Advice on How to Ace Your First Year as a K-12 Principal

One thing’s for certain about the beginning of a school year: there’s a lot of newness. New teachers, new students, new grade levels, and in many schools around the United States, brand new school leadership.

If you’re in the group of this year’s new school leaders, welcome! Not only are we happy to have you in the fold, we’re thrilled you've decided to put your educational leadership skills to work in a way that will impact students and families on a broader scale. Simply put, you’re so needed, and we’re glad you answered the call.

Simply put, you’re so needed, and we’re glad you answered the call.

Undoubtedly, you’re most likely already feeling that sensation of “drinking from a fire hose”—there’s so much to understand, remember, and simultaneously apply in your new role. For that reason, we’ve put together a list of strategies to help this new year in the principalship go as smoothly as possible. Here’s our advice for first-time principals:

Find your ideal mentor

Even if you’ve had a front-row seat to the principalship as an assistant principal, taking the reins of a school for the first time is a massive learning curve—one that will require you to take the lead on identifying the best way to get the knowledge you need. Now’s the time to seek a mentor. Having a supportive mentor will not only help you recognize and leverage your talents, but their support also will help you to identify your growth areas. It’s like your own personalized professional development. 

To get started, create a list of the people in your network who are knowledgeable about a principal’s day-to-day work, understand the different elements of schools, and have a successful track record. Narrow down your list to someone you trust to give you consistent and non-evaluative feedback and guidance.

Once you’ve selected a mentor, collaborate with them to make a plan for the year. Will you be meeting month-to-month? Will the mentor observe you as you’re taking on new tasks—such as meeting facilitation or having one-on-ones with teachers and staff? Determine together where you need the most coaching and support.

Craft your “personal mission statement”

When we talk to those who believe they’re ready for the principalship, they often say it’s because they want to make an impact on a larger scale than they might as a teacher or assistant principal. 

Similar to a school mission statement, a personal mission statement is your North Star, ensuring that every decision you make aligns with your deepest convictions. 

Creating that impact begins by leading with purpose, and this is where it’ll help to have a personal mission statement: a concrete declaration of your core values, aspirations, and commitments as a principal. Similar to a school mission statement, a personal mission statement is your North Star, ensuring that every decision you make aligns with your deepest convictions. 

To craft your own statement, start with a bit of self-reflection. What values and beliefs drive your work? What impact do you hope to have on your students, staff, and community? How will you prioritize student learning? How can you make sure that your actions align with your mission on a day-to-day basis? And, how can you effectively—and consistently—communicate your vision to those in your school?  

Share your goals and your decision-making process

No matter how much you think you’re communicating with your new school community about your goals and the thought process behind them, it’s good to keep in mind that there’s no such thing as overcommunication as a principal—especially in your first year.

This principal, whose goal was to create a “calm, predictable environment” for a school that had experienced many setbacks and challenges in the years before her tenure, learned that even though teachers and staff knew what she was working towards, she could have done more to let her team know that progress was being made. “I think I underestimated how many times I could have or should have come back to, ‘I am creating a calm, comfortable environment. This is what we are doing. This is what we’re seeing over time,’” she says.

Similarly, it will help to share the process behind your decision-making. While we know you can’t involve your teachers and staff in every decision you make, aim to be transparent about the reasoning behind the choices being made, and find ways to involve your school community in the decisions that affect them. It’s one of the best ways to quickly build strong relationships.

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Honor the school culture that already exists

If you’re new to the principalship, you undoubtedly feel some pressure—some self-created—to fix everything immediately. After all, that’s why you’re there, right?

However, “fixing everything immediately” often inadvertently creates the perception that the work that had been done prior to you coming on board was lacking in some way—most likely not the impression you want to give. Instead, make it a priority to ask questions, listen to the answers, and notice the flow of your school.

One way to get some quick answers is to conduct a start/stop/continue analysis with teachers and staff to find patterns and trends. Ask parents and students about their experiences. That way when you’re ready to make changes, you’ll have the data.

Focus on building strong relationships from the start

Strong relationships are the foundation of a principalship, and it’s critical to start nurturing those relationships at the very beginning of the year. And listening is one of the best ways to build the trust that forms the basis of those relationships.

We’ve talked before about the importance of what’s called “global listening,” a level of listening that involves paying attention to more than what’s being said and focusing on a speaker’s emotions, body language, tone, and gestures. As you find yourself in team meetings or one-on-ones with your team, practice asking them “global listening” questions, such as “I noticed you hesitated before answering the question. What’s on your mind?” or “It seemed like you weren’t quite finished with your answer. Is there anything else you want to let me know about?” 

By paying attention to both verbal and non-verbal cues—and then using those cues to ask for more information—you’re showing your team that you truly see them. And, be sure to make time for this listening. Proactively offer office hours, take time during staff meetings, and create opportunities for loosely structured conversations around what they love about your school, what they’d like to see changed, and how you can best support them. 

Listening is one of the best ways to build the trust that forms the basis of those relationships.

Fight the need to “be the superhero”

As a new principal, you have the opportunity to create your own narrative about the way that you work and lead—and there’s no better time to set that tone than your first year.

One of the emotions principals report most often is isolation. When you’re ultimately the person held accountable for high-stakes decisions that affect students and schools, it’s natural to feel like you need to be a superhero—someone who can overcome the day-to-day challenges of your role just by tapping into your coping skills and resilience reserves. 

A great principal is someone who knows they have the expertise that’s needed in the role, but also acknowledges that there are plenty of times where they won’t get it right, have an immediate answer, or will need to lean on their school community for support. Showing a little bit of vulnerability will go a long way toward creating connections with your team, as it models that they should feel comfortable in doing the same. 

Know there’s never enough time to do everything

Think back to when you were interviewing for your role. Perhaps someone in the room asked, “What’s your plan for the first 100 days?” or “What’s your plan for the year?” Nervous and excited, you might have rambled off a long list of items you wanted to accomplish.

This principal encourages you to remember that even as a new principal—especially as a new principal—the to-do list you have will always be longer than the hours you have to dedicate to the job. “As cliche as this sounds, there’s just never enough time,” she says. “And this is OK—because it has to be.”

This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t have goals or initiatives in mind as you start the year. But it will help to get comfortable with the fact that what needs your attention will change on a daily basis—and when you accomplish a project or task that’s critical, another one you didn’t have on your to-do list will pop up that demands your attention.

A great principal is someone who knows they have the expertise that’s needed in the role, but also acknowledges that there are plenty of times where they won’t get it right, have an immediate answer, or will need to lean on their school community for support.

One last reminder: be the leader you want to see

We’ll end by sharing this short and simple advice from New Leaders alum and school leader Ashley Ferguson: “Your school is a direct reflection of you,” she says. “If you are calm, empathetic, and planned, your team and school family will follow.”

The school principalship is changing, and we need transformational thinkers like you to take up the mantle and be the kind of school leader who creates real, lasting change for your school community. And we’re rooting for you every step of the way.

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