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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