Leadership is not easy. It requires motivation, action, and courage. Principal Matters is a great resource for motivation and practical strategies for principals or school leaders who want to invest in self-growth that leads to flourishing service, instead of burnout. William D. Parker offers insights from over twenty years of experience as an educator, and over ten years as a school administrator. You are invited to this one-on-one conversation to learn how to better understand your purpose, lead others, influence change, and successfully manage the challenges of school leadership. Whether you are an aspiring principal or leading your own building or district, you will find Principal Matters both inspiring and instructive. One reader called it, "Chicken Soup for the Principal's Soul!" Read ahead for insight into how to lead with courage, action, motivation, and teamwork! Here's some feedback from some others who recommend the book: "Will is a great storyteller, and his use of these connections makes this book easy to read but also memorable. His focus on 'purpose'-going beyond what you do in school-is something that all leaders should really consider if they are going to make a difference in both their professional and personal lives." -George Couros, Principal, founder of ConnectedPrincipals.com, and an Innovative Teaching, Learning and Leadership consultant "Will generously shares experiences from his personal and professional life to remind principals of the big picture as well as the small details that are essential to the success of our school communities...Being a school leader can be lonely work, as the role of principal is only truly understood by those who have served in the position. Mr. Parker has utilized his time occupying the principal's office to develop practical yet inspiring tips for administrators. I'm excited to politely steal many of his great ideas with my own students and staff this school year!" -Rachel Skerritt, Principal of Eastern Senior High School, a D.C. Public School. 2013 Principal Ambassador Fellow for the U.S. Department of Education "Will writes with passion, conviction and insight. This book will equip you with the tools you'll need to face the frustrations you're sure to encounter as an educator, while enabling to you find renewed purpose and meaning as you influence your students to be the best they can be." -Daniel Wong, author of The Happy Student "This book explains the why of school leadership, not just the how. If you want to understand the right motives for school leadership and the steps to being a successful principal, you should read, Principal Matters by William D. Parker." -Jon Gordon, author of The Energy Bus and Soup This book captures the essence of effective teamwork and leadership. A great read for school administrators!"-Annette Breaux, educator, co-author with Todd Whitaker of The Ten Minute Inservice

Harness the power of messaging to create a positive school culture and increase school and community collaboration. Written for school leaders, this title is divided into three parts. Each part helps readers to maximize their role as chief communicators with different stakeholders: students, teachers, and parents and community. Each chapter includes suggestions for using digital tools to enhance communication and ends with reflection questions and practical next steps. How this book will help you foster school community and improve your communication strategy: Comprehend the power of messaging and public relations in school. Gain tips for how to best use available technology tools, including online platforms, for messaging purposes. Inspect scenarios and real anecdotes that show communication strategies and messaging tactics in action in schools. Learn how to implement positive communication with parents and students from the start of the school year. Explore special strategies for communicating with challenging students or in difficult school climates. Contents: Introduction: Why Messaging Matters Chapter 1: Building a Positive Culture for Messaging Chapter 2: Cultivating a Positive Message With Teachers Chapter 3: Using Technology to Message With Teachers Chapter 4: Cultivating a Positive Message With Students Chapter 5: Using Technology to Message With Students Chapter 6: Cultivating a Positive Message With the Community, Parents, and Beyond Chapter 7: Using Technology to Message With the Community, Parents, and Beyond Epilogue References and Resources Index

Every principal and instructional leader—no matter what level—needs a playbook for instructional excellence. Josh Mclaurin, an instructional and educational leader with decades of experience at various levels, explains how instructional leadership impacts student learning in this handbook for instructional excellence. Learn how to: • increase student achievement; • execute a turnaround at a struggling school; • teach the right things in the right ways; • change teaching methods based on learning styles. The author also highlights how to teach children in a virtual environment, which has become increasingly important amid COVID-19; ways to motivate unmotivated students; and tips on hiring and retaining great teachers. Other topics include working with instructional leadership teams, increasing student engagement, and making constant improvement a priority. Great coaches have a playbook that details every play in the offense or defense. The Principal’s Playbook on Instructional Leadership: 23 Things That Matter Most for Improving Student Achievement provides the playbook for instructional excellence.

In Eyes on Culture: Multiply Excellence in Your School, Emily Paschall supplies the recipe for success in today's schools. School culture is the hidden curriculum that drives a school forward or backward, and when strong relationships and relentless passion are at its root, this is when excellence multiplies. This book is filled with a wide range of authentic stories and lessons, as well as tangible takeaways that will "culturize" your classroom, school, and community. As you read, your belief system about what a dynamic school culture is, and what it is not will be firmly molded. Whether you are a teacher or administrator, this book will fill you with a renewed energy, passion, and belief that all kids, regardless of circumstances or socio-economic status, can succeed at high levels. Emily provides you with the necessary tools to not only live your own excellence, but to multiply excellence in others. In this book, you will learn: How to use your lived experiences to help someone elseHow to unlock the key to connecting with all kids, even those who seem unreachableHow to build partnerships with families so that they desire to work with youHow to make difficult conversations not so difficultHow to help every student, parent, and colleague achieve excellenceMay the words in this book fill you with the joyful reminder of why you went into education in the first place-for KIDS

A counselor and popular Washington Post contributor offers a new take on grades 6-8 as a distinct developmental phase--and the perfect time to set up kids to thrive. Middle school is its own important, distinct territory, and yet it's either written off as an uncomfortable rite of passage or lumped in with other developmental phases. Based on her many years working in schools, professional counselor Phyllis Fagell sees these years instead as a critical stage that parents can't afford to ignore (and though "middle school" includes different grades in various regions, Fagell maintains that the ages make more of a difference than the setting). Though the transition from childhood to adolescence can be tough for kids, this time of rapid physical, intellectual, moral, social, and emotional change is a unique opportunity to proactively build character and confidence. Fagell helps parents use the middle school years as a low-stakes training ground to teach kids the key skills they'll need to thrive now and in the future, including making good friend choices, negotiating conflict, regulating their own emotions, be their own advocates, and more. To answer parents' most common questions and struggles with middle school-aged children, Fagell combines her professional and personal expertise with stories and advice from prominent psychologists, doctors, parents, educators, school professionals, and middle schoolers themselves.

A principal's job is astonishingly complex, and its competing demands can be overwhelming, especially in the first few years. In this book, Jen Schwanke, a principal herself, provides a mentor's guidance to steer new principals through the period of adjustment and set the foundation for a long and rewarding career. The topics you wish your graduate program had covered are covered here—directly, practically, and without the jargon. Drawing on her own experience, Schwanke provides strategies for tackling the most common yet most daunting challenges of the principalship, including Establishing productive professional relationships Building and maintaining a positive school culture Resolving conflict among staff and parents Providing effective instructional leadership Supporting students' social-emotional needs Conducting staff evaluations and delivering feedback Keeping up with district, state, and federal mandates Managing the facility and the budget Providing focused and effective professional development Prioritizing responsibilities Learning from student and schoolwide data Planning for growth and change Working through behavior and discipline issues Hiring high-quality teachers and supporting new ones Leading effective meetings Maintaining balance The standalone chapters provide easy access to the solutions you need for the situations you face. Along with real-life scenarios and critical tips for success, you'll find helpful models of what to do, what to say, and how to say it. This book is a source for ideas any time you encounter a problem and think, "Now what?" It's the beginning of an ongoing conversation about the wonderful and rewarding work of being a principal.

Book In the second edition of this renowned book, you will find pearls of wisdom, heartfelt advice, and inspiration from one of the nation’s leading authorities on staff motivation, teacher leadership, and principal effectiveness. With wit and understanding, Todd Whitaker describes the beliefs, behaviors, attitudes, and interactions of great teachers and explains what they do differently. New features include: Meaning what you say Focusing on students first Putting yourself in their position DVD Bundle This bundle includes a DVD featuring Todd Whitaker speaking about what great teachers do differently. It runs for approximately two hours and is the perfect addition to teacher training events and professional development meetings/workshops. Filled with pearls of wisdom, humor, and practical strategies, the video will motivate your staff and inspire them to be the best they can, each and every day. The DVD comes with a free copy of What Great Teachers Do Differently as well as a Facilitator's Guide.