Every October, National Principals Month gives us an opportunity to recognize and thank the people leading our schools. They deserve it. Principals arrive early, stay late and juggle instruction, staffing, parent concerns, budgets, student crises and school safety. They also contend with illogical mandates, counterproductive procedures and burdensome, often unnecessary paperwork. Most days, something unexpected demands their attention, adding to an already full agenda.
So, yes, we should thank our principals. But we should also listen to them. For the sake of our schools and school systems, that matters more than ever.
I started as a physical education teacher in the same Staten Island middle school I attended as a student. I became a dean, then an assistant principal and, in 2003, a middle school principal. To this day, being a principal remains the most difficult, yet most rewarding position I have ever held. When I left the principalship in 2012, I thought I understood how demanding and complex the job could be. I couldn't have been more wrong.
Many remember the principal as the person who ran the building, supervised the staff, and enforced the rules. Principals still do those things, but that description barely scratches the surface of today's job. Today's principals are instructional leaders who recruit and develop educators, oversee student learning, manage budgets, address staffing shortages and respond to the academic, behavioral and mental health needs of students. They work with families, navigate safety concerns and somehow find time to build a school culture where teachers can teach and students can learn. They find themselves accountable for things they have no control over while being buried in compliance tasks that do nothing to improve student success.
And that's just what might appear in a job description. Many principals find ways to provide students with winter coats, secure backpacks and school supplies, and even help families put food on the table. They support teachers going through difficult times, convince struggling students not to give up on themselves and hold school communities together when tragedy strikes. You won't find that on a principal's performance review, but it's the job. Most people have no idea how much school leaders do.
Research reinforces what many of us have known for years, effective principals have a significant impact on schools and students, influencing student achievement, teacher retention, attendance and school climate. One research finding is particularly striking, strong school leadership can translate into nearly three additional months of learning in math and reading over a school year. Think about that.
A principal doesn't personally teach every child. I certainly didn't. But their decisions shape what happens in every classroom. Who do they hire? How do they support their teachers? Do students feel safe? Do families trust their school? Does everyone understand what they're trying to accomplish? Good principals create the conditions where other people can succeed.
Yet we keep expanding their responsibilities without providing the support, resources and authority they need. We add another mandate, another reporting requirement, another problem to solve and expect them to find more hours in the day. It's as if some people employed to support principals are actively seeking to find their breaking point. I understand why principals accept these demands.
When you're responsible for a school community, you solve problems. That's what you do. But during my years as a principal and union leader, I learned that school leaders are often better at advocating for everyone else than for themselves. They fight for students, teachers and staff. They work with parents and push for the resources their schools need. Too often, they accept additional responsibilities while compromising their own health and personal relationships, without speaking up about what those demands mean for their longevity and ability to lead.
The people making decisions about our schools need to hear from the people running them and act on what they hear. Do principals have enough staff? Are they getting the mentoring and professional development they need? Do they have time to focus on teaching and learning, or are they buried in paperwork? Are they trusted to make decisions that serve their students? Are they supported or scapegoated when things don't go as planned? If we're going to hold principals accountable for what happens in their schools, we must give them a meaningful voice in the decisions affecting those schools, encourage them to take calculated risks, and support them when they do.
No principal succeeds alone. Great schools depend on teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, nurses, custodians, cafeteria workers, families and many others working together. A principal's responsibility is to bring those people together, build trust and help everyone do their best work for students. I loved being a principal and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. I've seen school leaders do extraordinary things, often without the resources or recognition they deserve. I've also watched them return day after day, exhausted, because they know their students and staff are counting on them.
So, this National Principals Month, thank a principal. But also ask them how things are going, what their students and teachers need, and what's getting in the way. Then take what they say seriously. Great schools start with great leaders. A thank-you is always appreciated. Being heard can actually make a difference.
