New Principals

     Having a new principal at your school is hard for many parents and educators to deal with. You have spent a number of years getting to know how the former principal worked and what you needed to do to help your students get the right education for them.

     Now there is someone new. What do you do?

     You get to know the new one and give them a great chance to be even more successful than the last one.

     That sounds like easy advice, but it is not. It will take a lot of work and most people will not do the work required.

     I once had a very successful man, who had been involved with dozens of business mergers and acquisitions tell me that the first 90 days are the most important. That is when you set the tone. I believe the same happens in schools. Those first 90 days are important in getting things done.

     So what happens in those first 90 days that is so important. Let's look first and what the principal has to do and then what the parents should be doing.

     The principal has to get to know the school. It does not matter why the last principal left and the new principal is there. They still have to become familiar with the school. It does not matter if they were an assistant in the school now promoted or if they were in the same district. It does not matter if the last principal was the greatest and retired or if they were the worst and were fired. They still have to get to know the school.

     They are new in this position at this school. There is good and bad at all schools and there are rumors and stories that magnify that. Come in with an open mind and an open heart to find out for yourself what is going on.

     People what to know you care. You need to care about them, whether they are faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni, community. If you care, you are halfway home. Don't try to bluff this. People will know and bad things will happen.

     Look to the future, not to the past. If all the focus is on what has happened, you are lost and will stay there. Look to the future and build a vision with others where the school can go. You have to do this whether the school is the best or the worst. There are hundreds of examples of schools that were the worst becoming the best because someone believed and had a vision.

     Most important, new principals have to get out of the office. The less time you spend in the office the more people will work with you. They need to know you are there and visible. That does not mean just at activities. It means sitting in a classroom or an assembly or at PE or a ball game or a concert. Let people see you.

     Now for parents.

     Get to know the new principal. Have you volunteered to serve on committees or as a room parent or on the PTSA? Don't bring in all your complaints unless you are willing to serve some time. The more you do, the better your student's education will be.

     Quit blaming the school for everything. I had four children go through school and all are now working through college. When I stopped blaming the teachers and the administrators and got involved, my children got a better education. Sometimes the teacher was wrong. We had one teacher who would never get grades in on time so we always thought our son was failing. But we never blamed the teacher. Our question was always, “What do we need to do to help?” That question makes a huge difference.

     A school is run by people. People are not perfect. Therefore, schools are not perfect. But schools can be very good and can always get better.

     Make sure you are part of the solution. Work with the other stakeholders. Listen to each other. Create a vision and move your school forward. When that happens – kids win.