A principal's job is astonishingly complex, and its competing demands can be overwhelming, especially in the first few years. In this book, Jen Schwanke, a principal herself, provides a mentor's guidance to steer new principals through the period of adjustment and set the foundation for a long and rewarding career. The topics you wish your graduate program had covered are covered here--directly, practically, and without the jargon.

Drawing on her own experience, Schwanke provides strategies for tackling the most common yet most daunting challenges of the principalship, including

• Establishing productive professional relationships
• Building and maintaining a positive school culture
• Resolving conflict among staff and parents
• Providing effective instructional leadership
• Supporting students' social-emotional needs
• Conducting staff evaluations and delivering feedback
• Keeping up with district, state, and federal mandates
• Managing the facility and the budget
• Providing focused and effective professional development
• Prioritizing responsibilities
• Learning from student and schoolwide data
• Planning for growth and change
• Working through behavior and discipline issues
• Hiring high-quality teachers and supporting new ones
• Leading effective meetings
• Maintaining balance

The standalone chapters provide easy access to the solutions you need for the situations you face. Along with real-life scenarios and critical tips for success, you'll find helpful models of what to do, what to say, and how to say it. This book is a source for ideas any time you encounter a problem and think, "Now what?" It's the beginning of an ongoing conversation about the wonderful and rewarding work of being a principal.