Rethinking the Structure of Your School

The structure of the school day can either support your learning program or be an impediment to its success. Too often we think of the school schedule, and other organizational arrangements, as merely a "fact of life." We take them for granted. But, in reality, they are useful tools for helping a school leader make their school a powerful place for learning. Here are a few things to consider.

• A common way to promote collaboration in elementary school is to locate classrooms of the same grade together. Teachers can work with one another, share materials and support the work. But in one elementary school I visited each wing contained a classroom from each grade level. This arrangement provided for interaction among the grades and eased grouping and regrouping for instruction.
• Many middle schools, and some high schools, organize teachers into instructional teams, a group of teachers who share students and have common planning time. Teams do not magically achieve results but when teachers use the majority of their common plan to work on curricular and instructional issues it can have a positive impact on student learning and school climate.
• Some large schools organize into schools-within-a-school. Teachers often have common planning and time to work on instructional improvement. There's real evidence that small schools can positively impact student learning and sustain positive relationships among students and with adults.
• One high school I visited in suburban Chicago reorganized departmental offices. Math and science teachers shared an office and their classrooms were adjacent. Similarly, language arts and social studies teachers shared an office and adjacent classrooms. The principal found that proximity created opportunities for teachers to learn from one another and to build relationships, relationships that led to interdisciplinary activities across content areas.

Too often the focus of a school's schedule is on the logistics of the day. More important is to take time to create a shared vision of what your schedule might achieve. Clarity about vision and purpose means that you can design a schedule to achieve that vision. Otherwise your schedule is merely a plan for the organization of students and teachers.

I'd enjoy hearing from you about the structure of your school and how you use structure to positively impact student learning.

Make a Mental Adjustment

The principalship is a complex job requiring a person to juggle an incredible array of responsibilities. Principals often tell me that the weeks during the middle of the school year are particularly difficult. I've found that your attitude toward your work greatly influences your success. When I was a principal I liked to focus on positive things, rather than negative, to build momentum for success.

The following examples illustrate how you can adjust your attitude about some of the things you do every day. If you want to make a change start with the way you think about what you are doing. Focus on the positive progress you make each day, whether it is delegating a task or taking the time to mentor a potential leader. Think about your personal vision on a regular basis. Write it on an index card where you can see it regularly.

Negative Thoughts	Positive Thoughts
I’ll never have an empty inbox.	I’m cleaning out my inbox everyday.
I’ll never get caught up.	Today, I choose to make progress on my task list.
100% of our students can’t meet standards.	I’ll make a positive impact on at least one child today.
It’s impossible to keep everyone happy.	Every interaction I have with people will be sincere regarding their behavior.

Time Management for Principals

When I was a principal I started every school year with unlimited energy and a commitment to make a difference in the life of every student in my school. As the year progressed I found that my time was consumed by a multitude of tasks, individually important, but collectively distracting. They often kept me from my primary responsibility for assuring a quality instructional program.

In order to protect time for classroom visits, working with teachers on improved instruction or collaborating on school improvement, I developed a set of processes that helped me manage these multiple priorities. There is no one perfect strategy---except the one that works for you. But, here are four of my personal favorites.

Create a “Tickler File” - Many tasks and responsibilities occur annually. A tickler file is a way of creating a reminder about the tasks so they can be anticipated, planned for and accomplished. Some friends had a set of file folders labeled by month. Others used an electronic file. Even others had a daily tickler file rather than a monthly file.

Use a Journal - I’ve found that using a journal as a “running” record of notes from meetings helps me create a “to do” list. This ensures that everything is in one place rather than on multiple pieces of paper or sticky notes. The journal also makes it easy to look back and find ideas and tasks that emerged at earlier meetings. While I keep a paper journal, others are electronic.

Take Control of E-Mail - Check e-mail at set times, not continuously. If you can, respond when you first read a message. Handle them as a group---start with the first and move through them until complete. I like to use descriptive subject lines to identify the substance of a message. I also try to keep messages short and am real clear about what response may be needed. I also turn off the automatic notification of e-mail. When it beeps, it distracts me from my work. I recently read a book that suggested not checking e-mail before 10 am so that the first few hours of the day are focused on your most important work, rather than responding to the most recent request.

Establish Norms Around Access - Everyone wants an “open door,” but a literal open door can lead to fragmentation. Identify a quiet time each day to respond to e-mail and to work on important tasks. Don’t reinforce the idea that you respond the moment you receive a message. Establish norms around interruptions. Work with you administrative assistant to protect time. I scheduled time every week to visit classrooms, talk with students and work with teachers. When I was involved in these activities, everything else waited.

Chapter J in The Principalship from A to Z describes even more ideas. I hope you find my tips helpful and would enjoy hearing from you about ways you juggle the multiple priorities faced by every principal.