Goal Setting & Action Planning

New assistant principal? Discover four strategies to excel in your first year and build a strong foundation for success.

Are you, or do you know someone who is, starting their career as a principal this school year? Check out our best strategies for ensuring your first year is a success.

As summer continues, we’re back with another set of six strategies to help principals and other K-12 leaders relax, refresh, and get ready for the school year ahead.

Summer is a great time for reflection—both about your school community and your own leadership needs. Here are some questions—and accountability strategies—to get you ready for next year.

The summer offers K-12 leaders much needed downtime and a chance to charge your batteries after a whirlwind school year. Take time for yourself and your leadership with these actions.

Spring is here (or around the corner!), and schools and districts need to end strong and prepare for next year. Here are best practices to manage and lead both successfully.

Strategic planning isn’t done when the plan is complete—your next step is creating excitement and alignment around your district’s vision through a comprehensive communications strategy. Here’s how to get started.

Ensuring all students in your district reach their potential begins with a strategic plan—a map to enable you to fulfill that vision. Consider these questions as part of your planning this year.

Everyone could use a few more minutes or hours in their day—and we know that’s especially true for school and district leaders. We’ve put together a list of our top tips to make the most of your time.

In addition to acting as data champion, a key part of a school leader’s role in building a data-driven school culture is to create the conditions for that culture to thrive. We outline three practical steps to get there.

When gathered and analyzed effectively, student data elevates instructional practices and improves student learning. Here are a few ways visionary school leaders can be the data champions of their schools.

Investing in solid onboarding not only helps new school hires feel supported from the start, it also creates long-term belonging, which is key to retention. Level up your school onboarding with these strategies.

When families and schools trust one another and work together, students achieve more—and everyone feels like they’re on the same team. Consider these actions to level up your family engagement strategy.

Summer is a perfect time to take a look at your school vision and make sure it still resonates. Here are a few questions and resources to guide you.

Pre-planning for next year can help K12 principals, teachers, and staff return in the fall with some much-needed peace of mind. Here’s what to concentrate on before school lets out.

Districts across the nation are struggling with recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers. Here’s how one New Leaders alum is changing that landscape in his district.

Checking in with teachers about their professional learning progress fosters dialogue about how they’ve grown this year and where they still need support. Get the conversation started with these questions.

The success of a new school program, curriculum, or initiative depends on the quality of its implementation. Set yourself—and your team—up for a quality experience with these four insights.

Research shows that turnover among principals and teachers is interconnected. So are the solutions. Here are four questions to help inform district and school retention plans.

A critical way to keep great teachers in our classrooms is to work alongside them to support their professional learning and growth. Here are three leadership actions to consider.

Grow the leadership capacity in your building and tackle the demands of this school year with a strong instructional leadership team. What makes a team strong? Read on.

Regular meetings with your team are a necessary tool for collaboration, connection, and problem-solving. Use these tips to retool your meetings for maximum effectiveness and engagement.

Hear from two district superintendents on the proven strategies they used to cultivate resilience in their school leaders and the communities they served—both during the pandemic and now.

School community partnerships can extend learning for students beyond your school building—and create strong bonds with local organizations. Explore possible connections with these 5 tips.

The pandemic increased family engagement in many schools and districts. These strategies will help you continue to strengthen those connections in ways that place equity at the center.

Here’s how to get out in front of next school year by planning proactively to support the needs and build on the strengths of students, staff, and families.

It is OK to slow down this summer to speed up. We offer advice on how to exercise resilience now and plan for equity in the upcoming school year.

Everything you need to know about the different kinds of leadership effective principals leverage and what to look for in a principal preparation program.

When you’re navigating challenges, your school’s shared vision can serve as a great reminder to keep focusing on what’s important. Here are six ways to keep it at the forefront.

Rather than adding more programs and initiatives, here are three ways education leaders can support teachers to focus their energy where it matters most: meeting the needs of students.

In-person instruction? Remote? Hybrid? The options are swirling. One New Leaders alum and principal reflects on the power of our Transformational Leadership Framework to ground his leadership choices.

Educators are deep into planning this summer. Here’s how one New Leaders alum and principal is engaging all voices in creating a new vision for their school community.

Now more than ever, education leaders need time to pause, reflect, and rethink how they want to lead moving forward. One New Leaders alum and principal shows us how.