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: (1) Establishing productive professional relationships; (2) Building and maintaining a positive school culture; (3) Resolving conflict among staff and parents; (4) Providing effective instructional leadership; (5) Supporting students' social-emotional needs; (6) Conducting staff evaluations and delivering feedback; (7) Keeping up with district, state, and federal mandates; (8) Managing the facility and the budget; (9) Providing focused and effective professional development; (10) Prioritizing responsibilities; (11) Learning from student and schoolwide data; (12) Planning for growth and change; (13) Working through behavior and discipline issues; (14) Hiring high-quality teachers and supporting new ones; (15) Leading effective meetings; and (16) Maintaining balance. The stand-alone 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.