While the four C's--critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication--will naturally fit into a school's existing curriculum, changing the school culture to emphasize these skills takes time and planning. The good news is that school leaders can get started in just a few minutes. In this article, the author presents practical steps…

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…

Schools are often viewed as the primary change agent for any new health crisis that gains national or local attention. Schools should play a role in creating a healthy learning environment because many of these health problems can impact student learning. But is it reasonable to hold schools and school leaders responsible for fixing the health…

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…

How does a principal get past the "daily survival mode" in order to create a successful learning environment? The author's quest to answer this question led her to study the principals at three high-performing schools of low socioeconomic status. The author explored the different roles of principals at the three schools, which included: assuring…

Describes three major roles principals can play to support and retain new teachers: Instructional leader, culture builder, and mentor coordinator. (PKP)

Principals who survive can ride the rapids of unexpected events. To succeed, new principals must establish trust among staff, deal with staff perceptions of the principal as chief decision maker, recognize cultural differences among schools, and discover opportunities for change. Above all, principals must giver teachers permission to be critical…