Preparing Principals -- What Matters Most

Got some things to say about how Illinois principals are (or aren't) prepared for the real world of schools and district bureaucracies?  I bet you do.  Well here's a survey that welcomes K12 teachers' input.  Take a look and tell them Alexander sent you (Principal Preparation Program Survey Survey).

Comments

[Cookie]

Who is prepared an any school?
The job is more that just teaching for teachers, for principals, I'm sure it's everything else.
I have no great sympathy for principals, (although mine is one of the better principals) they sought out the job, no one forced them and they get paid well.
But, I'm sure they get their share of abuses and some of the things that go on and have to be dealt with in schools, no one can be prepared for.

[MsE Teacher of 30 years]

I agree but it seems that the people coming into the principalships these days have no training or ignore the basic facts learned in their courses. They have this attitude that they are always right and things come from the top down. I see that LAUNCH has been disbanded-what happened there? They all have different standards and none seem to be concerned with school improvement.

[Joan Baker]

Principals have no union and no job security - they can be hired one year and fired the next with no recourse. That said, the fact of the matter is that principals are judged on the performance of their school's students on the tests required by NCLB. Nobody cares what the principals do to get the scores up; they can be as oppressive and threatening as they want, as long as the scores are up. We had a case of a principal and assistant principal ganging up on a second assistant principal who was pregnant. They harassed this young woman, all in the name of raising test scores, until she collapsed from stress and tension. She and her baby both died within the day. So I don't have a whole lot of sympathy for principals - but I do see that they have some points on their side.

[Joan Baker]

Forgot to say that I'm inviting everyone to check my blog at http://www.aeonity.com/jj2baker2
and write comments. Thanks!

[Goldenring Publishing, LLC]

Expose on Principal abuse of teachers

[Nat]

No work ethics or morals!!!
Many of today's principals have no sense of ethics nor people skills. Many are too young and do not have the maturity level nor wisdom to deal with a leadership position at this capacity. The board has created many different principalship programs, but they miss one very important feature; EXPERIENCE!! These new principal may have learned the book component, but that is not enough. If these principals do not receive the hands on experience of working in the classroom and every other office to better understand the daily operation of a school, they are basicly set-up to fail.

With the board trying to save money, while continually paying top administrators with no education background) at 125 over 100,000 per year along with expenses; the new "baby" principals, do not have the opportunity to "crawl before they walk." This generation of principals, are part of the "lost generation". Their attitudes are "I want it all now and you can't tell me anything". The money looks good(sorry to say, just like the "attitudes" of drug dealers)you really don't have to work hard. They are all going to be burn-out before the age of 50. And, of course, they are not thinking that far ahead; but I guess we really can't blame them, we all would probably have jumped at the opportunity if it were given to us, if we were in this generation; graduate and receive a salary of, at least, 90,000, hmm!
They are basicly being used as part of the political games the City of Chicago and Chicago Board of Education have played since Sir Daley took office, but it this point why should they care; just give me the money. Hey, I have an idea, why don't we let 6th graders work at the fast foods and pay them $1.25 an hour.

You would not put an intern over the daily operations of a hospital. The Board's motto is "Children First", Yeah right!!!

Posted by: Patricia |

[Reduction of Bloodstream Infections]

It is understood that the fact of the matter is that principals are judged on the performance of their school's students on the tests required by NCLB.

James