The National PTA has reminded us that it is time to #ThankAPrincipal ! Take a moment to take former and current Principals for all the great work they do to build, lead and support schools. A Principal has to be someone who can effective support a group of Educators, scholars, parents and communities as the leader of their community school. In this generation of educational leaders, too often are the workers who have been in various positions within the school elevated to the Principal seat. I’ve had and worked under some amazing Principals who had a heavy influence within the lives of their scholars, families, communities and staff both in and out of school.
Here are a couple of reasons why they made such an impact:
- Alumni engagement
- Civic engagement
- Community engagement
- Family engagement
- Student engagement
A good Principal understands the influence of Alumni and empowers this type of engagement to bring in additional resources that support student life, scholarships and enrichment. The Principal helps drive the vision of civic engagement by connecting historical context modern-day challenges. This also sparks a connection to college support and student engagement. The school must have connections to college life and student activities. A good Principal creates a healthy balance of academic and social offerings. Student engagement included in the school planning process helps ensure student and school success. The more actively engaged students are, so will their families be. Families and communities desire to be a part of their community schools. This relationship is sustain through engagement. Families and communities want to be welcomed and the Principal sets the tone for this. The principal sets the standard for how families, communities, scholars and alumni are engaged by the faculty and staff. The vision must first be set by the Principal with the faculty and staff as they are carrying out the vision.
As we #ThankAPrincipal throughout this month, look at these areas to see how you can help support and grow the vision. Shout out to all the great Principals are know the power of engagement and are doing it for better educational outcomes for all children.
Ways to Thank Principals
- Be a volunteer
- Share and promote successes of the school
- Support family and community engagement efforts
- Donate books and supplies
- Be engaged and present at the school
Jason has worked in education for over 15 years as a teacher, blogger and community advocate. He speaks and writes primarily about the need to improve education for Black boys, particularly increasing the number of Black male educators in schools. In addition to blogging here at EdLanta, Jason is also a featured writer at Education Post.