Welcome to ThePrincipalship.com
For more than three decades, I worked in New York City public schools — as a teacher, an assistant principal, and finally as principal of a large middle school in the Bronx. This site brings together what I learned along the way: practical ideas for school leaders, free resources for teachers and administrators, and a simple, unwavering belief that every child deserves to be known.
The purpose of this site is to help principals spend more time where it matters most—in classrooms. As a leader, you must model the standards you expect of your teachers, set a clear course so your faculty knows exactly what’s expected, and continually invite their input on how things can be improved. A boss relies on authority; a true leader relies on cooperation.
The faculty letters, memos, and bulletins on this site are designed to help you communicate more effectively with your staff. They cover curriculum, discipline, building administration, lesson planning, classroom appearance, evaluations, student referrals, and the everyday foundations of school structure. As you read through them, notice how the ideas are presented, and consider how you might adapt them for your own school. Used well, they can save you time, sharpen your daily communication, and strengthen your professional image.
Whether you are leading a school, teaching in one, or preparing to become a principal, I hope you find something here that helps. Providing your staff with regular faculty bulletins, paired with a consistent practice of walking the halls and visiting classrooms, will do more than inform your teachers — it will define the values, beliefs, and traditions that shape a well-organized learning environment.
Articles for Principals
Start the Transformation of Your School
As a new principal, you put most of your energy into one thing: improving your school. But real transformation doesn’t begin with a program — it begins with the culture you build and the values you model every day. Here’s where it starts.
Start a Staff Development Program
Teachers are not interchangeable — they have different strengths, skills, and needs. Real accountability isn’t about testing and punishing; it’s about helping every teacher grow. Here’s how strong staff development transforms a school.
Creating Learning Communities Where Small Groups of Children Are Known by Their Teachers
Every child deserves to be known. Yet in large schools, too many students slip through the cracks — unseen and unreachable. This is the heart of the matter: how small learning communities let teachers truly know their students, and why that changes everything.
Learning Based on the Uniqueness of Each Student: Why We Must Differentiate Instruction
No two students learn exactly alike — so why do we so often teach them as if they do? This article makes the case for differentiated instruction and shows how meeting each student where they are can reach nearly every child in the room.
The Failure of Education and Our Schools
We spend more on education than any nation on earth — so why are so many schools still failing our children? This article identifies the real problem and highlights what successful principals do differently. It’s the thread that ties this whole site together.
Links to Resources
EDUCATIONAL DOCUMENTS: LETTERS, MEMOS & BULLETINS
All files and documents are in Microsoft Word Format. To save the document, just click the link and save the target to your computer.
Catch the Teachers Doing It Right
Catch your teachers doing something exciting or innovative — and share their success with the whole school community. This might be as simple as seeing a teacher deep in conversation with a struggling student, trying something new in the classroom, volunteering for a new program, or just being warm and friendly with the kids in the hallway. These small moments matter as much as the big ones.
Catching teachers doing something right starts with cultivating a growth mindset—one where teachers know you as a leader who listens, learns, and welcomes new ideas.
Your leadership style should make space for real listening — not just hearing teachers out, but actually engaging with their conversations about change. And when their ideas are put into action, give them full credit. Consistency in these actions builds an inclusive culture of leadership.
The most powerful shifts in school culture happen when a principal models the values and beliefs the school stands for. When a principal leads with strong values and genuine concern for others, that same spirit takes root throughout the school.
In William Glasser’s book The Quality School: Managing Students Without Coercion, the following quote appears in the Preface:
A boss drives. A leader leads.
A boss relies on authority. A leader relies on cooperation.
A boss says, “I.” A leader says, “We.”
A boss creates fear. A leader creates confidence.
A boss knows how. A leader shows how.
A boss creates resentment. A leader breeds enthusiasm.
A boss fixes blame. A leader fixes mistakes.
A boss makes work drudgery. A leader makes work interesting.
Source: Shayle Uroff — author unknown
Professional Organizations
Click on the links below
National Organization
AASA, The School Superintendents Association
American Federation of Teachers
National Association of Elementary School Principals
National Association of Secondary School Principals
National Education Association
Association for Middle Level Education
New York State & City Organizations
Council of School Supervisors and Administrators
New York State Education Department
What Every Principal Should Know About Certification
This section provides information on State Certification, which is required for all teachers, administrators, teaching assistants, and pupil personnel professionals employed in the State’s public schools. Click your state below to start the Certification Process.
Boost Student Achievement
Faced with these difficult conditions, what personal competencies will educational leaders of the future need to be successful? In short, they need the ability to:
- Listen effectively, understanding both content and feeling
- Validate the accuracy of the information received
- Speak frankly and clearly, addressing issues directly
- Be positive about life, about oneself, and about one’s work
- Stay current to synthesize knowledge and utilize research
- Be self-motivated in order to inspire colleagues
- Try new ideas, take risks, and encourage others to do the same
- Articulate the purpose of establishing a vision and inspire confidence in schools
Imperatives of Leadership
- Get out of the office and circulate with your associates
- Persuade rather than coerce
- Subscribe to honesty and integrity
- Never act out of vengeance or spite
- Have the courage to handle unjust criticism
- Be a master of paradox
- Be decisive
- Lead by example
- Establish goals
- Be results-oriented
- Encourage innovation
- Master the art of public speaking
- Preach a vision and continually reaffirm it
Educational Leadership in the Future
- Educational leadership will emanate from knowledge
- Educational leadership will emerge from wisdom
- Educational leadership will emerge from the ability to persuade
- Educational leadership will help develop an appreciation and protection of democratic principles
- Educational leadership will help create a respect for ethics, equity, fairness, and justice
- Educational leadership will highlight best practices and encourage educational research
The whole Child Approach
Each child, in each school, in each of our communities, deserves to be healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged — the five tenets of ASCD’s Whole Child framework. That’s what a whole-child approach to learning, teaching, and community engagement really is.
My Books
How to Pass the Principal’s Exam
The complete guide — How to Pass the Principal’s Exam and How to Successfully Interview for Principal and Assistant Principal Positions. A practical, step-by-step resource drawn from decades of real experience in school leadership.
Exams and interviews are very challenging, so preparation is essential for success. This study guide will provide the answers you need.
“How to Pass the Principal’s Exam and How to Successfully Interview for Principalships or Assistant Principal Positions” is not just a resource for passing an examination but also a comprehensive guide that lays the groundwork for a successful career in educational leadership.
The insights contained herein are designed to cultivate a rich understanding of the integral components of effective school administration while fostering the personal growth necessary to inspire confidence and trust in those you lead. As you embark on this transformative journey, let this book be your trusted companion — empowering, encouraging, and equipping you to become the principal who not only passes the exam but also transforms the lives of students and educators alike.
The Forgotten Student: The Crisis of Anonymity in American Schools
Every day, in schools across America, a child sits in the back row and disappears. He is present in body — occupying seat 14 of Room 212, waiting for the bell — but no adult in the building truly knows him. I first noticed this as a classroom teacher, began building solutions as an assistant principal, and spent the last decade of my principalship at Middle School 118 in the Bronx proving that a different kind of school was possible.
My newest book explores an urgent question: why do so many students quietly disappear inside large schools? Drawing on decades of experience, The Forgotten Student argues that the root of student disengagement is not technology, not parenting, not poverty, but the structural design of schools built to move children through content rather than to know them.
During my tenure as Principal of MS 118 in the Bronx, where I created seven mini-schools within a building of 1,400 students, the book presents a proven 21-component mini-schools model that any school leader can study and implement. The results at MS 118 were measurable: chronic absenteeism fell, discipline referrals dropped, and over six years, 100 percent of one program’s graduates gained admission to specialized or competitive high schools.
A Fresh Start: A Review of Basic Writing Skills
By Louise Schreier. A complete review of grammar, punctuation, and the writing process — a practical workbook useful for teachers and students alike. Covers parts of speech, capitalization, subject-verb agreement, punctuation, the writing process, and includes grammar activities with an answer key. Free to download.
The Principalship: How to Make Schools Work
A concise, practical guide to school leadership built around 11 key topics: leadership, the challenge, the mission, instructional best practices, effective professional development, standards, team building, school tone, discipline, and teacher evaluation. Filled with leadership strategies, letters, and memos to help you build a fail-safe educational program for your school. Free to download.
A Teacher’s Guide to Success, Book One — The Teacher’s Handbook
A Teacher’s Guide to Success, Book Two — The Daily Lesson
