Opinion Blog

Classroom Q&A

With Larry Ferlazzo

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to lferlazzo@epe.org. Read more from this blog.

Education Opinion

Q & A Collections: Administrator Leadership

By Larry Ferlazzo — August 31, 2016 3 min read
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I’ll begin posting new questions and answers in early September, and during the summer will be sharing thematic posts bringing together responses on similar topics from the past five years. You can see all those collections from the first four years here.

Here are the ones I’ve posted so far:

This Year’s Most Popular Q & A Posts!

Classroom Management Advice

Student Motivation & Social Emotional Learning

Implementing The Common Core

Race & Gender Challenges

Best Ways To Begin & End The School Year

Brain-Based Learning

Teaching Social Studies

Project-Based Learning

Using Tech In The Classroom

Parent Engagement In Schools

Teaching English Language Learners

Student Assessment

Reading Instruction

Writing Instruction

Education Policy Issues

Differentiating Instruction

Math Instruction

Science Instruction

Professional Development

Teacher Leadership

Today’s theme is on administrator leadership. You can see the list following this excerpt from one of them:

* Principals ‘Need To Step Back & Forward Through Time’

Myron Dueck, PJ Caposey, Pete Hall, and Christina Post contribute their commentaries on the topic of qualities potential principals should develop and maintain.

* Principals ‘Must be Reflective Daily About the Work’

Catherine Beck, Mark Estrada, Bill Sterrett and Ben Fenton share their suggestions about the qualities aspiring principals should cultivate within themselves.

* Ways Principals Can Assist Social Studies Teachers

In this post, Troy Hicks, Kristina J. Doubet, David Sherrin, Kirke Olson, and Barbara Blackburn share their thoughts on how principals can support teachers, specifically in the social sciences. I’ve also included comments from many readers.

* Effective Principals Must ‘Work Collaboratively’

In this post, Shawn Blankenship, Pete Hall, Jennifer Hindman, Steven Anderson, and Aubrie Rojee share their suggestions on how principals can mentor teachers.

* Principals Must Support Teachers in ‘Quest of Continuous Improvement’

This piece features commentaries from Mark Estrada, Diana Laufenberg, Bryan Harris, Ben Spielberg, Sarah Cooper and Drs. William & Pérsida Himmele on how principals can best support teachers.

* School Leaders Must Focus On ‘Authentic Learning,’ Not ‘Test Prep’

Justin Baeder and Kelly Young (who I consider my mentor in education) contribute their answers here. I include comments from readers, too.

* Administrators Must Make ‘Alliances With Students, Teachers & Parents’

This post shares guest responses from three educators -- Anne Reeves, Justin Tarte, and PJ Caposey.

* Education Innovation Is Like A ‘Stradivarius Violin’

This column shares responses from Maurice J. Elias and Elise Foster, plus comments from readers.

* ‘Educators Are Suffering From Innovation Fatigue’

This post includes commentaries by Scott McLeod, Sally Zepeda, and Tony Frontier.

* Advice For Aspiring Principals: “Shadow, Connect & Dream”

Scott McLeod, Kelly Young, John Gabriel and Paul Farmer all offer their advice here.

* So, You Want To Be A Principal?

Justin Baeder, Allan R. Bonilla and Josh Stumpenhorst share their reflections.

* Advice for Educators Wanting to be Principals -- Part One

Lyn Hilt, Joe Mazza, and Cheryl James-Ward contribute to this post.

* We Need “Fewer John Waynes & More John Deweys”

This is Part One in a series responding to the question: “How can teachers best relate to Superintendents -- and vice versa?”

This post provides responses from a teacher’s perspective, with contributions from Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers; Dean Vogel, President of the California Teachers Association ; and Barnett Berry of the Center For Teaching Quality.

* Teachers & Superintendents Must “Work To Understand Each Other”

This is Part Two, and provides responses from a Superintendent’s perspective, with contributions from three Superintendents (along with comments from readers): Joshua Starr, Pamela Moran, and John Kuhn.

I hope you’ve found this summary useful and, again, keep those questions coming!

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.