7 Habits of Highly Effective Assistant Principals & Deans

In addition to being visible, these seven practices can build your leadership impact.

This recent post in NAESP’s Resource Hub identifies behaviors and practices that lead to strategic leadership on the part of an AP or dean. Fundamental to all of the practices is visibility. 

1. Be in classrooms regularly — schedule it and make it happen! Let staff know you’re there to support, not judge. Notice the learning conditions, student engagement, and teacher needs.
2. Identify and remove barriers to teaching and learning. Notice and seek to resolve missing or broken materials, tech issues, or behavioral challenges. 
3. Build relationships! Know your students’ names and interests-- greet them in the morning, be present in the lunch room and hallways, and attend activities. Celebrate student work. Model positive interactions.
4. Take advantage of teachable moments. As you visit classrooms, ask students “What are you learning?” instead of “What are you doing?” to keep the focus on the learning not the activity. Share strategies with teachers during PLC time or PL.
5. Provide instructional support. Offer to co-teach or model a lesson, or cover a class when a teacher needs to leave early for an activity or appointment. 
6. Be informed when engaging with families. When you’re in classrooms and engaged in habits 1-5 listed here, you position yourself to have first-hand knowledge of what’s really happening in your building. As a result, you can speak from an informed position. To support this practice--document your classroom visits (keep a log).
7. Collect and use data. Keep track of what instructional practices you observe and student engagement. Invite teachers to observe each other to learn impactful strategies. 

Read the full article.