One of the most important things a principal can do is have a clear vision for his or her school. The North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (2008) identified a "clear, strong and collectively held vision" as one of the six essential components of an effective school. Beyond a general vision for their schools, it is important that…

Culminating projects offer a sharp contrast to predominant practice in civics education. Although many schools require students to volunteer for a certain numbers of hours, most leave it up to the student to find a broadly defined "community application" of their learning, and students seldom inform their action with rigorous research.…

Service learning is a promising practice, but like other instructional practices, it must be done well to produce positive outcomes. This author has found that following five "rules" of service learning will likely result in improved academic engagement and positive academic, civic, and social outcomes among students. Energy and collaboration…

Consensus-based decision making can turn faculty meetings into meaningful and productive work sessions in which faculty members know that their input is respected and valued and important decisions are made. Reaching consensus has different meanings in different contexts. Decisions are made "by consensus" when the decision affects the entire…

Principals who are determined to help their teachers inspire all students to bold accomplishments while identifying the right strategies for their most complex and struggling learners need to have a relentless focus on making "learning" the core business of school. This isn't the same as emphasizing assessment data, standards, and…

Walk-through classroom observations are an effective way for principals to learn about and shape instruction and culture in their schools. But many principals don't use walk-throughs to their potential because of the time it takes to store, process, analyze, and give feedback. To facilitate the use of this valuable observation tool, the Kentucky…

Suffering from data overload? Many schools are. Although schools have lacked sufficient student achievement data to make good instructional decisions in the past, many are now snowed under with data. They are data rich but analysis poor. How can content, vertical, or interdisciplinary school teams make sense of all their data? How can principals…

Research has shown that students' social, emotional, and behavioral health affects their academic achievement. This has enormous implications for teachers, school mental health providers, and the students themselves. A student who is hungry, disengaged, preoccupied, or behaviorally disruptive simply is not going to respond as well to even the best…

Principals, teachers, students, and parents all have dreams for improving their schools, but often they do not have the funding to make their dreams come true. How can schools provide the additional financial support to make their dreams come true? Members of the Broughton High School community in Raleigh, North Carolina, found one answer: create…

This article features James D. Donnelly Jr., principal of James A. Green High School in Dolgeville, New York. Donnelly, recipient of the MetLife/NASSP 2004 National High School Principal of the Year, exemplifies the foresight to think ahead, the wisdom to collaborate with colleagues, the resolve to take a stand, and the courage to take risks. His…

When the use of illegal drugs first exploded on college campuses in the late 1960s and ultimately became a part of the fabric of pop culture in the United States, fears about the possible effect of this phenomenon on adolescents and society as a whole began to consume the public. One of the most widespread and promising initiatives to emerge in…

Principals can easily validate the tension of opposites thinking. Their work is filled with paradoxical dilemmas and days in which the questions are complex and void of definitive answers. In an attempt to balance the often antithetical needs and expectations of the students, the faculty members, the community, and the district office, the…