Read the Full Article Here!

Receive timely lesson ideas and PD tips
Sign Up!
Email address
Home » Administrator's Desk » "Principal Files" Article Series » Principals Set
Goals25,
for New
School
Year Essentials
July
2016
Teacher
Administrators
More
16
20
29
10
4
Like 6
Principals Set Goals for New
School Year
The school doors are open; the goals
for the new school year are set. This
week, Education World invited our
"Principal Files" principals to share the
goals they have set for the school year
that just got underway. One restriction: Nobody was
allowed to say "raise test scores" because that goal is a
given! The goals those principals shared are as varied as
the schools they represent. Learn what principals had to
say in this article, which stands as a lesson in Goal
Setting
101. Included: Goals related to curriculum, motivating
teachers, involving parents, more!
Principal Deborah Harbin has one main goal this year. "I want to be in
the classrooms more and have professional conversations with
teachers about curriculum and instruction," Harbin told Education
World. "The work of the school happens in the classrooms. If I want to
influence my school, then that's where I need to be."
PDFmyURL converts any url to pdf!
Lesson Plans
Search
Technology
Search for Lessons, Resources and more!
PD Tips
Harbin, principal at Holbrook Elementary
School in Houston's Cypress-Fairbanks
Independent School District, recognizes
This Month's
Contributors
that her goal is easier to state than to
accomplish, "but I am determined," she
Fourteen school
said.
administrators
participated in this
Harbin was one of more than a dozen of
month's discussion
Principal Files Principals who joined a
about setting goals
recent discussion about the goals they
for the new school
have set for the year ahead. Many of the
year. You can see a
principals' goals revolve around the
complete list of those
themes of curriculum improvement,
Principal Files
professional development, and motivating
principals at the end
teachers to do the best they can do for all
of this article.
students. Harbin's goal seems to
encompass all of those themes.
MOTIVATING TEACHERS AND IMPROVING
MORALE
This fall, Jed Landsman-Yakin, principal at Belfry (Montana) High
Online Degree Programs
for Teachers
Zip code:
School, welcomed eight new teachers to his staff of 18. "The
experience level of those new teachers ranges from not-yet-out-ofcollege to master-level technicians," Landsman-Yakin told Education
World.
Landsman-Yakin's challenge is to convince the new and veteran
Degree:
Bachelor's
Program:
B.A. Interdisciplinary Studies
educators at Belfry to work toward common goals. "We have a
common goal -- to produce the very best, smartest, wisest, well-
Next
rounded graduates -- as we work independently within teams to raise
the standard," added Landsman-Yakin. "Our tools are different but we
are all trying to create the same masterpiece!"
At the same time, Landsman-Yakin has to sell students, parents, the
superintendent, community members, and businesses on that common
EW Professional Development
goal.
An Onward to Excellence grant is the fuel that Landsman-Yakin is
using to ignite the effort. The grant monies were used to send 13
members of the Belfry High staff to a five-day literacy conference. In
addition, weekly staff meetings -- for at least the first six to eight
PDFmyURL converts any url to pdf!
PD content to get you through the
day.
weeks of school -- will be used to reinforce newly-acquired teaching skills,
discuss their value to the learning process, and get buy-in from the staff
members who didn't attend the conference.
"We include non-certified staff as part of our ongoing school
improvement work," added Landsman-Yakin. "The cooks, bus drivers,
cleaning staff, and secretarial people are so very important to this
endeavor."
BUILDING A TEAM
CLIMATE
Have You
Seen...?
In Wyoming, Bob Edmiston will be focusing
Tweets by @education_world
his efforts at Uinta Meadows Elementary
Have you seen these
School toward a similar goal -- building a
other articles from
team climate and creating opportunities
Education World's
for the staff to learn for themselves the
"Principal Files"
importance of implementing and
series?
incorporating defined instructional strategies.
* Veteran Principals
Offer Advice to New
Among Edmiston's vehicles for building a
team climate is a "Terrific Teacher" article
that will appear regularly in the local
newspaper; each article will highlight the
successes of a different staff member. In
addition, the entire staff will be reading
and discussing Camel-Makers: Building
Effective Teacher Teams Together (A
Modern Fable for Educators) by Daniel L.
Kain.
Colleagues
* Principals Share
Parent Involvement
Ideas
* Advice for First-Year
Teachers -- From the
Principals Who Hired
Them!
* If You Had a Choice,
Would You Still Be a
When it comes to instructional strategies,
Principal?
Edmiston has invited the district curriculum
* What Do Principals
administrator to visit classrooms. In
Do? (From a Child's
addition, he will be doing
Point of View)
some training in authentic student instructional approaches such as 6
+ 1 Trait Writing and student portfolios, and he will establish an
account to fund "floating" substitute teachers so teams of three
teachers can take turns observing each other
teach.
"I know how strong and talented my staff is," Edmiston added. "The
PDFmyURL converts any url to pdf!
Social Chatter
Trending
Ten Summer Science
Activities for Kids
idea is to suggest some new ideas and to allow the teams to share
and learn from one another." In that way, Edmiston added, "Success
will breed success!"
CREATING AN EXCITEMENT FOR
LEARNING
"I hope to create more of an excitement for learning among our
student body by generating more enthusiasm for teaching among our
staff and by demonstrating to the students the rewards of being
academically active," Chris Madlena, principal at Life Christian School
and Academy in Tacoma, Washington, told Education World.
Discussion of this goal will be the focus of in-service and staff meetings.
Madlena will solicit ideas for reaching that goal from the teachers.
"I also plan to improve staff morale by recognizing teachers and staff
achievements, and their duty above and beyond the call," said
Madlena. "I will be raising the praise with staff, visiting their
classrooms more, and providing special treats -- putting little gifts in
their mailboxes, taking them to lunch on their birthdays, and giving
the gift of time.
"I have found that when teachers realize that they are respected for
who they are and what they do, it carries over into the classroom and
thus to the students," added Madlena. "That makes everyone happier
to be at school."
In Louisiana, improving staff morale is high on the list for Marguerite
McNeely, principal of Oak Hill High School in Hineston. "This year, staff
members will be rewarded with weekly recognitions for outstanding
lessons and activities, and awards will be given to a Teacher of the
Month and Teacher of the Year," said McNeely. "We'll also hold
birthday parties, seasonal parties, and a summer barbecue."
Nancy Pominek has plans for improving staff morale at Abraham Clark
High School in New Jersey, where she is a vice principal. First, she
plans to address staff concerns about building renovations. In
addition, she will include staff in planning the agendas for staff
meetings, a mentoring program will be initiated for new teachers,
monthly certificates will be awarded for perfect attendance, and she
will announce a staff member of the
PDFmyURL converts any url to pdf!
month.
CURRICULUM A LEADING FOCUS OF
SCHOOL GOALS
Reading improvement tops many principals' lists of curriculum goals. In
Jasper, Alabama, principal Jim Clark has set a goal of 100 percent
literacy for students at T.R. Simmons Elementary School. That goal will
require some adjustments to instruction, Clark said. To help achieve
that goal, next summer he plans to offer 10 days of Alabama Reading
Initiative Training for all takers on his staff. If all goes according to plan,
Simmons Elementary will be a Literacy Demonstration Site next year.
Reviewing science curriculum will be
another major thrust in the year ahead,
Clark told Education World. "We will
Personal
Goals Too!
continue to train our classroom teachers
in our Hands-On Activity Science Program
Most principals have
(HASP)," he said. "The program was
personal goals that
designed by NASA in cooperation with
support or extend
several colleges across the state. The
their professional
colleges trained master teachers in
goals.
specific modules of the curriculum. Those
master teachers then trained teachers in
other schools." That cycle will continue as
new modules are added each year.
Principal Teri Stokes
has some personal
goals for the year
ahead. They include
"We will continue our technology plan" in
* developing a
the year ahead, principal Betty Peltier told
stronger awareness
Education World. That plan calls for teachers
of each teacher's
to continually improve their technology
strengths and areas
skills. "Our goal is to have all teachers move
for growth through
beyond [using technology for] simple fact-
daily classroom visits,
finding."
planned and informal
discussions.
"Linking learning to life" is the vision at Silver
* becoming a
Sands Middle School in Port Orange, Florida.
stronger resource to
There the whole staff will work in concert to
her staff for current
connect classroom lessons with real-world
educational research.
situations, principal Les Potter told Education
* not losing sight of
World. "We have a
the kids! "Even
PDFmyURL converts any url to pdf!
volunteer coordinator -- a parent -- who is
though our school is
linking our school to businesses and
undergoing an
community leaders who will mentor our
accreditation study
students," said Potter. The staff has
this year, is adopting
applied for grants to assist with any
a new math program,
expenses for the program, which includes
and has a significant
frequent field trips.
amount of state
"We even have several faculty members
who got their bus driver certification so
they could transport students around the
area," added Potter. "That will save quite a
bit of money."
mandated
instructional inservice as a result of
a court decision, our
primary goal is to
provide the best
Character education will be a focus at
possible day -- full of
Abraham Clark High School, said Nancy
creative, profitable
Pominek. The program the school plans to
learning experiences
institute this year includes rewards for
-- for each student!"
students and staff who display good
Stokes told Education
character behaviors.
World.
Curricular consistency is Amos Kornfeld's
Vice Principal Nancy
goal at Piermount Village Elementary
Pominek aims to
School in New Hampshire. "We adopted
develop
Everyday Math two years ago, and now we
professionally so she
are trying to get the entire staff on the
can be a better leader
same page for writing and reading,"
and motivator. She
Kornfeld told Education World. Kornfeld is
will accomplish that
excited about an ancient Greece unit that
goal by: * picking the
the whole school will participate in this
brains of other
year, and about working with the staff to
assistant principals in
create consistent report cards.
her building and
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT A
COMMON GOAL
district; * writing
grants for increasing
parent involvement;
and * attending
workshops sponsored
Staff development was another common
by the New Jersey
thread that linked the Principal Files
Principals and
principals' goals discussion.
Supervisors
Amos Kornfeld and his staff will be
PDFmyURL converts any url to pdf!
Association and other
implementing a new supervision policy
organizations.
based on Research for Better Teaching
(RBT). This will be a year-long effort; by the
end of the school year, "RBT concepts and strategies should be part of
our vernacular in staff meetings," Kornfeld added.
In Sacramento, administrator Lyn McCarty will be focusing her efforts
on staff development and monitoring/coaching activities bent on the
notion that more consistent literacy instruction can be achieved
across classrooms and school sites within the district. "We have the
curriculum. We have the vision," McCarty told Education World. "Now
we need to bring teachers into sync. We plan to provide reflective
collegial planning time and to support teachers who are continuing to
familiarize themselves with the methods and materials through
ongoing training and coaching."
Professional development is one of principal Marie Kostick's goals too.
Her staff at Goodwyn Junior High School in Montgomery, Alabama, will
have regular opportunities to participate in in-service programs at the
school and system level, and they will be encouraged to attend
regional workshops. Last month, the staff participated in a workshop
organized around Stephen Covey's book The 7 Habits of Highly
Effective People.
PARENT INVOLVEMENT, MENTORING,
HONOR ROLL...
When we asked our P-File principals to share their goals, we set one
ground rule; nobody could say that "raising test scores" is a goal. That
goal is a forgone conclusion -- a no-brainer -- in these days of highstakes testing and accountability. We wanted to hear about the other
important goals our principals would be working toward!
However, several principals couldn't resist making comments about
raising scores. Betty Peltier, of Southdown Elementary School in
Houma, Louisiana, took issue with the phrase "raising test scores." "I
have a personal problem with using that often-used phrase as a goal,"
Peltier told Education World. "I try to emphasize to my teachers that
our goal is to increase our students' learning as evidenced by the test
scores. That perspective helps keep them focused on the real reason
we are here."
PDFmyURL converts any url to pdf!
In addition to "increasing students' learning," Peltier hopes to make
headway in a continuing effort to get parents involved. "We were very
successful last year with our grade level nights," Peltier explained.
"Each grade, K through 6, had a grade level night for parents. We
provided dinner, baby-sitters, and an overview of the grade level
program."
"The parent night effort was funded through a grant," Peltier
explained. "I was able to pay the teachers a presentation stipend for
the hours they prepared and presented.
"We had a great turnout!" she added.
Brad Auten hopes to create a mentor program at Lincoln Elementary
School in Monticello, Illinois. "We have a number of students from
single-parent homes who could benefit from more positive adult
interaction," Auten told Education World. "I have meetings scheduled
with our middle school principal, social worker, a few teachers from
our building, staff from the local mental health clinic, and a
community member who has had some experience with a mentoring
program."
"We are currently applying for grants that might help fund this
endeavor," Auten added. "If we can operate such a program, all
mentors will undergo training."
At Goodwyn Junior High, Marie Kostick hopes to raise SAT reading and
writing scores to above the national average. In addition, it is her goal
to increase the number of honor roll students by 20 percent. To
achieve that goal, the staff will take every opportunity to educate
students and parents about high academic expectations; promote a
school culture of improvement; recognize academic achievement
through assemblies and breakfasts, and with prizes; and seek
innovative ideas for increasing student achievement.
Finally, Jim Clark has a most worthy goal -- surviving this school year!
The state of Alabama has cut the education budget across the board to
account for income shortfalls. Clark's budget has been prorated [cut]
6.2 percent, and additional cuts are expected. "So far, I have lost two
certified teachers, one assistant principal, and six paraprofessionals,"
Clark told Education World. "That calculates to approximately
$250,000 in chopped salaries."
PDFmyURL converts any url to pdf!
We hope things improve for Jim. That's our goal for him!
"Principal Files" Contributors to This Article
Brad Auten, principal, Lincoln School, Monticello, Illinois
Jim Clark, principal, T.R. Simmons Elementary School, Jasper,
Alabama
Bob Edmiston, principal, Uinta Meadows Elementary School,
Evanston, Wyoming
Deborah Harbin, principal, Holbrook Elementary School,
Houston, Texas
Amos Kornfeld, principal, Piermont Village School, Piermont,
New Hampshire
Marie Kostick, principal, Goodwyn Junior High School,
Montgomery, Alabama
Jed Landsman-Yakin, principal, Belfry High School, Belfry,
Montana
Chris Madlena, principal, Life Christian School and Academy,
Tacoma, Washington
Lyn McCarty, coordinator of special education services,
Sacramento, California
Marguerite McNeely, principal, Oak Hill High School, Hineston,
Louisiana
Betty Peltier, principal, Southdown Elementary School, Houma,
Louisiana
Nancy A. Pominek, vice principal, Abraham Clark High School,
Roselle, New Jersey
Dr. Les Potter, principal, Silver Sands Middle School, Port
Orange, Florida
Teri Stokes, principal, Weatherly Heights Elementary, Huntsville,
Alabama
Comments
4 Comments
Add a comment...
PDFmyURL converts any url to pdf!
Agrey Mashoya ·
Teacher at UROKI HIGH School
thank for learning this
Like · Reply · Nov 17, 2014 10:49am
Tawete Sylvester ·
Volunteer at Universal Chastity Education at Universal Chastity Education
good work
Like · Reply · Dec 1, 2014 2:34am
L. Cecille Palmer ·
Principal at St. Theresa Preparatory School
Great ideas!
Like · Reply · Aug 28, 2015 1:28pm
Elikini Iongi ·
Beginning Teacher 2001 -2002 at Sylvia Park School
WOW... amazing wise and thoughtful Principals. Thank YOU for shar
Like · Reply · Oct 14, 2015 2:40am
Facebook Comments Plugin
Report Abusive or Spam Comment
SITEMAP
Receive timely lesson ideas and PD tips
Sign Up!
Email address
LESSON PLANS
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
• Contact Us
ADMINISTRATORS
The Math Machine
How I Handled…
Box Cars Math Games
Clip Art Gallery
The Reading Machine
Wire Side Chats
Every-Day Edits
Math Corner
The Science Machine
Five-Minute Fillers
New Teacher Advisor
Online Safety
Partners for Student
Success
Holiday Lessons
Reader's Theater
Sites to See
Principal Profiles
Learning Games
Reading Coach
WebQuest
Principal Toolbox
Lesson of the Day
Responsive Classroom
Technology Experts
Parent Involvement
News for Kids
Strategies That Work
Tech Team
Programs
Show-Biz Science
Teacher Feature
Using Technology
Goals
Work Sheet Library
Voice of Experience
Keyboarding
Web Site Reviews
Techtorials
Best Books for School
Leaders
Article Archive
• About Us
TECHNOLOGY
Wire Side Chats
• Help Center
• Advertise
PDFmyURL converts any url to pdf!
On the Internet
Exceptional Events
Great Meetings