A few weeks ago, I posted a list of things that Principals do on a daily basis. As a Principal of a 2nd and 3rd Grade School, my list was very elementary-centric. Thank you to Dr. Josue Falaise, a friend from New Jersey who shared with me a list that might appeal more to those leaders of Middle and High School buildings.
Below is the list:
Middle and High School Principals
1. Check facilities (outside and inside) for student and staff safety
2. Ensure the school looks inviting every day. Starting at the school entrance
3. Ensure breakfast runs smooth for students
4. Communicating with parents and motivating students in the morning outside the school as they arrive to school
5. Morning announcements
6. Greeting and motivating staff in the morning
7. Meeting with parents and guardians about concerns and suggestions.
8. Daily classroom visitations and provide feedback to teachers
9. Daily classroom visitations and provide feedback to students
10. Regular Wall Walks and bulletin board checks with feedback to teachers
11. Meeting with teachers in PLCs about pedagogy, assessments and curriculum implementation
12. Meeting with principals of other grade level spans on vertical articulation
13. Meeting with district supervisors about curriculum requirements and modifications
14. Sit with or visit all or most lunch periods to interact with students
15. Ensure teachers receive supplies
16. Attend most or all sporting events (in-district and out of district)
17. Attend most or all student award or special recognition events (in-district and out of district)
18. Some school trips
19. Deal with transportation about bus concerns
20. Remain with students when a bus leaves without them
21. Remain with students late when a parent has either forgot about them or is running really late
22. Sweep and mop floors
23. Move all types of supplies either with or without custodial assistance. No matter how light or heavy.
24. Handle all substitute coverage
25. Apply Band-Aids and ice packs
26. Counseling, remediation and reconciliation sessions
27. Plan relevant professional development, weekly, monthly and annually
28. Create annual theme that applies to school vision and mission
29. Review student performance data (formative and summative) regularly
30. Meet with Multi-tiered System (aka I&RS and RTI) teams regularly regarding struggling students and teachers
31. Monthly meetings with special services staff about students and services being offered
32. Ensuring intramural sports activities are operating safely and effectively
33. Having accountability meetings with staff
34. Inspiring staff to participate in activities outside of the school day that build relationships with students.
35. Meeting with community and business partners/sponsors about strategies and offerings to better serve students and families
36. Arrange assemblies and events with vendors throughout the school year
37. Attend board meetings
38. Ensure school schedule is student driven not staff
39. Establish and maintain a mission and vision driven and sound budget that is focused on the students
40. Modeling for staff and students how to interact with each other and build relationships
41. Maintain presence in the community at events so students, staff and residents know you care beyond the Monday to Friday 8am-4pm job
While the days of Elementary, Middle, or High School Principals may differ, you can see that many of the responsibilities overlap and you can recognize that great leaders take on EVERYTHING! Thanks to Josh for sharing!