Developing Principals
I understand that there are never enough hours in the day when being a principal. There will always be discipline issues to deal with, schedules to set, and parents to talk to. But we as principals should also be spending time in classrooms, talking to teachers about what they are teaching, and following up on student learning. As a superintendent, I would ensure that my principals have time to be instructional leaders.
Principals would be a vital part of the district administrative team as well. They would have input on handbook procedures for their building. Since principals deal with students, staff, and families on a daily basis, they know what procedures may need to be revised or may not be working. I would want my principals to add topics to the agenda for our administrative meetings each week. We could spend time addressing building needs, looking at student and staff data, and deciding what needs to be done throughout the district.
I believe each principal's professional growth plan should have goals based on their building and their own growth as an instructional leader. I would sit down with each principal to discuss these goals and make frequent visits. My job would be to give principals what they need to grow and help others improve instruction.