This course assists new principals, and principals who are changing schools, in being fully prepared for their new leadership role, addressing questions often raised by new principals.
The course is aligned with PSEL Standard 9: Operations and Management which states that:
Effective educational leaders manage school operations and resources to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.”
(NPBEA, 2015)
The course also aligns with a number of the performance statements associated with PSEL Standard 8 (Meaningful Engagement of Families and Community) and Standard 10 (School Improvement).
Unlike other courses in this program, this course is designed around an event—the promotion of an educator to the principalship, or the transfer of a principal from one school to another. For participants who are in either of these situations, work through the entire course before entering the school, if possible, but complete the exercises and assignments in Lessons 3 and 4 once entry has taken place. For participants enrolled in this course as aspiring leaders who are working toward the position of school administrator, complete the exercises as simulations, using your knowledge of a school or schools you have worked in or are familiar with.
The course content provides strategies for common entry issues including pre-entry planning, administrative priorities, developing stakeholder relationships, and norm sensitivity. A comprehensive schema for analysis of a school is also provided.
The course format is designed to help you prepare for a new principalship position through analysis and reflection. It is hoped that as you complete the practical assignments, you will document and reflect on your perceptions, cognition, judgment, attitudes, motivation, choices, and performance as it pertains to being the ‘new’ principal at your school.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course module, you will be able to:
- Engage in pre-entry activities including a study of the school and an analysis of administrative.
- Develop an entry plan to quickly become functional and establish an appropriate role without alienating continuing members within the system.
- Develop mechanisms for gaining meaningful feedback in clarifying existing objectives that require examination and assessment.
- Get acquainted with staff and stakeholders and create feedback loops to learn about agreements and differences, and to set productive working relationships.
- Examine personal attributes and activities including image projection, time management, and first impressions.
- Build credibility, trust, and mutual respect during the period of acclimation.
Lessons contain exercises that you will be asked to complete, and resources you can use for continuous learning. Use a personal journal to record your completed exercises and document your learning in this course. This guide can assist you with creating your personal journal. Your school district facilitator may request you submit your personal journal to show proof of course completion. Direction on where to submit your finished journal will be provided by your district facilitator, should they require it.
Select a lesson from the table of contents below to begin your learning. Lessons do not need to be completed in sequence. The pre-test and post-test are optional. If you would like to receive a certificate of completion, you must mark each lesson as complete.