Marcia Parrott , principal at Miraloma Elementary School , pulled her staff out of a time-consuming teacher training program that was not meeting their needs . The techniques taught in the training program were not compatible with the reading program used at the school and the program instructors were not able to help the teachers integrate the two programs . Although she had to defend her decision to the school district , she was adamant that her teachers not spend their time on a program they could not use to help students .
Principals must keep good teachers professionally satisfied by showing them that their efforts are valued and supported by the principal and other teachers . Principal Martel joked that she keeps teachers at Moscone by doing all the yard duty herself . Although her comment was lighthearted , it reflects the respect she has for teachers and her recognition that the teachers at her school work hard .
Providing time to plan with other teachers is another way principals can support their teachers and treat them as professionals . One of the first changes Principal Chiu made at Galileo was to change the school day schedule to allow time each week for teachers to meet and plan together . Adelina Aramburo , former principal at Daniel Webster Elementary School , made sure her school ’ s tight budget included a few hours of extra pay each month for teachers . She believes this showed teachers that the time they spent meeting and planning together outside their official work day was recognized and appreciated .
Great principals build a strong school community
For a school to be successful , the administration , teachers , parents , students and support staff must work as a team . Principals
must work with the staff to make school a welcoming place for all students and Convert webpages or entire websites to PDF - Use PDFmyURL !