Friday, June 9, 2023

Sharing Our Story

 


When we share our story, it empowers others who are on the journey. Whether it be faith, family, or career, there is someone questioning their next idea or through in how to proceed. This is why I seek opportunities to present at conferences. It gives me a chance to encourage others along the journey of life. When we walk the path alone, it is easy to let imposter syndrome creep in -- that voice that is telling you "you're not good enough," or "you're not worthy enough," or "what if someone figures out that you're not as smart as you think you are?" When we share our story and listen to others' journeys along the way, we find community. We find opportunities to connect in this work that can sometimes feel lonely.

What is your story? I challenge you to share it with a colleague over coffee or a group aspiring to do the work you do. You'll be amazed at what you'll learn about yourself in the process. 

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Friday, February 3, 2023

HIGHLIGHTS FROM TASA MIDWINTER 2023

 

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Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Reflection Brings Rejuvenation - As published in the NAESP Communicator - May, 2021

Wow! August seems like a lifetime ago. Yet, here I sit with the school year complete, in a quiet office. There is no buzz of student activity. The phone activity has slowed to a crawl. And the school staff has mostly departed for the summer. While the list of summer tasks is long and the urgency to prepare for the next school year is palpable, I find myself needing to slow down for a few minutes and reflect on the school year.

Seeking to Understand Perspective

One of the realizations I had late in my first year as a campus principal was that most people connected to the school system that I serve will form some opinion about the work that I am doing within our learning community. Sometimes those opinions will be rooted in firsthand, concrete knowledge of the work that takes place on our campus every day. Often the opinions offered will, however, be based on a perception gained from events and stories that have been passed through many filters that might not understand the daily life of our learning community. Sometimes throughout the year, I would have back-to-back meetings, where one person would express how awesome a specific function of the school was operating just before another would bemoan how terrible the same function transpired. I found myself wanting to agree with the positive report and dismissing the negative, with the mindset, “They must not know what they are talking about.” I had to check myself in this area and change my mindset around criticism that I did not want to hear.

The reality is that understanding perspective, no matter the nature, is valuable. If, when I hear a negative perspective, my first response is to dismiss, then I will continue to create blind spots in my leadership. Those blind spots will lead to disenfranchisement and ultimately a learning environment that is not what our students need. It is incumbent upon me to gain a strong understanding of perspective from all members of our learning community who are willing to share. As I reflect on this year, if I could synthesize all the good, bad, and ugly moments of leadership, the area that I can most improve that I believe will have the greatest impact on my learning community is to listen to understand instead of listening to respond.

Becoming a Better Leader

As leaders, we spend an abundance of time supporting the growth of others. If I hope to offer the best version of myself in service to others, I must take the time to invest in my own learning. Although this is important throughout the year and embedded in my daily work, summer is a great time to dive deeper into my own professional learning. Reflection in and of itself is a great process. Paired with action, however, in focusing on key areas of improvement will yield a better understanding of how to serve.

Here are some ways I am investing in becoming a better leader this summer:

  • Book Study of a Previously Read Book: I have found that doing a book study is great to learn a new concept or tool to support leadership. Doing a book study on a book that I have previously read intensifies the learning process and allows me to dig deeper into exploring concepts to support my growth. This summer, I am going reexplore Simon Sinek’s book The Infinite Game. After a year as a campus principal, I know that I will bring a different perspective to the same great words by Sinek in how to daily find my courage to lead and focus my purpose in serving our students.
  • Coffee With a Mentor: I have been blessed throughout my career to have mentors that support my growth as an educator and leader. This summer, I will connect with one mentor on a weekly basis to dive deeper into discussions that otherwise would be interrupted with the uncertainty of the school day. I always find it comforting to hear their stories of struggle and how they navigated the challenging and often competing priorities of being a school leader.
  • Summer Convention: When face-to-face gatherings were interrupted by COVID-19 quarantine, I realized how much I took this time of learning and connection for granted. This summer, I will invest in my professional growth by attending the NAESP Pre-K-8 Principals Conference in Chicago. I am excited to feel the energy of connecting with other professional and hearing from thought leaders from across the country to know how they have made it through one of the toughest years in our profession.

Protecting Our Mental Health

Educators throughout the country pour into our students every day in support of their social, emotional, and cognitive needs. Often we forget to take care of ourselves and we end up carrying, beyond our own personal needs, the empathetic weight of trauma, abuse, anxiety, depression, food insecurities, learning struggles, and a host of other burdens that our students and fellow staff members carry with them every day. This year, more than any other year in my career, I have found the need to focus on my own health and wellbeing.

As I have become more aware throughout the year, being mindful of my own needs each day has helped me develop a different perspective of how to serve others. As leaders, sometimes we feel we need to be all things to all people, which is an impossible task. I am working on prioritizing needs for my family, for my campus, and for my school district. When starting the day, before entering into difficult conversations, and before I get in the car to drive home, I take a few seconds to breathe and try to center my thoughts so I can be fully present for whomever I am with.

I am certainly a work in progress, but as I reflect on the year, I am grateful for the progress I have made in finding a balanced approach to serving others. The principalship is an incredibly rewarding and demanding job. It is full of laughter and tears, success and failure. In the daily grind, you will never truly know the full impact of your service. But I do know, it is worth it to serve our students.

Christopher Bailey 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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Monday, April 26, 2021

Trials of a First-Year Principal: Living in Two Worlds - as published in the NAESP Communicator April, 2021

 


If ever there were a time for a pulse check, it would be now. We are heading into the homestretch of the end of the school year that, for most, has already lasted longer than the previous year. Staff fatigue and student behaviors tend to skyrocket this time of year, as our focus begins to shift to preparing for next school year. As administrators, this presents a tricky dance of how to be fully present in meeting the immediate needs of students and staff while developing the vision for the next school year.

The Immediate Needs

In this human business, the excitement for the beginning of the school year has long subsided and the routines, good and bad, have been established for the school year. Some students are feeling the pressures of standardized tests or promoting to the next grade. Others are exhibiting spring fever. Students are ready for summer with weeks yet to go in the school year.

Teachers and support staff are also ready for some relief from an exceptionally difficult year. They are pouring every ounce of energy they have into maintaining a great classroom environment, preparing students for testing, and getting students prepared for the next level—all while caring for their own families and each other. On my campus, the staff has the added stress of changes that occur when there is new administration.

It is easy during this time of year to get tunnel vision on starting preparation for next year and forgetting to invest in what students and staff need now. Lend a listening ear to get a frustration off their mind. Find a way to give them a few extra minutes to breath after a difficult class. Let them run with great idea that is a seed ready to plant and grow. Our students and staff need to know that we are there, as Brené Brown says in Daring Greatly, with the empathy needed to connect on a human level. I would not say that I have been great at this all year long, but it is something I am working on to be a more effective leader for our learning community.

Planning for the Future

While we live in the moment and care for the immediate needs of our campus staff, the work of planning for next year starts now. Staffing, budget, master scheduling, improvement plans, summer maintenance are just the start; the list is long and all of it is important to ensuring a successful start to the next school year.

Determining which tasks can be delegated to other leaders and which need direct and immediate attention is a bit of a balancing act. Organizing them in order of importance and due date helps me to meet deadlines while keeping all the plates spinning. As the emails for upcoming deadlines pour in, this is where a high performing and collaborative team becomes effective and critical to the mission. I am learning how to leverage the strengths of our team to complete key components of planning to prepare for next year.

One of the most exciting components of planning for the next school year, for me, is meeting the incoming students who will join us next year. I have had the pleasure of visiting fifth-grade classes at the elementary schools of our future sixth-grade students. For my district, this is the transitional year from elementary to middle school. I can sense the excitement and, in some cases, fear of the unknown in our future students. This serves as an opportunity for me to get our future students excited about their new learning community. They have the best questions: “How do I join band?” or “How do I go to the restroom?” If you can imagine it, they ask it. This is my opportunity to foster an excitement in our future scholars that can develop a better culture within our community.

Living in two worlds is difficult, demanding, and essential this time of year. While spreading yourself in multiple directions, remember to take care of yourself. You are tired, too. You have worked hard for your learning community. You have sacrificed throughout the year just like your amazing colleagues. Be sure you find the listening ear or breathable moment that you need to be the best leader that you can be. As a mentor of mine says, you can’t take care of others unless you take care of yourself.

Christopher Bailey 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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Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Trials of a First-Year Principal: Preparing for the Unknown - as published in the NAESP Communicator March, 2021

 


Preparing for the Unknown

Texas was recently hit with a winter storm, the likes of which have rarely before been seen in our part of the country. My school district, like many others, shut down for a week as the winter blast caused major electrical and water outages and brought roadways to a snow-packed halt throughout most of the state. This event, layered on top of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, became another potential setback in supporting our learners. While we may not know the next critical event on the horizon, we can be prepared when crisis strikes.

Crisis Leadership

Crisis Leadership is different than crisis management. Crisis management is acting in the moment to make important decisions on how to triage a fast-developing event. It is important to have protocols to follow during crisis management that will allow for sound decisions while remaining adaptable to multiple scenarios. I had the pleasure of visiting with our city’s chief of police after our recent winter blast. He explained that because of the extreme temperatures that our community experienced, when changing shifts, the officers would “hot start” their shift, meaning they would keep the engines running to their patrol cars at the end of a shift and the next officer would begin their shift in the same vehicle without ever turning the engine off. This is a great example of adapting to the needs of the organization to be able to effectively serve its purpose.

Crisis leadership is a broader concept than crisis management. Crisis leadership is a proactive approach to developing capacity within an organization to respond to crisis. Meaningful preparation for the event that we hope never takes place can be the difference in whether an organization is able to overcome crisis. We do some of this well in our schools already. We practice for fire drills, bad weather, and building lockdowns. Other, not so obvious, crises are important to consider, as well. Mental health can be a more silent crisis that an individual student or staff member is experiencing. We must take a proactive approach in preparing for these crises just as we do the obvious ones that we drill every month. Crisis leadership saves lives.

Building Redundant Systems of Communication

Following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, major breakdowns in telecommunications were revealed. The repeater systems in the towers were damaged. The cellular and radio signals were jammed while precious minutes slipped by during this tragic crisis. These horrific events, however, taught us the importance of having layers of communication during crisis events. During crisis on our campuses, it is important to communicate clearly and effectively with all stakeholders: students, staff, and community.

It is important to understand how our stakeholders receive their information. During the winter storm, we communicated through email, phone call messaging, Remind, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Through each of these methods of communication, I received at least one response to my messaging. By creating redundant systems of communication, we have the opportunity to reach more people in the way they naturally communicate. Using these systems regularly outside of times of crisis helps to train stakeholders in how communication will be distributed. Also, by building multiple ways of communicating, if one system goes down, we are less likely to create radio silence when information becomes critical. 

Model by Doing

When I was in middle school, a tornado swept through my hometown of Lancaster, TX, leveling a three-mile swath of the town, including my middle school. Miraculously, it was a holiday from school, and we were at home. This was the first major crisis I can recall, and my most vivid memory is how the community rallied together to support each other. From my perspective, there were no bystanders. There were no rich or poor. There were only people helping people recover from a disaster. Fast forward to 2017 when Hurricane Harvey flooded the Houston region, including the school district I worked in at the time. I experienced the same community pride in supporting each other through the worst of times. The same has been true of our community through the winter storm crisis in February. Our Abilene community worked together throughout the storm to help neighbors without power, elderly with flooded homes, and homeless citizens looking for refuge. It is in these times, and the small times in between, that students learn how to care for their community, one of the most valuable lessons they will walk away with when they leave our buildings.

Recovering After Crisis

When the school building doors opened back up, we knew there were going to be students and staff members that were still feeling the trauma of the winter storm. For many, the physical and emotional toll will linger for days and weeks to come. For some students, even outside of crisis, school is the place they feel safest and when they are unable to attend, they struggle. Having a support staff ready to serve the varied needs of students and staff was paramount to getting back on track with learning in the days after the storm.

We will not always know the next crisis on the horizon, but we can be certain that there will be a next one. What we do to prepare could make a life or death difference. This winter storm has reminded me to be prepared for the unknown and has strengthened my resolve to help those in need. It has also reminded me to never take for granted when the sun rises in the morning or the warmth of our west Texas community. 

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Saturday, February 13, 2021

Trials of a First-Year Principal: Midyear Review - as published in the NAESP Communicator February, 2021

 

Midway through the school year is a great place to stop and reflect. As I have conducted formal and informal discussions with staff members this month, I have taken the opportunity to think about how we have grown as a learning community. It is easy to get mired in the minutia of the year and forget to celebrate the progress along the way and realize the areas needed for growth. As I personally reflected and had conversations with colleagues, several thoughts trended to the top of the list.  

Relational Leadership

Building relationships has been fundamental to my work as a new principal to campus. Each time that we interact with an individual on our campus, whether it be students or staff members, we have the opportunity to build up or tear down a relationship. I can certainly reflect on many instances where, in a passing conversation or a formal meeting, I could have taken the opportunity to be more gracious, thoughtful, knowledgeable, or compassionate of the needs of others. Reflecting on these moments of failure in building up a relationship allows me the chance to do it better the next time.

Relational leadership also allows the opportunity for me to build capacity in others for leadership. In his book, Culturize, Jimmy Casas talks about how to model positive interactions everyday and the impact this has on culture within a learning community. By working to model positive interaction on our campus, I am showing others what really matters. Do I get it right every time? Of course, not! Am I human? Yes. Unfortunately, as leaders we are under a microscope, but when I do not get it right, I must suck up my pride, make it right, and do better the next time.

Perception is not reality. Reality is reality.

I have said the cliché “perception is reality” over and over in the past. As I have reflected on this school year, my mindset behind this thought has shifted. What others think about the work that takes place in our building every day is important. What they perceive, however, does not mean that it is a true reflection of the work that is taking place. It can become a slippery slope of a lost vision when we chase the perceptions of others.

Instead, what I have tried to do this year is receive feedback of others and test that feedback against the vision we have set out to achieve. For example, you may have heard a teacher say, “these students misbehave more than any other year at this school,” when the data on discipline does not support this claim. You might dismiss the comment as the teacher being frustrated in their incorrect perception. Another way to proceed may be to reflect on the communication cycle for discipline and see if the teacher has been left out of the discussion about how to support student behavior on campus. One way builds resentment within the campus, while the other way builds collaboration.

Trust

We have nothing if we do not have trust. In his research on the neuroscience behind trust, Paul J. Zak explains that a sense of higher purpose and trust produce oxytocin in the brain which leads to happiness. In fact, Zak finds that those that work in high-stress organizations are 50% more productive and 40% less likely to exhibit burnout.  If we do not build a community of trust within our learning community, we will struggle to provide the environment students deserve.

Being new to a campus, there is an obvious skepticism that occurs with change. While I would love to wiggle a magic wand and, suddenly, trust ensues, that is not the realty. Trust is something that we must work on daily. Trust is built in communicating broadly and collaboratively. Trust is built when we do what we say we will do. Trust is built when we face conflict head on and agree to work in the spirit of doing what is best for kids.

Treat others as they want to be treated.

When I began my administrative career, I immaturely thought that everyone showed up to work every day for the same reasons that I did. What I have learned over the years is that different people are motivated by different things. Some may come to work every day because they have a passion for the content they teach. For others, it is a financial means to an end. Yet, others may come to work because they feel a social sense of purpose to support the human development of adolescents. None of these motivations, or any other reason for that matter, are wrong, but recognizing them does allow me to support staff needs in different ways. By seeking to learn about the uniqueness of each person that I serve, I have been able to have more meaningful conversations and dig deeper into why we do what we do.

I have also learned to be careful of filtering how others want to be treated through the lens of how I want to be treated. Of course, there are some standard social norms that we should practice in a learning environment. Understanding how to support the individual, however, allows me to work more efficiently and effectively. For instance, I enjoy one-on-one conversations. So, when I started the year and asked someone to come visit with me in my office, I thought nothing of it other than it being a conversation. I quickly realized that for some, having a conversation in the principal’s office meant something entirely different. Thus, I had to adjust my conversation style with some, choosing a fly-by to the classroom or an email communication instead.

As I reflect on this midpoint in the year, in some ways I wonder how we made it through the stress of what this year has given us. Mostly, however, I am humbled every time I think about the opportunity I have to serve kids and how important this work is to the future of our community. I am grateful to be reminded every day that I chose the greatest profession on earth! 

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Friday, January 1, 2021

Trials of a First-Year Principal: Student Connection - as published in the NAESP Communicator January, 2021

 

Connecting with students is foundational to building a school culture where every student can learn.

During the transition to a new position, on a new campus, in a new school district, it is easy to get hyper-focused on all the systems that need attention. If I have any hope of supporting the needs of each student on my campus, however, the most important system to evaluate is how to connect with kids.

Like one of my education heroes, Rita Pierson, explains in her “Every Kid Needs a Champion” TED Talk, “kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.” Connecting with students is foundational to building a school culture where every student can learn. Students feel safe when they know that the people charged with their care are invested in their wellbeing beyond the classroom. For some students, that might mean showing up to their athletic events. For others, it might mean spending time helping them with their homework. Regardless of the vehicle, student connection is paramount to student learning.

Buy A Pair Of Jordans

A few weeks into the school year, I noticed that students talked a lot about their shoes. On a campus that has a standardized dress, shoes seemed to be a place where students could show some expression and character. Nike Jordan shoes tended to be the shoe of choice for many students. So I bought a pair of Jordans to wear on the next spirit day.

The next Friday, I wore my new sneakers and started my day as I typically do, greeting students at the front door. I always try to strike up conversations with students, but on this particular day, more students engaged me in conversation than all the days before combined. What did they want to talk about? My shoes.

Throughout the day, the conversations continued. “Where did you get your shoes?” “What size shoe do you wear? Let’s trade!” “Do you like the Jordan 4s, too?” These superficial questions led to some more important conversations. One student that told me his story of getting his first pair of Jordans only to have his shoes stolen after he left them on his porch. He went on to talk, in his teenage vernacular, about how that experience taught him responsibility and taking care of his belongings. We got to talk about real life that day and about skills that will serve that young man for a lifetime, using a pair of shoes as an igniter to a connection that still grows today.

The shoes themselves were not important, but they served as a source of connection. Every day, we ask students to show up to school and conform to what we, the adults, value as important. Rarely do we give students real opportunity to talk about the things that interest them. I certainly have a long way to grow in this area, but every day I try to have a conversation with a student, beyond the pleasantry of salutations, about something they want to talk about. Those conversations don’t often center on school. They often center on social connection and conflict, home life, the challenges of growing up, and life after high school. In this digital age of days full of screen time saturation, it has never been more important to connect eye-to-eye with students and enter into conversations to develop a sense of human connection.

The Student Perspective

Being intentional in connecting with kids daily has allowed me to gain a better understanding of how students perceive learning on our campus. The student perspective, which in my opinion is the most important, has given me a better understanding of our strengths as a campus and areas to grow, both inside and beyond the classroom. Kids can be brutally honest about how they perceive school. As educators, we sometimes tend to minimize student thoughts when they differ from our own perspective. As we teach our students to practice a growth mindset, so too must we keep an open mind as we reflect on the perceptions of students in how we create the best place for them to learn.

Understanding student perspective is valuable in building a culture of connection within our school. My campus is a melting pot of diversity. When seeking feedback from students, I work to find students from different backgrounds to make sure I get a well-rounded perspective of how students feel when they come to school. If I only consult students in advanced classes, then I might lose the perspective of the special learner. If I only engage in conversations with students that do not struggle behaviorally, I will miss out on finding ways to make learning more meaningful for the kid that struggles to focus. Some of the best feedback I have gotten is from kids that require frequent redirection.

I challenge you to find ways to connect in conversation with students every day in topics that they choose. The student perspective window into the culture of our campus has been the most relevant to me as I continue this journey. As a bonus from all the conversations with adolescent kids, I get to laugh a lot every day.

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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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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