Many teachers believe that their administrators have lost touch with life in the classroom, and the resulting gap is a serious concern. Closing a perception gap between principals and teachers is critical if they are to work together for their mutual benefit and that of the children they serve. The authors of this article asked a group of veteran,…

Provides time management strategies for principals who also teach. Advises organizing schedules, files, and materials, delegating routine tasks, coordinating forms and aadministrative structures, communicating directly and through conversational memos, building a cooperative staff, planning for systematic performance evaluation, and other hints.…

Offers principals suggestions for managing time more efficiently. Includes developing an effective daily calendar, planning and organizing the daily to-do-list, and avoiding procrastination. (PKP)

Although interruptions are an unavoidable part of the principal's job, a completely open-door policy for drop-in visitors could divert attention from planning and other priorities. This article suggests ways for principals to minimize the number of visitors and the length of visits, including keeping people standing, providing uncomfortable…

To explore ways to improve faculty meetings, 100 elementary school teachers in New York State were interviewed for their suggestions. The teachers' 40 recommendations for organizing and conducting successful meetings included considerations regarding timing and scheduling, appropriate tone, and process. Encouraging faculty input is essential. (MLH)

One state curriculum guide too many produced the Principal's Advisory Council on School Improvement (PACSI), a Huntington, New York, principal's "kitchen cabinet" to handle curriculum overflow. In two years, PACSI developed three solutions: grade level objectives and suggested time allocations; monthly curriculum calendars; and…

Careful planning can help principals manage two schools without eroding their sanity. Two-school principals should use color-coding to keep meetings straight, devise a work schedule that accommodates both schools, develop a workable off-campus communication system, eat lunch with students, and create a card-and-candy student-recognition system.…

Describes a principal's frustrating, but ultimately successful 3-year effort to convert a Virginia elementary school to a year-round schedule. Now in its third year, the school boasts students with higher standardized test scores, better attendance, and fewer discipline referrals than their traditional-calendar counterparts. (MLH)