practices. I realize that each time that I make a phone call, send an email, or have a face-to-face (or virtual) meeting, I am training others in what my expectations are professionally. Therefore, as I started having conversations with my new learning community, I was intentional about how I scheduled meetings and modeled how I hope others would communicate with me and the rest of their colleagues. Communication skills such as speaking with a professional tone, timely return of emails and phone calls, and how to share productively in a team meeting are all skills that we can all continue to develop. I am positive that I have not gotten it right every time, but working on these skills has allowed me to have richer conversations with more stakeholders as I continue to learn about the campus.

Laying the groundwork of listening and developing understanding of how to communicate is paramount to getting off on the right foot as a new principal. As my father would often say, “You have two ears and one mouth; Use them proportionally.” I have worked to listen more than I speak, which I hope has given me a solid body of information by which to begin implementing change. We’ll discuss that next month.

Christopher Bailey, Ed.D., is principal of Clack Middle School in the Abilene Independent School District in Texas. Connect with him on Twitter at @stixbailey. 

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Saturday, October 3, 2020

Trials of a First-Year Principal: The Interview - as published in the NAESP Communicator October, 2020


 

 

You have been preparing for the phone call for months or even years. While you love the work you have been doing as an assistant principal or other administrative position, you know you are ready to become the campus principal. All the time and effort you have been putting into the application process finally pays off when the phone rings inviting you to interview for the principal position.

For my current position, that phone call came the Friday before spring break. As it turns out, the weeks following spring break were soon to become the genesis of a new era of learning thrust upon us due to the Coronavirus. After a couple of delays in the interview process, as we were all figuring out how to operate in this ever-changing landscape, my first-round interview became a virtual interview. I believe that the virtual interview process will become more common in the education industry, so preparing for this environment is important if you are going to be ready to present yourself in the best possible light. If you have never interviewed virtually, the environment can be every bit as intimidating as a face-to-face environment in very different ways. Here are some tips to set yourself up for success for a virtual interview:

·        Set your stage – Use the highest quality camera that you have available and position it in a way that allows your face to shine bright without creating shadows. Think about what your background says about you and if you would want the interview committee to be present in the background that you choose.

·        Practice with a trusted colleague while recording yourself. Then, watch the video with the audio off. Check to see if your body language becomes distracting. If so, practice to avoid distracting body language that may take away from the substance of your words.

·        Take advantage of the virtual environment by laying out some notes that will keep you on message in what you want the committee to know about you.

Every interview opportunity is different, even within the same school district. Therefore, it is important to prepare in a way that will allow you to be flexible to the environment so that you give the best impression. You have only a few minutes to show the committee that you are the right person for the job. Many principal interviews consist of multiple rounds. My first round, virtual interview consisted of other campus-level administrators, district-level administrators, teachers, and parents. The final round was a face-to-face interview (with appropriate social distancing) with the superintendent and their executive leadership team. In comparison to the 40-minute virtual interview, the final-round interview lasted nearly four hours where I was asked to present a transition plan and fielded questions from the 10-member panel.

Whether or not you are asked to write a transition plan for the position, this can be a great tool to prepare for the interview and the subsequent work should you be offered the job. A transition plan should highlight your knowledge of the campus and district, as well as, be an insight to your organizational identity. My transition plan consisted of three phases:

·        Pre-entry (you got the job but may be finishing your previous position) – Listening to stakeholders to develop a deeper understanding of the current learning ecosystem;

·        Transition (handing over the baton) – Continue to listen and learn from stakeholders while analyzing data to begin shaping the instructional and operational focus for the upcoming school year;

·        Entry (you are in the seat) – As you continue to listen, learn, and analyze, you begin to implement the plan to begin the school year.

This plan will change as you learn more about the position, but this is a perfect opportunity for you to create a document for your new position that highlights the attention to detail that you will have as principal and instructional leader. While your words may fade quickly after the interview for the committee, your written words will be an artifact that the committee can return to when they are making their final decision.

Doing your homework and preparing for the interview is important, but there is nothing more important than an authentic interview where the committee learns about who you are. Even if you are interviewing in a school district that you have worked in for many years, do not assume that your interview committee knows the quality of your work as you answer each question:

·        Be specific and thorough in your answers and think of how it connects to the work already happening within the school district;

·        Answer questions from the perspective of the principal and highlight the specific work that you have done that relates directly to the principalship;

·        Demonstrate the power of vulnerability by taking time to think after a question is asked or being okay with saying “I don’t know the answer to that, but this is how I would learn…”

The interview process for my current position was one of the most exciting experiences because I was prepared for the ever-changing landscape. Remember that you are interviewing everyday through the quality of work that you do in your current role. Authenticity is vital to future success in the position you are seeking. Whether you are offered the job or not, use the opportunity to reflect on your work and how you might better support students and staff.

Please feel free to reach out via Twitter (@stixbailey) if I can support you in preparing for the interview process. I would be honored to conduct a mock interview, share my transition plan as an example, or have a deeper conversation about the interview process with you. Spoiler alert…I got the job! Next month, I get to share how the fun of principalship began.

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Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Trials of a First-Year Principal: Getting Hired - as Published in the NAESP Communicator September, 2020

 


Principal leadership matters now more than ever. The Wallace Foundation, in their studies on school leadership, cites extensive research on principal leadership being second only to teacher efficacy in positive effect on student learning. After serving as a band director for nine years and assistant principal for six years, this year I am proud to serve as a middle school campus principal for the first time. Over the next twelve months, I will reflect on my journey as a first-year principal. From deciding when to start applying through preparing for year two, I will share successes, failures, tips, and pitfalls to support you on your journey in school leadership. While each person has their own journey, I hope that my story will, in some small part, support you and ultimately the students that you serve. Thanks for taking a ride with me on this amazing roller coaster of school leadership.

Am I ready to be a principal?

Great question! The short answer is probably no, but we must start somewhere. When I started my career as a band director more than fifteen years ago, if you would have told me I was going to be a campus principal, I would have probably laughed hysterically at the notion. Like many of you, however, one day a mentor walked up to me out of nowhere and asked, “what’s your plan.” For me, that mentor was my then superintendent and he showed up at the practice field where my marching band was rehearsing. When my superintendent asked about my future and showed confidence in my potential as a school leader, it was all the motivation I needed to start thinking about how I could scale my leadership influence beyond the band hall to support student learning at the campus level. Eight months later I began my first year as an assistant principal.

After three years of serving as a middle school assistant principal, I thought I knew all there was to know about campus administration and was ready to be “in the seat.” Looking back, there was no way that I was ready for the principalship. After three years of serving as assistant principal, I had the opportunity to open a brand-new campus in my school district and take on a different role. While my first three years as an assistant principal centered around student discipline, classroom management, and teacher evaluations, my role in the new school would be focused more on student support and intervention programs. I served alongside a supportive principal who allowed me to create and supervise systems that supported student learning that typically belong to the campus principal. I supervised development of the master schedule and facilitated the creation, implementation, and review of the campus improvement plan. Among other opportunities, these were two ways that my principal was preparing me to understand the principalship at the systems level. During these same three years, I completed my doctorate in K-12 Educational Leadership from Baylor University where I learned from a cohort of colleagues that are some of the smartest minds in education.

Campus principals will tell you that there is a stark difference between the role of principal and assistant principal. That does not prevent you, however, from searching out ways to think and operate at the systems level on your campus. I am more confident in beginning my first year as principal because of the opportunities I searched out. Do not wait for the invitation to serve on a district-wide committee or start a new outreach program. Seek these opportunities out to start building your understanding of the broader scope of leadership within the school setting. I was surprised, as I reflected on the interview process for my new position, how often I was able to draw on my experiences that I otherwise would not have had if I was not aggressive about learning and serving beyond the scope of assistant principal. Also, seek out ways to build your network of leadership development and support. A large part of my network is through my doctoral program. Some other ways to develop your network include:

·        following thought leaders on social media platforms.

·        attending state and national conferences offered through organizations such as NAESP.

·        organizing group sessions with other aspiring leaders within your school district or region.

·        starting a blog, podcast, or Twitter Chat to share your leadership journey.

Defining Your “Yes”

According to a report by the Learning Policy Institute, the average tenure of a public school principal is four years with one-third of principals leaving their position within the first two years. Many reasons why one would leave their principal position may be out of their control, such as salary, pressures of high-stakes accountability systems, and poor working conditions. The search for the right fit in professional and personal aspirations, however, is within the candidates control and should be carefully considered.

I spent the first fifteen years of my professional career in the same school district, a large suburban school district. When I began pursuing the principalship, my assumption was that I would serve in the same district. I had little desire to move and learning the systems in surrounding districts did not interest me. Considering a move to be closer to my wife’s family was the only reason that I would consider a move. When a principal vacancy opened in her hometown, I was ready to apply because I knew exactly what my parameters were to serve.

As leaders, we are often driven to promote to the next level of leadership to serve in the most impactful way within our circle of influence. If we have not defined what is best personally and professionally prior to starting the search, it is easy to jump at every new vacancy and land in a pitfall of a seat that is not the right one for you or the students and staff that you serve. Some things to consider when defining your yes:

·        What geographic region do I want to serve (urban, suburban, rural)?

·        How will this move affect my family?

·        Will this district help me to grow and allow me to lead?

·        Is this district’s strategic plan and daily operations aligned with my core values?

I knew well before I hit the submit button on the application at my new school district that I would be proud to serve within that community because I conducted extensive research before the job was ever posted. While you can never know the extent of the internal culture of the district, studying each page of the school’s and district’s websites, watching school board meetings, reading news articles, and searching out information from your network of colleagues will help to you know if that is the right working environment for you. You deserve to work in an environment that will leverage your skill set and support your leadership style. If you will struggle to say “yes” if offered the job, then that particular job in that particular district is probably not the fit for you. Keep researching and define your “yes” so that you create the best opportunity for sustained success. Once you have defined your “yes,” the application process is the next milestone on the journey towards the principalship.  

Preparing Your Application

If you have been a part of any applicant screening process, you know that it can be a daunting task to learn all you need to know about a candidate written on a few sheets of paper. Take that thought and apply it to your own resume and application. While every district and every principal search are different, it is common for a school district to receive triple-digit number of applications for a principal position. Your cover letter, resume, and application may get a 90-second perusal on the first screening whether to include yours in the “consider further” or “not at this time” piles. If your application lacks substance as it relates to the position that is organized in a reader-friendly fashion, you may struggle get noticed. Yes, bold colors and unique design layouts may catch the reviewer’s eye, but the real effort should be in organizing your skill set, vision, and experiences in a way that tells your story and how it relates to the campus that you aspire to serve.

Through district research and preparation of materials for the application process of my new position, I learned that the district valued strong community connections. Therefore, in my cover letter, I made sure to highlight my family connection to the district and how I served the community in my previous district. I also researched the demographics and assessment history of the district. Having a strong understanding of these components of the campus allowed me to know how to include the systems of campus improvement that I facilitated on my previous campus. I do not know exactly what information jumped off the page that made my district want to interview me, but I do know that digging deep in understanding the district, especially as an outsider, allowed me to connect my leadership experiences to the needs of the school district I aspired to serve. Here are some ways that you can make your application materials stand out:

·        Update your resume every time you complete a noteworthy task, presentation, or committee participation.

·        Avoid using a “one-size-fits-all” cover letter by introducing yourself in a way that connects to the unique needs of the school and district to which you are applying.

·        Ask your network of leaders to share their past cover letters and resumes and use them as a point of reflection for your own resume.

·        Be as detailed as possible in your online application and triple-check spelling and grammar.

Just like your individual personality and leadership style, your application, resume, and cover letter should tell about your unique qualities and experiences and how they relate to the position within the district where you aspire to serve. This will stand out more than any fancy font or contemporary template. In many instances, this is the first impression that district leaders see in how you will lead your campus once you become part of the team.

Wrapping it Up

While I never felt entirely ready for the principal position, I prepared, and continue to prepare, every day for the opportunity to serve. Paraphrasing French chemist, Louis Pasteur, chance favors the prepared mind. We have no control over whether we get the call to interview for a position. We do, however, have complete control as to how we prepare, both in our everyday learning and understanding of the role of principal and in how we prepare our documents for the application. When you define your “yes,” you can dig deeper into researching schools and districts that you will potentially serve. This allows you to focus more on quality and less on quantity in the principal search process. Then, out of the blue, the phone rings with the invitation to interview.

Yikes! Now what? We will discuss that next month!

 

Christopher Bailey is proud to serve as principal at Clack Middle School in the Abilene I.S.D. Dr. Connect with Dr. Bailey on Twitter. @stixbailey

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