This document discusses the role and responsibilities of a school principal. It begins by providing a brief history of the principal role, which originated as the principal teacher but evolved to become more administrative focused. It then discusses the need for a principal to understand the expectations of different stakeholders, including staff, parents, and community members. The rest of the document offers advice on how to effectively communicate goals and plans, manage resources, build working relationships, and lead as either an administrator or educator focused principal. The overall message is that principals must know their role and ensure all stakeholders understand upcoming plans through clear and repeated communication.

1. TMI: Ten Minutes of Information
Principles of Principal
Communication
TMI: Ten Minutes of Information
Principles of Principal
Communication
Developing Your Local Culture
Copyrights reserved 2015MHT

2. Role of the Principal
Historically,
the Principal of a school was
the
Principal Teacher of the
school.
The “teacher” portion was
increasingly dropped
due to the highly
administrative responsibilities
in our changing world.
A Principal Teacher used to
gain position due to expertise
in methodology, pedagogy, and
leadership.
Currently,
experience or expertise are

3. Which are you?
Principal Teacher?
Or
Administrator?

4. Administrator or Principal Teacher?
This presentation acknowledges the
highly ADMINISTRATIVE activity
of a school PRINCIPAL…
AND, acknowledges
that many PRINCIPALS do carry
a lot of EDUCATIONAL EXPERTISE.

5. Role of the Principal
Knowing the history of your title
provides insight into what expectations
your staff has of you.
Often, veteran educators
expect a Principal
to be an educational expert.
However, beginning educators
rely on the Principal
more for administrative reference and referral
and look to neighboring teachers for teaching guidance.

6. Know “their” Expectations
Be very aware
of the expectations
other stakeholders
have of you in your Principal role.
Parents, school board, local merchants,
residential neighbors, alumni, incoming students,
your own family…

7. Stay Effective by
Staying in the Know
Know exactly:
• your required role, responsibility, and tasks… and
restrictions
• The roles, responsibilities, and tasks of
individuals on your staff… and restrictions

8. Stay Effective by
Staying in the Know
Know exactly
• the current goal of your district, school, project
• what process has been agreed upon as a means
to achieve the goal

9. Stay Effective by
Staying in the Know
Know
•Any and all local cultural practices
that affect the process or the product
•All local cultural practices that will
need to be developed locally

10. Stay Effective by
Staying in the Know
Know
•How to partner with each individual on your team
•How to align similar talents to meet the goal
•How to build alliance amongst diverse talents…
to meet the goal.

11. TMI: Principal Communication
Quiz
1. What exactly is your role as Principal?
2. What exactly are your responsibilities?
3. What exactly are your required tasks?
4. What are your required relationships?

12. Administering Resources
Human Resources
+
Material Resources
+
Intangible Resources

13. Roles of the Players
Name the titles of your staff.
What exactly are their individual roles?
What are their individual responsibilities?
What are their required tasks?
What are their required relationships?

14. Partnerships: Human Resources
To reach your goals,
requires the appropriate partnerships.
How will you…
Encourage effective relations between those with
differing values?
Unify behaviors from all age cohorts? Departments?
Elicit talents from your team when they are not required
to contribute their talents? Or when you cannot
compen$ate?

15. Materials: Material Resources
To reach your goal
requires that material resources
be in place as needed.
How will you assure that ample resources
are available in a timely fashion?

16. Intangible Resources
How will you
• Maintain a positive morale for each individual?
• Affirm appropriate, professional activity?
• Redirect inappropriate, unprofessional activity?

17. Know the Community Goals
What is the
agreed process
of action?
What materials
and resources
were agreed
upon?
How will local
culture and
values be
honored?
District
School
Group

18. Communicating the Action Plan
Repetition,
Repetition 
Redundancy
Redundancy 
Satiation
Satiation 
Common Understanding

19. Communicating the Action Plan
Multiple modes…
weekly newsletter,
PA announcements,
memo in teacher mailbox,
Email,
Faculty bulletin boards
meeting agenda,
mini-posters
Individual conversations
Etc.!

20. Communicating the Action Plan
Frequent repetition…
before school
in the morning announcement,
at recess/ break
in casual passing in the hallway
at dismissal
at afternoon encounters
in meetings

21. Communicating the Action Plan
To all Stakeholders…
to faculty,
to staff,
to parents,
to student leadership,
to neighbors,
to “downtown”
to local media (?)

22. About Communicating
Communication from Administration
is just like teaching:
If a student hasn’t learned it,
the teacher hasn’t taught it 
If community members don’t know about it,
the Principal hasn’t communicated it.

23. Communication backtracking…
But I DID teach it! But I DID communicate it!
Pat yourself on the back for
getting the process started.
Then recognize that the audience might be attuned to a
different mode or method of delivery.
Now you can repeat the necessary information in the mode
and method
preferred by audience members.

24. Encourage Working Relationships
Know the expertise of each player.
Affirm each for their expertise
Be sincere
Be timely
Affirm in proper proportion to deed
Spread it around!

25. Encourage Working
Relationships
Associate positive emotions to each session.
Publicly, acknowledge successes routinely
Arrange comfortable meeting place and seating
Sincerely say, “Glad to see you.” “Thank you.”
Provide hospitality
Show gratitude for desired behaviors
Verbally appreciate participation and progress
Be clear about plan and purpose
Stay on task
Finish on time

26. Encourage Working
Relationships
Affirm desired behaviors
Congratulate team ethics
Verbally appreciate contribution
Acknowledge ongoing effort
Highlight all progress, even the small steps
Account for limitations
Model desired behaviors

27. Knowing what others expect…
 Plan bridges in place of vast differences
 Focus on common ground
 Support professional, effective relations
 Build high morale and job satisfaction
 Provide appropriate resources (human,
material, training, time)

28. Be Pro-Active
Accept human limitations
Make the MOST of time, efforts,
resources, and opportunity
Build and MAINTAIN moral
Use caution to NOT exhaust TIME,
EFFORT, RESOURCES,
OPPORTUNITY, WILLING
PARTICIPATION, and MORAL

29. Principal? Site Administrator?
QUIZ? or CHALLENGE?
What’s your plan?
What’s your purpose?
What’s your product?
What’s your future?

30. Leadership TMI: Ten Minutes of Information
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