Resume

The first few weeks in the life of a beginning middle level principal can be pretty challenging. One of the best pieces of survival advice was given to me by my superintendent in an early conversation soon after I had been hired as the new principal. He suggested I develop an “entry plan” and implement the plan during my first few weeks before the new school year, and I now recommend such a plan to all beginning principals. The plan provides structure and direction while alleviating some of that initial sense of uncertainty in a new district.

As an organizational tool, an entry plan consists of a leader’s activities designed to gather information and to synthesize a variety of perspectives about the school or district. The uniqueness of each entry plan is contingent on the leader’s responsibilities and the projects specific to the school and district (Kinley, J, 2002; O’Rourke, Provenzano, Bellamy, &Ballek, 2007). A plan provides a quick scan of the environment, and furnishes a better understanding of school goals, climate, expectations, strengths, and needs (Neely, Berube, &Wilson, 2002). My entry plan was comprised of three parts: reviewing building and district documents; meeting with district and external personnel; and soliciting responses from conversations with the staff and parents.

Semi-Structured Conversations

Early in the summer, I sent a letter to the faculty and staff introducing myself and telling them how excited I was to be working with them during the new school year. Although I acknowledged they may be away on vacation and have made other plans, I invited them to visit me during the month of July, suggesting they set up a meeting. The majority of the staff was able to spend a few minutes of their summer to meet with me. The time spent in those conversations was invaluable.

During our conversations, we took time getting to know each other before I posed my questions. As they responded to my three questions, I jotted down notes. I asked...