"When a principal sneezes the entire school catches a cold."
--Todd Whitaker
Principals set the tone of the school.
As the instructional leader for your campus, you are crucial in fostering a collaborative and encouraging environment that helps teachers to succeed because they are the school's leaders.
This blog will offer twelve strategies that a school principal and administrators can use to support their teachers, promote a healthy school climate, nurture, and improve overall academic results.
By offering teachers relevant professional development opportunities that are catered to their needs, concerns and interests, principals may help them. Organizing workshops, conferences, and in-service training sessions on pertinent subjects including classroom management, instructional tactics, and educational technology are all included in this. By funding professional development, school administrators give teachers the tools they need to keep up with best practices, build their knowledge base, and ultimately increase their performance in the classroom.
Another essential tactic for promoting teachers' growth and development is to foster a culture of collaboration among them. By giving teachers the chance to share their great concepts, brilliant ideas, original solutions, and best practices with one another, principals may promote peer collaboration. This could entail setting up professional learning communities (PLCs) within the school, promoting cross-curricular initiatives, or planning grade-level meetings.
Administrators can support educators through teacher evaluations. By performing thorough assessments that provide constructive criticism and useful input, principals may assist instructors. This is looking at student achievement data, seeing classroom instruction, and having open and sincere discussions with teachers regarding their areas of strength and development. Principals can help teachers improve their methods and increase their overall performance in the classroom by giving them specific feedback.
By keeping lines of communication open, administrators can support teachers in one of the most efficient ways possible. The establishment of an open-door policy by principals should encourage teachers to voice their issues, ideas, suggestions and observations, but be careful. School leaders with 24-7 open door policies are on the quickest path to being a more reactive and less effective administrator.
It's not that school leaders need an open door policy. What they need are feedback loops. When school leaders are faced with the opportunity to engage with their teachers, good principals practice active listening, which shows teachers that their opinions are appreciated and valued. Principals can address possible difficulties proactively and collaborate with teachers to identify innovative solutions by encouraging open communication and active listening.
Recognizing that teachers are the major decision-makers when it comes to classroom education, principals can further help teachers by including them in the decision-making process. Administrators show their dedication to a collaborative leadership style that values the experience and ideas of most teachers and all staff members by asking teachers for their input on issues like curriculum development, school improvement efforts, and resource allocation.
The culture of a school has a big impact on how happy and productive its staff member instructors are in general. It is crucial for the principal of the school to foster an environment that values and supports every employee. This can be accomplished through acknowledging accomplishments, encouraging self-care, and upholding high standards for both students and staff. Additionally, by treating every member of the school community with respect, kindness, and understanding, principals can serve as great role models.
Success for teachers and students alike depends on good classroom management. Administrators can help teachers in this area by giving them the materials, advice, and equipment they need to run their classrooms efficiently. In order to address particular classroom issues, this may entail linking educators with experts in special education or social and emotional learning, as well other educators such as sharing research-based practices for behavior management and providing ongoing support for new instructors.
Supporting teachers is a complex task that calls for a variety of tactics and a sincere dedication from school administrators. Principals can foster an atmosphere where teachers feel supported, empowered, and valued by their schools by encouraging professional development, fostering peer collaboration, offering meaningful evaluations, establishing open-door policies, involving teachers in decision-making, fostering a positive school culture, and providing resources for classroom management.
Fostering an encouraging school climate requires recognizing and applauding the efforts and successes of teachers. A principal can honor a teacher's accomplishments in a number of ways, including by spotlighting them during staff meetings, publicizing positive note about them in newsletters or on the school website, or planning special events and award presentations. School leaders can show their gratitude for the hard work of their teachers by recognizing their successes and fostering a positive atmosphere inside the school.
Principals must push teachers to put their personal well being first because teaching can be a highly rewarding but taxing career. This can be encouraging self-care activities like fitness routines or mindfulness techniques new teachers, or providing flexible schedule alternatives to assist teachers in balancing their personal and professional life. Principals may help prevent burnout and make sure that teachers stay in good health, engaged in their profession, and dedicated by promoting work-life balance.
Principals must work to create a welcoming and encouraging environment for all staff members in order to help teachers in an efficient manner. This entails fostering fairness and diversity within the school community, dealing with any instances of prejudice or discrimination, and giving specialized assistance to staff members who have particular requirements or difficulties. Principals may build a sense of belonging for all staff members how can a principal support teachers and contribute to a positive school culture by promoting an inclusive atmosphere.
Principals can effectively promote teachers' growth and development by giving them the tools they need to assume leadership roles within the school and educational administration. Principals assist teachers in gaining useful leadership skills and broadening their professional identities by giving them opportunity to chair committees, mentor fresh colleagues, or take part in district-wide initiatives. Additionally, giving teachers leadership opportunities can increase their feeling of pride in and dedication to the success of the school as a whole.
The foundation of a successful principal-teacher relationship is regular, honest communication. School leaders should make an effort to communicate with teachers and employees on a frequent basis, whether through scheduled meetings every week or month, email updates, faculty meetings, or casual check-ins. Principals can effectively support teachers as they manage their daily responsibilities by being informed about classroom successes, issues, and needs.
At Better Leaders Better Schools we believe, When YOU get better … Everyone wins. The best way administrators can support teachers is by elevating their leadership "game." The Ruckus Maker Mastermind™ offers Relevant, Responsive, and Results-Oriented Professional Development™. When a administrator joins, they can expect to be developed in such a way that they learn how to operate at their personal best each day on campus. After one week in The Ruckus Maker Mastermind™, Glenda experienced an incredible result. She took action on one idea that she learned in her mastermind cohort and the staff noticed. Multiple teachers told Glenda, "Whatever has gotten into you over the summer don't stop." Six months later Glenda told the founder of Better Leaders Better Schools, Danny Bauer, that the momentum continued throughout the year and didn't stop.
Whenever you are ready, learn more and apply to The Ruckus Maker Mastermind™ here
As a chronically late student, Danny Bauer once told his Chemistry teacher a fib about saving an entire girl scout troop from a burning building to get out of a tardy.
Danny is not sure if it was the very made up story, the very real cookie he offered his teacher, or a combination of both that got him out of a detention that day …
That experience taught him it pays to develop your storytelling skills.
Danny has been telling stories since then, most recently on the Better Leaders Better Schools podcast, ranked in the TOP 0.5% of 3 million global podcasts, and via his two bestselling books, Mastermind: Unlocking Talent Within Every School Leader and Build Leadership Momentum: How to Create the Perfect Principal Entry Plan.
He also loves telling stories while facilitating in person leadership workshops at national conferences and for school districts.
Danny’s mission is to help Ruckus Makers Do School Different™.
Soniya, hailing from the culturally rich land of India, is a dynamic professional in the field of web services, crafting digital landscapes. Soniya’s journey into the world of technology is a testament to her unwavering passion and commitment to excellence, transforming ideas into impactful online realities.
Since 2022, Soniya has played an important role in supporting BLBS with her comprehensive website services.
She loves to travel and cook new recipes.
Music is an inspiring art form. Sound is conveyed via the air to the ears of living beings, and each being perceives it in its own unique way, eliciting a certain feeling. Dragan feels the same sensation every time he hears music, from infancy to now, as if it were a part of his existence that he couldn’t fathom living without. Dragan opted to deal with sound his entire life despite his formal degree, and today he is one of the most passionate audio producers you can meet and chat to about sound and music all day long. His enthusiasm for audio production, student-like thinking, and curiosity keep him continually mobile in generating new, quality, and enjoyable sound on a regular basis.
Dragan has been producing BLBS audio and video content since 2020.
My passion for both baseball and literature was the initial catalyst that led me into education. Growing up as a softball player and a die-hard fan of the Chicago Cubs from the North Side of the city, I developed a profound appreciation for the South Side of Chicago, not enough to convert me into a White Sox fan. As a National Board certified teacher, with over 16 years of experience on Chicago’s South Side, my journey as an educator has taken me from my roots in the Windy City to Virginia, as an instructional coach.
From the very beginning, I have been an unwavering believer in the philosophy of BLBS. My journey alongside Danny has been one of daring innovation and audacity, right from the moment he challenged me to say, “boom” and drop the mic during our initial city-wide professional development event. He has cultivated a team capable of winning a World Series, and I am deeply honored to be a part of this community of individuals who consistently push the boundaries and endeavor to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
Premaria Mutambudzi is the BLBS Office Administrator, This is her 2nd year, she has served in the administrative field for 5+ years, Prim is originally from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. She has been married for 7 years to her husband Takunda, and is blessed with two children.
Prim loves meditation, creative writing, poetry, and reading. In her spare time, Prim is a talented and creative Makeup Artist.
– Head Coach
Sofía’s lifelong search for a profession that would “leave the world a little better than she found it” led her to study philosophy and comparative religions, become a teacher, lead schools and educational projects, work for the Argentine Ministry of Education, contribute as a volunteer in various NGOs and become personally committed to causes that raised awareness about the world’s challenges and the potential of education to overcome them.
She is a practically-minded idealist, a profound believer in people and their potential for good, committed to collaborative leadership environments, and instinctively and naturally drawn to create order and systems in seemingly chaotic contexts.
After more than 30 years in the classroom and almost 20 as a school leader, Sofía now divides her time as Schools Development Manager for Cambridge University Press and Assessment, Executive Secretary for the International Confederation of Principals, Facilitator for the ESSARP Teacher Training Centre in Argentina and BLBS Mastermind Coach.
Each of her current roles allows her to travel near and far while contributing to her own lifelong learning, and that of school leaders across the world, in the slow way she cherishes: one experience, one adventure, one conversation and one relationship at a time.
– Head Coach
Once a roller derby ref, now enjoying “retirement”, Dan’s got some wild tales from the track. Picture this: Dallas, a Division 1 tournament, and Dan’s zipping around as an “outside pack ref” when suddenly, BAM! He gets bulldozed by “Ruthless Red” charging out of the penalty box. But did he stay down? Not a chance! Dan bounced right back up, finished the game like a champ, and jetted off to Barcelona for the World Cup, broken tailbone and all.
Bruises and broken bones couldn’t keep Dan out of the action. Those derby days weren’t just about dodging collisions—they taught him about grit, resilience, and leadership skills that he’s been flexing for 15 years as a school leader. Whether he’s coaching leaders as part of The Ruckus Maker Mastermind™ team or dodging freight trains in the fast-paced world of roller derby, Dan is always willing to lean into the next challenge.
– Head Coach
Jason P. Dropik (Babaamii-Bines / Eagle Clan) is the School Administrator for the Indian Community School (ics-edu.org), in Franklin, WI, which serves Native students in the metro Milwaukee area. A member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians (BadRiver-nsn.gov), Jason is committed to supporting students, families, staff, school/community leaders, and the community both near and far.
Having recently completed a two-year term as President of the National Indian Education Association (NIEA.org), he advocated for and spoke on the importance of tribal sovereignty, policy, appropriations, and student support across the country. As a Board Member of NIEA, Jason continues with that work, championing training and providing information for schools and community organizations, while creating visibility and understanding of Indigenous perspectives.
His greatest passion is creating welcoming spaces for students to develop their identity, take pride in their language and culture, and to celebrate the rich legacy and the promising future of Indigenous communities.
– Head Coach
First and foremost, I’m a husband, father and son. I’m someone who is driven by my faith. I’m the Principal of A. Russell Knight Elementary in Cherry Hill, NJ. The Parks are animal lovers. We have 3 dogs and 2 cats. Some things that I’m loving at the moment is playing Pickleball and cooking for my friends and family. I also have the privilege and joy of serving as a BLBS Mastermind coach.
– Head Coach
Back in high school, Jesse used to painstakingly unthread the logos from his clothing and hats so that he wouldn’t be seen as part of the status quo.
He didn’t know it then, but that was the start of his journey as someone who finds unique ways of communicating ideas.
Then when he discovered his connection to youth with disabilities, he realized that he was among experts who’ve been finding ways to do things differently all their lives.
Leaning into these connections has brought him to become the Innovation Lead for a statewide project called I’m Determined – developing and producing animated videos and feature-length movies, facilitating events and building tools and resources for youth, families, and educators – all as ways to help students ink their journeys for the world to see.
As a leadership coach, Jesse is someone whose consistent presence is there to listen and add value and belonging.
– Head Coach
Leadership skills were evident as early as first grade for Paige Kinnaird when the teacher pointed out that “Paige is an eager beaver who completes her own work and then monitors what everyone else is doing.”
This taught Paige the importance of servant leadership. To never expect work from others that she is not fully committed to also putting forth the effort to accomplish.
Paige has used this as the central driving force of her work ever since… a willingness to be part of the work, not just driving the work.
– Head Coach
Karine Veldhoen, M.Ed., is the founder of Learn Forward™ and a creative force in education. While her name may be difficult to pronounce, her mission is simple, to champion extraordinary potential. As an educational leader (15 years) she created the first model Learn Forward™ school while simultaneously founding and serving as Executive Director of Niteo Africa. She’s taught Teacher Candidates at both UBC-O and UNBC and serves as a coach for Better Leaders Better Schools.
In all of her roles, she considers herself a modern-day pilgrim who stands for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
Now, she dedicates her professional practice to championing EdLeaders to design thriving schools. When Karine is not carving new paths for education, you’ll find her with her husband and three children, her heart-song.