Power of Social Media to Transform Work of Principals

My friend and colleague Dr. J. Howard Johnston from the University of South Florida was recently interviewed by School Leadership Briefing, an audio journal for school administrators, about the power of social media to transform the work of a school leader. Howard and I are the author of the School Leader's Guide to Social Media recently published by Eye on Education. 

Here's the link to the interview. This discussion focuses on how social media provides  school leaders with new tools that can enhance communication with their school community, improve instruction and student learning, and increase productivity. Most importantly, it describes why school leaders neglect social media at their own peril. As Howard says, "the conversation about your school is going on right now. You can choose to be part of the conversation or not. But you're not going to stop the discussion."

I think you'll find the discussion fascinating and would welcome your thoughts about the benefits and challenges of social media at your school. 

Importance of Vision

A couple weeks ago I was visiting Oregon GEAR UP schools and I was reminded of how important the principal's vision is in setting the direction for their school. Often a vision is thought of as just words on paper, but a vision is a dynamic roadmap for strengthening a school. I often refer to it as a compass. A compass provides direction but can also help you to get back on track when events pull you away from your vision. A compass is always on target, pointing toward "true" north.

Here are four of my favorite resources on the importance of the principal's vision and how a principal can work with their faculty and community to create a shared vision.

• Southwest Educational Development Lab (SEDL) on the importance of vision. 
• Maryland Department of Education’s website on the importance of vision.  Read the material on the “Principal’s Role in Creating a Vision.” You may find the two exercises on identifying core beliefs and creating a shared vision useful as you develop your vision for your school. 
• Marzano Center - Setting the Direction for a School-Wide Vision 
• Association for Middle Level Education - Read an article that discusses Peter Senge's discussion of learning communities and building shared vision.

We'd enjoy learning about your personal vision for your school and how you work with your community to nurture and sustain that vision.

Trends That Principals Should Anticipate

I'm frequently asked about trends that schools need to plan for and be ready to address. When recently asked by a Chicago area Board of Education member, I identified these five:

• Increased demands at the state and national level for greater accountability for improved student learning mean that educators will be pressed to be more successful with all students.
• Greater access to information about how students learn and research-based strategies for improving student learning will add additional expectations about meeting the individual needs of every students including those with the greatest needs and those most talented.
• There will be continued change in the demographics of students in public schools. Schools will be expected to provide a high quality educational program for groups that have often been underserved.
• Stable or declining ressources will characterize the educational environment. Schools will be expected to be more efficient as well as more effective.
• An ever-accelerating pace of change in knowledge, research about teaching and learning, and technology will change the way schools are organized and the way teaching and learning occurs. Traditional schools may become obsolete and new learning structures will emerge. Learning will be more integrated rather than separated by content, and multi-age learning environments will become the norm.

You can learn more about dealing with these and other trends in The Principalship from A to Z (From Eye on Education). I'd enjoy hearing from you about what you think about these trends and what others you anticipate.