Studies have demonstrated the dramatic impact small discretionary funding can have on a school. Grant funding allows school leaders to think creatively by developing unique solutions to today's educational challenges. This article presents strategies that principals, faculty, parents, and advisory groups can follow to attract grant funding that…

This article features Doing What Works (DWW), the largest, most comprehensive, and most insightful repository of effective, research-based instructional practices and other resources currently available to educators. It is a principal's free ticket to accessing an abundance of research-based best practices and school improvement. DWW covers a wide…

"Surprise! Here come the preschoolers." Thousands of elementary principals are receiving a similar message from their supervisors as the concept of universal preschool is propelled to the forefront of the national education agenda. School districts across the country are being infused with wide varieties of federal- and state-funded…

Much has been written during the past decade about the changing role of the principal and the shift in emphasis from manager to instructional leader. Anyone in education, and especially principals themselves, could develop a mental list of responsibilities that fit within each of these realms. But research makes it clear that both those aspects of…

The school nurse is an important member of the school team since school health services keep students in school, in the classroom, and ready to learn. Although school nurses are often seen as the people who deliver first aid at school, their role is much deeper and has such breadth that only a registered, professional nurse has the skill set to…

After a tragic event, suicide, or violent act of revenge that occurs as a result of frequent bullying, the public is outraged at school employees who they think did nothing to prevent it. The public asks the obvious questions: How come nobody cared enough to do something to stop it? How could the staff be so heartless and callous? Where were the…

Emotional maltreatment is a less visible form of abuse that frequently occurs in schools, but is often ignored or dismissed as an acceptable form of discipline or sanctioned classroom-management practice. The impact of emotional maltreatment on children is significant and impacts personality development, relationships, and learning. Principals, as…

The continually changing role of the principal has created a complex position of leadership requiring more data for more skills than traditional methods of evaluation or feedback can provide. The purpose of this article is to question the process of providing beneficial and meaningful feedback for educational leaders so that they can reach their…

The challenge of retaining beginning teachers, particularly in shortage areas such as special education, math, and science, has long been the focus of both research and special induction programs at universities and in school districts. The difficulty of retaining mid-career teachers, however, has received little attention in comparison. Such…

Many school principals say that the toughest part of the day is recess. That's because recess is when most trouble starts. When the author asked one principal recently about recess, she promptly rattled off a list of headaches, such as "the teasing, the fights, the bullying, the injuries, the referrals." In this article, the author describes…

As the demands on school leaders expand, it's becoming more and more important to lead from one's strengths. The authors' review of literature on essential school leadership responsibilities led them to write "Differentiated School Leadership: Effective Collaboration, Communication and Change through Personality Type," which revealed 26 separate…

Schools and districts routinely recruit, retain, and support highly qualified teachers to ensure that students receive the best learning opportunities. However, even if one's school employs highly qualified full-time teachers, it is important to acknowledge that substitute teachers also have a significant impact on the education of students. One…

Amid crossing currents of educational expectations pressing on principals, the author advocates for enhancing inclusion of the visual and performing arts. Although electives and clubs provide arts exposure to a selected few, many students do not receive consistent and high-quality arts experiences. Carefully planned, interdisciplinary arts…

Homework is often a hot-button issue for schools. Even with a school homework policy, the homework practices of teachers vary in quality, with some teachers applying best practice standards, while others assign homework too difficult for some students, or collect homework without providing feedback to students. In addition, families in which…

Teachers who are positive deviants are the most effective teachers, able to produce results and solutions to problems that others in the learning community cannot. As a result, students in their classrooms usually produce assessment scores that are higher than those of students in their colleagues' classrooms. Teachers willing to learn from their…