I joined our building in the middle of the 2024-2025 school year, and I knew how important it would be to lean into building relationships. Ensuring that our school community could connect with me, establish trust and believe in my commitment and ability to follow through were my top priorities from day one. My focus […]

Those of you reading this know: As school leaders, we can feel isolated. Especially as principals, we can feel like everything falls on our shoulders. That can feel like a lot of pressure. But the truth is, we don’t have to do this work alone. I’m very passionate about the power of connection as a […]

We see you, leaders. Not just during National Principals Month, but every month. We’re in awe of the way leaders like you consistently lift up your tried-and-true ideas and practices for one another – extending your support to teachers and students beyond your own buildings. To honor that spirit of generosity and leadership, we’ve gathered […]

I’m the principal of a small public charter school with a STEM focus, so technology is a big part of our work. But emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, my teachers and I started to feel that technology had completely overwhelmed teaching and learning.  We were one-to-one with Chromebooks with an “off and away phone policy,”, […]

When students believe their teachers care about them – genuinely, as people – they’re more comfortable taking academic risks. That sense of assurance that they matter, and their experiences matter, to trusted adults provides a crucial emotional grounding. From there, students can build the resilience to risk, fail and risk again with plenty of fun […]

In my first year as an Associate Principal several years ago, we had a school policy around hats and hoods. Students had a lot of valid questions around this policy and how it impacted their day-to-day experience. A group of students approached our building leadership, drafted up their questions and reasoning to change the policy, […]

If you think back to your years as a classroom educator, what’s one special thing you loved about Teacher Appreciation Week? It may not have been a big gesture, but it made you feel truly valued as an educator.❤️ The appreciation you and your fellow leaders share can last through all the years of an […]

When I took the helm as principal of Nathanael Greene Middle School in April 2023, one in every two students was chronically absent. This school boasted a celebrated history, but at the time, it ranked in the bottom 1% of the state – a one-star school.  It was identified for comprehensive support and school improvement.  […]

In our building, we have a commitment to honoring the experiences of all our students and families. We have students from all over the world with rich and diverse histories and cultures, and we want each and every child and the adults in their lives to feel like they belong. What’s more is that we […]

I grew up in a bilingual program here in Buffalo, New York, and now it’s my privilege to support students and educators in bilingual programs as an instructional coach. Much of my work with educators focuses on dual language instruction and amplifying students’ home language – Spanish, in the case of our community. This year, […]