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20 Biggest Mistakes Principals Make and How to Avoid Them
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20 Biggest Mistakes Principals Make and How to Avoid Them



March 2004 | 144 pages | Corwin
20 Biggest Mistakes Principals Make and How to Avoid them is specifically designed for principals as a means of reflecting on their personal behaviour and experiences as principal. The mistakes reported in this book reflect a collection of conversations with teachers, administrators, and the author's own personal experiences as both a teacher and a principal. The scenarios concern mistakes that a principal can and should avoid, and suggests strategies for avoiding some of the mistakes other principals have made. The book divides these mistakes into six categories: People Skills, People, Principal, Job, Tasks, Personal Issues, and Fatal Attractions. Each of these scenarios is designed to illustrate the mistakes that can occur in each area.
 
Introduction
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
I. The People Skills
Mistake 1: Interpersonal Shortcomings

 
Mistake 2: Communication Flaws

 
 
II. The People
Mistake 3: Neglecting the Professionals

 
Mistake 4: Mismanaging Parents

 
 
III. The Principal
Mistake 5: Being Too Bossy

 
Mistake 6: Inconsistency

 
Mistake 7: Displaying Weakness

 
 
IV. The Job
Mistake 8: Endless Work

 
Mistake 9: Mismanaging Time

 
 
V. Tasks
Mistake 10: Ignoring the Preparation

 
Mistake 11: Displacing Goals

 
Mistake 12: Decision-Making Dilemmas

 
Mistake 13: Change Dilemmas

 
Mistake 14: Professional Development Vacuum

 
Mistake 15: Failing to Supervise

 
 
VI. Personal Issues
Mistake 16: Forgetting the Family

 
Mistake 17: Ignoring Health Issues

 
Mistake 18: Succumbing to Stress

 
Mistake 19: Etiquette Gaffes

 
 
VII. Fatal Attractions
Mistake 20: Errors of Judgment

 
 
VIII. The Leader's Response
Response 1: Never to Err Again?

 
Response 2: Over the Horizon

 
 
Resource A: Building Visibility in the Community
 
Resource B: Verbal Skills Self-Assessment
 
Resource C: Principal Access Self-Assessment
 
Resource D: Principal Self-Assessment
 
References

"The information presented is true to life; school principals will see themselves on every page. The strategies presented to 'fix' or avoid our mistakes really do work! You don't have to be a new principal to benefit from this one."

Kaye Peery, Superintendent
Maxwell Municipal Schools, NM

"I wish this book had been written many years ago to help me with my first principal's position. It is an indispensable resource for new and seasoned principals to avoid the pitfall of administration."

Ron Joekel, Executive Director Emeritus
Phi Delta Kapp International

“I quickly learned that the situations I faced were similar to other principals’ experiences. The answers to my dilemmas were based on common sense and experience such as the examples in this book.”

Barbara Marchese, Principal
St. Philip Neri School, Omaha, NE

"An excellent resource for principals to examine their effectiveness."

Principal Navigator, September 2007

Sample Materials & Chapters

Introduction

Chapter 1: The People Skills


For instructors

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