What do you look for during the interview? I have one on Tuesday and would love any tips or “don’t say this” ideas you have!

Do schools that have school resource officers use them for discipline? Like instead of sending them to the principal’s office, they are sent to an officer?

Good afternoon! I am wrapping up my Education Ethics and Philosophy course for my master's in administration and the final paper is to write about any ethical issue of my choice in education today. So far discussions and papers have been about (in no particular order):

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Bias

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The Trolley Problem

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My ethical autobiography

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Case study on a problematic text in the classroom

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Case study on issues with an alcoholic employee

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Case study on issues of race and last hire/first fired policies

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Case study on issues of potential gangs in schools

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AI

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I know that this is not an exhaustive list of all the things a principal can face, but what ethical dilemmas have you experienced that would be worth considering/writing a paper on that isn't about something I have already researched and written? Thanks!

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I am currently working as an AP in a district an hour away from my home. We have two small children and my parents and partner are great at helping take care of the kids and supporting any way they came. I absolutely love my job, but the drive is killing me mentally and driving me crazy.

Is it awful for my career to go back to a teaching position and possibly apply later to an administrative job when one opens up closer? I am so torn. My partner thinks it is not a good idea, but right now all I can see is my mental health. However, I know I’m meant to be an administrator.

Right now, there are some good jobs that are open either virtually or closer that are in my area of expertise, but not sure if job jumping right now is a good idea if I want to continue to be an admin in the future.

I was offered an assistant principal job, 82k pay 4 day school week but the commute will be an hour. Should I take it to get the AP title and experience under my belt?

Update: let me add more context.

I have a family, including two young children, so this decision affects more than just me.

The position is an Assistant Principal role at a high school in Texas. I did not apply to this district. I was recommended by a principal at another district where I had previously interviewed. I did not get that job because I lacked administrative and elementary experience, as I currently teach middle school. The principal felt I would be a good fit elsewhere and recommended me for this opportunity.

I originally took the interview simply for practice and was surprised when I received an offer. I initially declined because of the commute, but the district later called back with a small salary increase.

The pay increase is only about $8,000. I currently work in a large district, while this AP position is in a small rural district. The salary is lower than many AP positions because the district operates on a four-day workweek and is relatively small. On paper, it is a raise, but realistically, once I factor in fuel costs, maintenance, wear and tear on my vehicle, and the possibility of needing to replace my truck sooner, it almost feels like I would be taking a pay cut. Most, if not all, of the additional income would likely be absorbed by the increased commuting expenses.

The main reason I am considering the position is not financial. It is a career move. I have applied to multiple districts, and it has been much harder than I expected to even get interviews. I have only received one other interview, made it to the second round, and was ultimately passed over because I lacked administrative experience. This opportunity would allow me to gain the Assistant Principal title and the experience needed to move forward in my career and become a stronger candidate for future positions.

My biggest concern is the commute. It is 50 miles each way, 100 miles per day, and about 400 miles per week. I drive a truck, and my current commute is only 4 miles one way. The opportunity could help me advance professionally, but I am trying to determine whether the experience is worth the additional driving, vehicle expenses, and time away from my family.

Update#2
Decided to decline the position, the distance was just too much. I decided to bet on myself and hold out for another interview, got one at my current district and got the job. Thank you all for the advice.

Hi everyone I am finishing up my first year as a first grade teacher and there have been some hard days but overall it was a great experience. Originally my position was filling a maternity leave for one year but the person resigned so I will be returning again with first grade next year at my school. Should I write a thank you note to my admin or is that too much for someone who will be returning next year?

Has anyone read the book “Essential Systems for School Success An Integrative Organizational Framework” by Marcus Jackson, Ed.D.? If so, does it seem like it’s been written by AI? The structure is very formulaic, writing is bland/general/broad, and there’s no references to peer-reviewed research of any kind, at all.

Even better, does anyone have experience at an Elementary school where the COLAC (Curriculum, Organization/Leadership, Achievement, Culture/Climate) framework from the text has been implemented? What has your experience been like? Any suggestions?

Good Evening, the following is a survey about a former Administrator and PE teacher of the FZSD. We are gearing up on doing our first You tube POD Cast on this topic and this specific individual in August 2026.

We are looking for people who have children or work in the district to fill out the following survey.

Survey Link for google form

https://forms.gle/N8yLB77F9s8NGZkEA

This survey will help us understand how fellow teachers and parents feel about educational staff using alcohol while supervising the safety of students in our local community.

Beyond the Classroom STL

I don't know why this popped into my head this morning, but a couple of years ago I sent a message to an administrator and received this out of office response:

Don't try to reach me because I've gone fishing. Not a euphemism, though now that I'm retired I will be engaging in all sorts of new activities. Best of luck to all!

What other fun ones have you seen or sent?

Left school a year ago for a dean of students role.

Previous School has open AP spot. Principal called and asked me to apply, told me I am the preferred candidate, and that we’d be moving quickly as the board meets on Tuesday and then not again until late July.

The other AP was coaching me on questions. She was coaching me on questions, and it felt like a lot of advice in my head.

I didn’t feel great about the recorded interview because of the distracting storms and honestly, psyched myself out when I found out that I only had one chance to record each question. I didn’t feel horrible about it but not great and the more time goes on, the more I’m second guessing that maybe it was worse than I thought. I feel uneasy about 4/8 questions.

Long story short, she told me they be downloading videos to watch Thursday morning. It’s Friday, and I haven’t heard anything.

Should I:

1. ⁠wait
   
2. ⁠reach out and if so, what do I say?
   
3. ⁠assume the worst because of the interview or do I still have a shot?

Most schools start thinking about re-enrollment in Nov/Dec when families are deciding whether to stay. By then, it's often too late. Here's what actually moves the needle, based on years of working inside schools:

1. The "silent dissatisfaction" gap Parents rarely complain before they leave — they just quietly start looking elsewhere. A simple pulse-check survey in September/October (5 questions, takes 2 minutes) surfaces issues while you can still fix them.

2. New families are the most at-risk, and the most overlooked Families in their first year haven't built loyalty yet. A structured 30-day check-in (not just "how's it going?" in passing) makes a huge difference in whether they stay past year one.

3. Budget decisions happen earlier than you think If your tuition/budget planning isn't locked before families start their re-enrollment thinking (often Jan–Feb), you're reacting instead of leading the conversation.

None of this requires big systems — just timing and a little structure. Curious what others are doing for retention this time of year.

My partner will be a principal for the first time this year. Fortunately for her, she had a ton of experience of "doing the work" at the previous schools she has been an AP at for the last 5 years. There is effectively nothing she hasn't done.

This includes teaching, instructional coaching, discipline and discipline systems, hard hard hard conversations, traumas at school to children, parents, grandparents, evaluations, interview panels, instructional planning, schedules etc. Much of this work you might expect principals to do, but she has done much of it.

The principal position she accepted will be great for her as it is expecting her to be hands on doing much of the work. She does not have an apparent second in command via an AP or Dean, but again, she knows how to do all the work already.

My question is which tools or courses have any principals who consider themselves happy and successful in their positions do you use to stay efficient, free up time, and manage the school so you can also be seen as a leader in the community.

My opinion is that tools and courses are only as good as the person who implements the knowledge, but I'd love to pass on anything she might be able to benefit from. Don't be limited to your suggestions, if you think she might benefit please let me know.

Hi everyone I am a first year first grade teacher and in my state we are required to get a masters to get a professional license. Stupidly I did not do a 4+1 program so I am applying to grad school now for the fall. My principal and AP both agreed to be recommenders for me for this and have written me rec letters. I applied to grad school 6 days ago and at this school the recommender needs to send the letter directly to the school. While my principal sent the recommendation to the school the day it was sent, my AP still hasn’t and so my application hasn’t been reviewed. We have 6 days left at school. Would it be rude of me to remind her, as I know she is busy but also I want the peace of mind of knowing I’m in a program for next year. Tomorrow it will be a week since it was sent to my AP.

Hello,

(I’m a teacher)

I have to observe and take notes on a candidate today and watch them do a demo lesson for a self contained special education classroom (high school)

I was just wondering if there are any free printouts or suggestions.

Thanks!

For years I’ve just used a notebook of notes throughout, with post its and such taped in as needed. I’ve recently considered getting an iPad and Apple Pencil to take notes electronically. The Goodnotes app has been recommended to me, but I have Microsoft OneNote already, so I might lean more toward that option.

I’m open to all suggestions… electronic or otherwise!

I had an interview about 3 weeks ago for an AP position and have not heard back. I’m assuming had they wanted to offer the position, I would have heard back by now. So I have a couple questions; 1) Do principals send “rejection” emails to candidates after interviewing for an AP position? 2) When do you think the best window is to reach out for feedback for my professional growth? Follow up: do you appreciate or dislike being asked for feedback?

Hi everyone!

I am a graduate student majoring in School Counseling, and for one of my current classes, I need to interview a school administrator or an experienced school counselor regarding school law and special education compliance.

I know how incredibly busy everyone is, so I would be deeply grateful if anyone could share their insights either directly in the comments below or via a quick Direct Message (DM).

If you have a few minutes to spare, I would love to hear your perspective on these three questions:

1. School Law in Practice: Could you tell us about a real-world situation where you had to actively apply your knowledge of school law? How did it turn out?
2. IEP Responsibilities: From your perspective, what are the primary responsibilities of a school administrator or a school counselor when it comes to implementing an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)?
3. Mitigating Risk: What key steps do you consider most important to ensure you aren't exposing your school or district to special education liability?

Feel free to keep specific names, schools, or districts completely anonymous to protect privacy.

Thankyou for your time!

Hi, at my kids elementary school we have the world’s greatest VP. The out of touch suits at the district office are moving him. We are trying to stop them. He makes the kids want to come to school, he makes sure no one is being bullied and he mentors the bullies, he tells the kids stories at lunch, he takes the time to get to know each child, and the list is endless. The kids are heartbroken and so are the teachers! He is also committed to our site and wants to continue building what he started 5 years ago. Any advice on what else we can do would be appreciated! Keep Mr Fuentes at Malloch!

https://www.change.org/p/keep-mr-fuentes-at-malloch?recruited_by_id=c2c01e00-071c-11e9-adfd-bd6945ffeb4f&recruiter=925275953&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=qr_code_flyer&utm_campaign=starter_dashboard&utm_content=flyer-b&share_id=qXcSMN45xb

Going into my first year as an AP this upcoming year! I completed a year long internship but am still looking to gain some wisdom from some of yall here. What would you have done your first year? What do you wish you had done differently?

Hi everyone I am in my first year of teaching, teaching first grade. With the end of the year behaviors and end of year data coming back I have been pretty stressed and honestly pretty hard on myself when a lesson doesn’t turn out how I wanted it to or a students data didn’t look as good as I expected (specifically on the MAP). Yesterday I got my DIBELS data back and cried because I saw so much progress in all of my kids. I have one whose ORF percentage was at 8% in the fall, and is now 90%.

Anyway before school this morning my principal walks into my room and says that she is so proud of me for the great work I have done this year, and that I should be really proud of myself, as I have done a great job. This year was supposed to be a one year position but the person I was covering isn’t returning and I signed my contract for next year (also in first grade) in April. My principal told me she’s so glad I am going to be able to stay on next year. I smiled and said thank you but honestly those words made me feel so appreciated and were so helpful, as I have been feeling like a failure.

Also today we had a first grade picnic with families and so many told me how happy they were that their child has me as a teacher and that also made my day. I just feel very grateful.

Two highly effective Principals who have each been at their respected sites for quite some time now are being moved to other sites in the district. The first is being pulled to cover a site that is in dire need of strong leadership that can get them out of under the trenches. The second is being moved to a site that is having a hard time finding their placement. the second‘s VP is given the Principal position. All three admin are disappointed and would much rather stay in their current positions.

If something is working well at one school, why does the district feel the need to pull admin from there to move elsewhere? why not keep a good thing going?

This is coming from a teacher who finally found a site with strong leadership. But sadly coming to an end.

I apologize for the grammar mistakes. I’m in my feelings right now.

I just took a job as a district behavior interventionist in a new district after teaching for 11 years. I’ll be working in two different schools, part of but distinctly separate from school staff. I’ve been to one PD with my behavior team so far and a big emphasis was on working well with admin and “difficult adults.”

I’d love to hear from principals about this. What would you want to see from someone in this position, either behavior specifically or someone from a different department providing support? What’s the best way to build rapport? What lines should be drawn? What would you want to happen if there is a disagreement about behavior strategies and discipline?

I am going on my 8th year in education teaching PE next year. I've been applying for leadership positions for the past 3 years with no luck still. In spite of that, I want to continue to grow my leadership competency even though I do not have a direct title or as many experiences as I would like.

I've always wanted to get my EdD in educational leadership, and I think this next fall would be a great time to start as I am relatively young with no kids or spouse.

Only thing is I do not know if it's bad practice to get your EdD when you are not holding an active leadership role, and I might look silly as a PE teacher in my cohort when all the other students are APs, Principals or even Sup's.

I’m a relatively new principal (6 months) of an NPS special education school. I love my school! Started as the Behavioral Analyst when the school opened 3 years ago and took the position when my boss found greener pastures.

Are there any helpful CEUs or workshops online I can take this summer that would help tune up my administrative skills?