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 […]

Educators’ wellness is critical to student success. I’ve seen this consistently throughout my years in this field and across every grade level. When support for educators is built into our systems, including opportunities to strengthen their own internal resources, they have the capacity they need to do the deep work that’s being asked of them […]

Every summer, I dig into student test score data. Not because I love numbers for numbers’ sake – and not because I think tests are everything – but because I want to understand as much as I can about the learning happening in my school community. I want to see what story the data helps […]

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, […]

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 […]

One thing I’ve come to appreciate as a leader is the power of new beginnings – the ability to create moments to reset, restart and recommit to our team’s values and goals. Creating those opportunities at the start of a new term in our building isn’t exactly the same as the conversations I had when […]