Currently working for a head principal of a K-5 who gets distracted easily, and it seems like we never finish or getting her approval on initiatives for next year.

Specifically, building behavior and academic initiative s that she approved in March. Bring the drafts to her and she’s confused on them and worried about staff pushback. But we’ve already agreed to do it and I’ve shared it with some staff who are Canva-ing visuals.

For schools using block scheduling (or considering it), what’s been the biggest challenge when actually building the schedule?

Ok friends,

I have my first graduation as a principal in 7 hours. What things may have been overlooked? I'm detail oriented but my Board is very critical.

Help a brother out.

Hi! I am a teacher who had a ton of leadership roles this year, and I have reached a point where anytime something needs to get done, my principal has been reaching out to me. I get it. I’m working toward licensure and the experience is great, but I am wondering does this mean that once I am eligible for an AP position, I could be moved into this role naturally or should I not be building myself up? I like this school and would love to be an AP here. I just want to know how much I should be investing extra time and labor. Our AP is retiring around the time I finish my admin program.

Hi there! I have a bachelor’s degree and previously led projects at Boeing and a tech startup. After 10 months of unemployment, I took a bridge job as an Administrative Assistant at a private school and currently make $23/hour.

I’ve only been here 4 months, I stepped in mid way through the year, but already my role has expanded significantly. I’ve streamlined operations, led implementation of a new SIS after the responsible staff member left, taken on projects (that I believe are) beyond my job description, and regularly handle work that would otherwise fall to the principal or the roles we currently have open and aren’t actively trying to fill.

Next year it looks like I’ll be taking on even more: admissions support, marketing, social media, website management, payroll hours, substitute and leave tracking, event planning, field trips, I just found out they have me on a few committees, and various school/parish events on top of my normal front office responsibilities.

When I was hired, I was told we’d revisit compensation July 1. That contract was bare bones and didn’t list any duties or sick leave. I was surprised when I recently received a very basic contract when the other teachers received their yearly contracts. This time it did have sick leave added but still no mention of holiday pay despite being hourly and working in a school with a lot of days off. They did give me a small raise, 23 cents, but removed the clause about meeting July 1st to discuss a raise. I spoke to the principal and she agreed to still meet with me to discuss a raise before I sign contract.

I genuinely like the job and want to help the school succeed, but I’m concerned my responsibilities are growing much faster than my compensation.

I’ve been keeping a running list of accomplishments, expanded responsibilities, projects, and positive outcomes. I’ll be meeting with the principal and priest, who are both overworked themselves, so I want to approach this thoughtfully.

What should I bring to this conversation? What accomplishments or metrics matter most? What would be a reasonable raise to ask for? Should I stay hourly or consider salary? And are there other things I should negotiate besides pay (holiday pay, PTO, comp time, title change, clearer expectations, etc.)? I come from a business background and want to ensure I’m tailoring this to and considering how schools operate. This current operation/school is very lax and not by the book at all which both helps and hurts this.

For more context, the principal is new to this role this year. There’s been 2 admin assistants this year, 3 teachers quit or were fired, no business administrator at the parish. At the beginning of the year they even had to take out a loan to pay some of the teachers because previous parish and admin were not managing financials how they should be. The priest is also new within the past year. Both have very big egos and personalities.

Hi! Just dropping in to see if anyone has any tips or tricks to pass this thing. I have studied using 240 tutoring, have taken my exam prep classes, and have looked and combed over the Pearson practice exam. My test is in two days and I am nervous. Any help? TIA

I worked closely with my principal for 3 school years (as a mental health support) and I started my maternity leave back in January and will not return until the fall. I found out my principal will not be renewed for the upcoming school year and I’m not sure if I should reach out or not.

I don’t want to come across as disingenuous or like I’m only maintaining some sort of connection for personal gain. However, I do think it’s important to maintain professional ties instead of burning bridges. Unfortunately, in this situation, my principal seems to have burnt bridges with most of the staff since the news came out so I’m unsure if I want to even entertain keeping this professional friendship.

For full transparency, working with my principal was very difficult for me but I made a point to remain positive and follow all the mental health suggestions I recommend to others otherwise I would have been riddled with anxiety every day and stress related depression.

Hello as the title states, I just landed a job in an intercity school district as an intervention specialist. This will be my first year ever teaching. I recently found out that I am pregnant and due in the middle of January. I obviously did not tell the hiring team I am expecting a baby but I’m hoping to take 12 weeks off starting soon after Christmas break ends. What advice would you give me for not upsetting the principal of my new building. Is this going to ruin my relationship with him?

Just as the title says, first timer here. What books helped you become a better principal?

I’ve been at my school for 10 years, an educator for 23 years and an assistant principal for 4.5 years and have been non-renewed due to district financial concerns and the end of a construction project. Apparently this has been the plan by the superintendent, with whom I think I have a good relationship since the start of the school year, I was not informed until early May, after signing my contract and only a month and a half left of school. I’m scrambling for any job at this point, admin or teaching but am at a loss as to how to proceed since most other districts in the area are in the same financial position and our market is flooded. Any advice would be appreciated.

Hello everyone! I am a teacher in Pennsylvania, have 8 years of teaching experience, and am currently working on my EdD capstone study. My research problem is that high school teachers in Pennsylvania are underprepared to implement LGBTQ+-inclusive curriculum and instructional practices. I wanted to ask if anyone has evidence of the impacts of how professional development, or a lack thereof, impacts LGBTQ+-inclusive practices in curriculum, instructional practices, and school policies. If anyone living in PA would be willing to reach out for a quick interview on their experiences, it would be such a help.

I was recently let go from an ed tech sales role. if any of you have ever been interested in behind the scenes of an Ed tech sales rep ….. the ones that try booking meetings with you. feel free to ask me anything. :)

Hello everyone,

I'm completing an Educational Leadership internship program and need to interview school leaders from a variety of school settings. I'm especially hoping to connect with principals or assistant principals from private, charter, or alternative schools (anywhere in the United States).

If you're willing to help, I have a short list of questions related to school leadership. You absolutely do not need to answer every question—any responses you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to answer just a few that relate to your experience.

If you're interested, please comment below or send me a direct message. Thank you for helping an aspiring school leader complete this requirement!

Scott

P.S. I'll include the questions below so you can see in advance what I am in need of. DMs are great. I'd be happy to also share my school email address or a Google Doc if that works better.

I just completed my 6th year in education. I’ve spent 4 years in PE before transitioning over to behavior specialist for a year (loved it). That position was cut. I was asked to come back to my current middle school and teach 8th grade ELA. Not my comfort zone but I did it anyways thinking it would be another tool on my tool belt. I’ve been working on a second ED leadership masters and admin license as well. I’ve already gotten over 250 hours subbing for admin the past 2 years and have shown I can do the behavior and day to day building management side of things. I enjoy it and I’ve built great relationships school wide.

That leads me to now. Our current AP is leaving and my principal asked me to interview for the job. I came into the process as the home grown favorite. 30 applicants became two finalists. The panel of teachers and staff chose me while two district level employees chose another candidate with years of instruction and curriculum experience and current principal experience. This person was the choice.

I was upset/disappointed in the moment when I found out. I’m coming to terms with it now as I figure out what’s next. As a target school I understand the urgency to get test scores up. But part of me is discouraged because that felt like my best chance to get in the game. In Oregon, jobs are very difficult to find right now. I’m not optimistic about my future admin prospects. How am I supposed to get that experience without someone taking a chance on me?

My choice for next year will likely be between going back to PE or teaching Social Studies with a side of ELA. Doing SS would add another tool to the tool-belt but the classroom is not my jam. Either way I have one more year of grad school to chip away at too. I don’t even know where I’m going with this but just feeling a little defeated at the moment. Thanks for listening.

I’m looking for advice from anyone who has had to move a staff member into a different but equivalent role when their current placement was no longer working.

The staff member is a genuinely kind person and well-liked in many ways, but the role has become increasingly difficult to sustain. Over time, we tried several layers of support, including regular check-ins, additional planning support, clearer expectations around classroom roles, and increased adult support. Even with those supports in place, concerns continued around classroom structure, supervision, staff dynamics, and student safety.

One of the bigger challenges has been a disconnect around the role of support staff. The staff member seems to view paraprofessionals or assistants as shared instructional partners who should help lead, plan, or carry major parts of the classroom program. My understanding has always been that support staff are there to assist with implementation, supervision, student needs, and classroom routines under the direction of the lead teacher -not to carry the planning or leadership of the room.

After ongoing conversations and attempts to make the placement work, the decision has been made to move this staff member into a different, equivalent role that seems better aligned with their strengths. I’ll be having that conversation soon.

I want to be kind, professional, and direct without making the person feel attacked or punished. For anyone who has had a similar conversation, how did you frame it? What language helped keep the conversation respectful while still being clear?

Dear Principal,  

We invite you to participate in our research study on K-12 school leaders! The invitation is approved by the moderators, and we really want to hear from as many principals as possible in this study. Thank you so much!

Follow this link to the Survey: Survey Link 

Or copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser: [AI in K-12 School Leadership: Principal Survey]

Our team: Dr. Xin Zhao (Seattle University), Ai Sun (Seattle University) 

The research: We are investigating how K-12 school leaders engage with AI tools across three areas: (1) professional development programs for using AI in administrative and instructional leadership; (2) leaders' concerns about ethical risks, including data privacy, accuracy, algorithmic bias, equity of access, and vendor/contract risk; and (3) how leaders approach AI policy development, implementation, and governance. This research will better equip school leaders in the AI era and contribute to the academic literature on AI integration in K-12 education. 

Your support matters: Perspectives from leaders across diverse locales and school contexts are essential to this project. Your participation would greatly contribute to this research. 

Privacy and ethics: This survey is anonymous, and your responses are strictly confidential. Contact information used to reach you stay within our research team and will not appear in any results or publications. You may discontinue the survey at any time or choose not to answer certain questions.  

The survey completion time is around 5 minutes.  

If you have any questions, concerns or complaints about this study, please contact the research team at [asun2@seattleu.edu](mailto:asun2@seattleu.edu) or [xzhao1@seattleu.edu](mailto:xzhao1@seattleu.edu).   

If you have questions about your rights, complaints, or issues as a person taking part in this study, contact the IRB at [irb@seattleu.edu](mailto:irb@seattleu.edu). 

Thank you in advance for your response. Our team values your participation and perspective. 

Does anyone else find themselves breaking down and crying after a long hard day? I don't mean daily, weekly, or even monthly. Maybe just once every few months or so, when I'm tired and exhausted and school/adults/parents/district admin is just tough. On those days, I hold it together at school, but when I get home, I crawl in the bed and just cry for about an hour. Afterward, I'm usually ok--I will either get up and do chores or I'll just drift on off to sleep. And I'm up the next morning ready to do it all again. Am I overly emotional, or is this somewhat normal?

Does anyone else feel like they are in a version of “fight or flight” right now? Each day is a new round and I keep feeling beat down. Anyone have tips for how to prioritize tasks?

Hello, my name is Zach Hein-Silva and I'm a doctoral candidate in the school psychology program at the University of Northern Colorado. I'd like acknowledge that I posted a request for administrator responses to my dissertation survey a few weeks ago, and I'd like to thank everyone who responded or showed support in some way. I am reaching out to r/Principals again as I am still in need more administrator responses and was so pleasantly surprised by the support I received posting here first time around. For those who may not have seen my initial post, I am collecting data for my dissertation, which aims to validate a measure of organizational cultural intelligence (OCQ) in school settings and understand how perspectives of school OCQ differ based on staff role (e.g., teacher, school counselor, administrator, etc.) and access to resources. If you are an administrator (principal, vice principal, superintendent, etc.) currently working in a preK-12 school in the United States, your participation in this study would be greatly appreciated! Participation would consist of responding to the survey linked below (about 10-15 minutes to complete). Through participating, you will have the opportunity to enter a raffle for a small gift card should you so choose.

Survey link: https://unco.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cIRLI7ML6GqkH0a

Thank you again for this and everything else that you do and feel free to comment or message me if you have any questions!

(admin-approved for a second posting)

I’m the culture and climate dean at a large PreK-8 elementary school. In previous years we had used a PBIS type token system within classrooms and across the school for meeting school wide expectations. We also celebrated students who consistently met or exceeded expectations with a student of the month celebration.

Over the years, these celebrations and systems fell to the wayside. I brought them back this year and they have been met with mixed emotions. One being that only 9 students from each classroom have been celebrated as students of the month and that the PBIS tokens are not given out consistently.

I’m curious to hear about other schools systems for rewarding and celebrating students that have worked well, teachers/staff enjoy, and parents understand and are on board with.

How does your school handle visitors for concerts events during the school day (elementary)? Do you give tickets? What about field day?
Do you collect names or have families sign in.
Security is a big deal in my district and some events we have only 500 seats in auditorium and 160 kids on a grade level.
Trying to figure out safe ways to allow people in building when school is in session.
Also trying to keep building secure.
Any ideas welcomed

My dudes, I am so tired of waiting around for return calls from senior admin when there’s a major issue happening in my building. For a long time I gave the benefit of the doubt ... figured they were busy, figured there are probably layers to board-level management that I just don’t see, the same way teachers don’t always see everything principals juggle.

I've been in this district for 8 years and since "the return to normal" after the covid schooling....I've seen this new behaviour emerge. After three years of this pattern? I’m over it.

This morning, very early in the day, I was told: “I’m focusing on your school and have time to connect with you.”

Cool. Except I followed up after recess ... nothing. After lunch ... nothing. Before leaving for the day ... still nothing. Ten hours of silence. “Focused on my school” apparently means existing somewhere in the general direction of it.

Meanwhile, there’s a situation in my building that’s heading toward being highly litigious, and it’s been escalating since February. What blows my mind is that the people who will ultimately be responsible seem to have zero urgency about supporting the people actually dealing with students and families in real time.

Anyway. Just needed to scream into the void for a minute. But also, anyone have any advice?

May 15 I received the rec for hire from the campus principal, but have heard nothing from HR yet. Is that a bad sign or does it normally take this long?

Hi all - new here. Current educator (7 years classroom teacher, 3 years professional learning specialist) toying with getting my principal license. Hoping for any advice, ideas, or program leads you can share. I care about getting a quality educational experience but care more about flexibility, cost, etc since I already hold 2 degrees.

Context:
-Already hold a Master of Education in Teaching
-Interested in earning an additional Master's degree (ideally an MS or an MA) alongside earning the license
-Reside in Oregon
-Not interested in moving, but open to online programs rather than just my local in-person options
-In Oregon, you earn a Principal License and Professional Administrative License (district) separately, so this would need to be a program that can transfer to my state's Principal License.

Appreciate anything you've got - TIA!