I think (for whatever my thoughts are worth) a fundamental change needs to occur in public school administration. The principal, headmaster, rector, Lead Teacher, whatever needs to have as his or her primary responsibility “presence”-ness, for lack of a better term. My experience with school administrators, and I’ve had what I consider to be a lot, is that the good administrators view their main job as meeting with their constituents: students, staff, parents, and community. This means being out in the hallways at all times; being visible in classrooms, cafeterias, playgrounds; being the spokesperson for his/her school; sitting in on every meeting with a parent and/or student NO MATTER WHAT. Those three words are so critical. Nothing, no meeting with a superintendent, no meeting with another teacher, no meeting with a textbook company, no meeting with a golf tournament planning group should ever supersede meeting with a parent or student. All plans get dropped.

Don’t give the principal so many committees to serve on and show up for. Keep him or her in the building. At my last school in Indiana, my principal was out of the building 4 out 5 days of the week. There was one day a week when he was in there all day. The students and staff all read that loud and clear as “this guy’s not important for the day-to-day functions of the school community.”

My perspective is not relevatory or insightful. Until we stop making principals CEOs, probation officers, emcees, and start making them managers of their schools, we’ll continue to see them walk out of all-important meetings. Priorities, right?