Principals Set

Goals for New

School Year
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Principals Set Goals for New School Year

The school doors are open; the goals for the new school year are
set. This week, Education World invited our "Principal Files"
principals to share the goals they have set for the school year that
just got underway. One restriction: Nobody was allowed to say
"raise test scores" because that goal is a given! The goals those
principals shared are as varied as the schools they represent. Learn
what principals had to say in this article, which stands as a lesson in Goal Setting 101.
Included: Goals related to curriculum, motivating teachers, involving parents, more!

Principal Deborah Harbin has one main goal this year. "I want to be in the classrooms more and
have professional conversations with teachers about curriculum and instruction," Harbin told
Education World. "The work of the school happens in the classrooms. If I want to influence my
school, then that's where I need to be."

Harbin, principal at Holbrook Elementary School in Houston's

Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, recognizes that her This Month's
goal is easier to state than to accomplish, "but I am determined," she Contributors
said.
Fourteen school
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principals at the end of
Harbin was one of more than a dozen of Principal Files Principals this article.
who joined a recent discussion about the goals they have set for the
year ahead. Many of the principals' goals revolve around the themes of curriculum improvement,
professional development, and motivating teachers to do the best they can do for all students.
Harbin's goal seems to encompass all of those themes.

MOTIVATING TEACHERS AND IMPROVING MORALE

This fall, Jed Landsman-Yakin, principal at Belfry (Montana) High School, welcomed eight new
teachers to his staff of 18. "The experience level of those new teachers ranges from not-yet-out-
of-college to master-level technicians," Landsman-Yakin told Education World.

Landsman-Yakin's challenge is to convince the new and veteran educators at Belfry to work
toward common goals. "We have a common goal -- to produce the very best, smartest, wisest,
well-rounded graduates -- as we work independently within teams to raise the standard," added
Landsman-Yakin. "Our tools are different but we are all trying to create the same masterpiece!"
At the same time, Landsman-Yakin has to sell students, parents, the superintendent, community
members, and businesses on that common goal.

An Onward to Excellence grant is the fuel that Landsman-Yakin is using to ignite the effort. The
grant monies were used to send 13 members of the Belfry High staff to a five-day literacy
conference. In addition, weekly staff meetings -- for at least the first six to eight weeks of school
-- will be used to reinforce newly-acquired teaching skills, discuss their value to the learning
process, and get buy-in from the staff members who didn't attend the conference.

"We include non-certified staff as part of our ongoing school improvement work," added
Landsman-Yakin. "The cooks, bus drivers, cleaning staff, and secretarial people are so very
important to this endeavor."

BUILDING A TEAM CLIMATE

Have You Seen...?
In Wyoming, Bob Edmiston will be focusing his efforts at Uinta
Meadows Elementary School toward a similar goal -- building a Have you seen these
team climate and creating opportunities for the staff to learn for other articles from
themselves the importance of implementing and incorporating Education World's
defined instructional strategies. "Principal Files"
series?
Among Edmiston's vehicles for building a team climate is a "Terrific * Veteran Principals
Teacher" article that will appear regularly in the local newspaper; Offer Advice to New
each article will highlight the successes of a different staff member. Colleagues
In addition, the entire staff will be reading and discussing Camel- * Principals Share
Makers: Building Effective Teacher Teams Together (A Modern Parent Involvement
Fable for Educators) by Daniel L. Kain. Ideas
* Advice for First-
When it comes to instructional strategies, Edmiston has invited the Year Teachers -- From
district curriculum administrator to visit classrooms. In addition, he the Principals Who
will be doing some training in authentic student instructional Hired Them!
approaches such as 6 + 1 Trait Writing and student portfolios, and he * If You Had a
will establish an account to fund "floating" substitute teachers so Choice, Would You
teams of three teachers can take turns observing each other teach. Still Be a Principal?
* What Do Principals
"I know how strong and talented my staff is," Edmiston added. "The Do? (From a Child's
idea is to suggest some new ideas and to allow the teams to share and Point of View)
learn from one another." In that way, Edmiston added, "Success will
breed success!"

CREATING AN EXCITEMENT FOR LEARNING

"I hope to create more of an excitement for learning among our student body by generating more
enthusiasm for teaching among our staff and by demonstrating to the students the rewards of
being academically active," Chris Madlena, principal at Life Christian School and Academy in
Tacoma, Washington, told Education World. Discussion of this goal will be the focus of in-
service and staff meetings. Madlena will solicit ideas for reaching that goal from the teachers.

"I also plan to improve staff morale by recognizing teachers and staff achievements, and their
duty above and beyond the call," said Madlena. "I will be raising the praise with staff, visiting
their classrooms more, and providing special treats -- putting little gifts in their mailboxes, taking
them to lunch on their birthdays, and giving the gift of time.

"I have found that when teachers realize that they are respected for who they are and what they
do, it carries over into the classroom and thus to the students," added Madlena. "That makes
everyone happier to be at school."

In Louisiana, improving staff morale is high on the list for Marguerite McNeely, principal of
Oak Hill High School in Hineston. "This year, staff members will be rewarded with weekly
recognitions for outstanding lessons and activities, and awards will be given to a Teacher of the
Month and Teacher of the Year," said McNeely. "We'll also hold birthday parties, seasonal
parties, and a summer barbecue."

Nancy Pominek has plans for improving staff morale at Abraham Clark High School in New
Jersey, where she is a vice principal. First, she plans to address staff concerns about building
renovations. In addition, she will include staff in planning the agendas for staff meetings, a
mentoring program will be initiated for new teachers, monthly certificates will be awarded for
perfect attendance, and she will announce a staff member of the month.

CURRICULUM A LEADING FOCUS OF SCHOOL GOALS

Reading improvement tops many principals' lists of curriculum goals. In Jasper, Alabama,
principal Jim Clark has set a goal of 100 percent literacy for students at T.R. Simmons
Elementary School. That goal will require some adjustments to instruction, Clark said. To help
achieve that goal, next summer he plans to offer 10 days of Alabama Reading Initiative Training
for all takers on his staff. If all goes according to plan, Simmons Elementary will be a Literacy
Demonstration Site next year.

Personal Goals Too!

Most principals have

personal goals that
support or extend their
professional goals.

Principal Teri Stokes

has some personal
goals for the year
ahead. They include
* developing a
stronger awareness of
each teacher's
strengths and areas for
growth through daily
classroom visits,
planned and informal
discussions.
* becoming a stronger
resource to her staff
for current educational
research.
* not losing sight of
the kids! "Even though
our school is
undergoing an
accreditation study this
year, is adopting a new
math program, and has
a significant amount of
state mandated
instructional in-service
as a result of a court
decision, our primary
goal is to provide the
best possible day --
full of creative,
profitable learning
experiences -- for each
student!" Stokes told
Education World.

Vice Principal Nancy

Pominek aims to
develop professionally
so she can be a better
leader and motivator.
She will accomplish
that goal by: * picking
the brains of other
assistant principals in
her building and
district; * writing
grants for increasing
Reviewing science curriculum will be another major thrust in the
year ahead, Clark told Education World. "We will continue to train parent involvement;
our classroom teachers in our Hands-On Activity Science Program and * attending
(HASP)," he said. "The program was designed by NASA in workshops sponsored
cooperation with several colleges across the state. The colleges by the New Jersey
trained master teachers in specific modules of the curriculum. Those Principals and
master teachers then trained teachers in other schools." That cycle Supervisors
will continue as new modules are added each year. Association and other
organizations.
"We will continue our technology plan" in the year ahead, principal
Betty Peltier told Education World. That plan calls for teachers to continually improve their
technology skills. "Our goal is to have all teachers move beyond [using technology for] simple
fact-finding."

"Linking learning to life" is the vision at Silver Sands Middle School in Port Orange, Florida.
There the whole staff will work in concert to connect classroom lessons with real-world
situations, principal Les Potter told Education World. "We have a volunteer coordinator -- a
parent -- who is linking our school to businesses and community leaders who will mentor our
students," said Potter. The staff has applied for grants to assist with any expenses for the
program, which includes frequent field trips.

"We even have several faculty members who got their bus driver certification so they could
transport students around the area," added Potter. "That will save quite a bit of money."

Character education will be a focus at Abraham Clark High School, said Nancy Pominek. The
program the school plans to institute this year includes rewards for students and staff who
display good character behaviors.

Curricular consistency is Amos Kornfeld's goal at Piermount Village Elementary School in New
Hampshire. "We adopted Everyday Math two years ago, and now we are trying to get the entire
staff on the same page for writing and reading," Kornfeld told Education World. Kornfeld is
excited about an ancient Greece unit that the whole school will participate in this year, and about
working with the staff to create consistent report cards.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT A COMMON GOAL

Staff development was another common thread that linked the Principal Files principals' goals
discussion.

Amos Kornfeld and his staff will be implementing a new supervision policy based on Research
for Better Teaching (RBT). This will be a year-long effort; by the end of the school year, "RBT
concepts and strategies should be part of our vernacular in staff meetings," Kornfeld added.

In Sacramento, administrator Lyn McCarty will be focusing her efforts on staff development and
monitoring/coaching activities bent on the notion that more consistent literacy instruction can be
achieved across classrooms and school sites within the district. "We have the curriculum. We
have the vision," McCarty told Education World. "Now we need to bring teachers into sync. We
plan to provide reflective collegial planning time and to support teachers who are continuing to
familiarize themselves with the methods and materials through ongoing training and coaching."

Professional development is one of principal Marie Kostick's goals too. Her staff at Goodwyn
Junior High School in Montgomery, Alabama, will have regular opportunities to participate in
in-service programs at the school and system level, and they will be encouraged to attend
regional workshops. Last month, the staff participated in a workshop organized around Stephen
Covey's book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT, MENTORING, HONOR ROLL...

When we asked our P-File principals to share their goals, we set one ground rule; nobody could
say that "raising test scores" is a goal. That goal is a forgone conclusion -- a no-brainer -- in these
days of high-stakes testing and accountability. We wanted to hear about the other important
goals our principals would be working toward!

However, several principals couldn't resist making comments about raising scores. Betty Peltier,
of Southdown Elementary School in Houma, Louisiana, took issue with the phrase "raising test
scores." "I have a personal problem with using that often-used phrase as a goal," Peltier told
Education World. "I try to emphasize to my teachers that our goal is to increase our students'
learning as evidenced by the test scores. That perspective helps keep them focused on the real
reason we are here."

In addition to "increasing students' learning," Peltier hopes to make headway in a continuing

effort to get parents involved. "We were very successful last year with our grade level nights,"
Peltier explained. "Each grade, K through 6, had a grade level night for parents. We provided
dinner, baby-sitters, and an overview of the grade level program."

"The parent night effort was funded through a grant," Peltier explained. "I was able to pay the
teachers a presentation stipend for the hours they prepared and presented.

"We had a great turnout!" she added.

Brad Auten hopes to create a mentor program at Lincoln Elementary School in Monticello,
Illinois. "We have a number of students from single-parent homes who could benefit from more
positive adult interaction," Auten told Education World. "I have meetings scheduled with our
middle school principal, social worker, a few teachers from our building, staff from the local
mental health clinic, and a community member who has had some experience with a mentoring
program."

"We are currently applying for grants that might help fund this endeavor," Auten added. "If we
can operate such a program, all mentors will undergo training."

At Goodwyn Junior High, Marie Kostick hopes to raise SAT reading and writing scores to above
the national average. In addition, it is her goal to increase the number of honor roll students by
20 percent. To achieve that goal, the staff will take every opportunity to educate students and
parents about high academic expectations; promote a school culture of improvement; recognize
academic achievement through assemblies and breakfasts, and with prizes; and seek innovative
ideas for increasing student achievement.

Finally, Jim Clark has a most worthy goal -- surviving this school year! The state of Alabama has
cut the education budget across the board to account for income shortfalls. Clark's budget has
been prorated [cut] 6.2 percent, and additional cuts are expected. "So far, I have lost two certified
teachers, one assistant principal, and six paraprofessionals," Clark told Education World. "That
calculates to approximately $250,000 in chopped salaries."

We hope things improve for Jim. That's our goal for him!

"Principal Files" Contributors to This Article

 Brad Auten, principal, Lincoln School, Monticello, Illinois

 Jim Clark, principal, T.R. Simmons Elementary School, Jasper, Alabama
 Bob Edmiston, principal, Uinta Meadows Elementary School, Evanston, Wyoming
 Deborah Harbin, principal, Holbrook Elementary School, Houston, Texas
 Amos Kornfeld, principal, Piermont Village School, Piermont, New Hampshire
 Marie Kostick, principal, Goodwyn Junior High School, Montgomery, Alabama
 Jed Landsman-Yakin, principal, Belfry High School, Belfry, Montana
 Chris Madlena, principal, Life Christian School and Academy, Tacoma, Washington
 Lyn McCarty, coordinator of special education services, Sacramento, California
 Marguerite McNeely, principal, Oak Hill High School, Hineston, Louisiana
 Betty Peltier, principal, Southdown Elementary School, Houma, Louisiana
 Nancy A. Pominek, vice principal, Abraham Clark High School, Roselle, New Jersey
 Dr. Les Potter, principal, Silver Sands Middle School, Port Orange, Florida
 Teri Stokes, principal, Weatherly Heights Elementary, Huntsville, Alabama