The Hechinger Report – Robert Pondiscio
“It’s rare for school district big wigs to spend time in a classroom. But Oakland is one of a growing number of districts trying to reconnect top administrators to the kids they serve as a way to help the critical middleman in education: the school principal. By observing lessons and spending more time with students, administrators may be better informed about challenges in schools, and better equipped to support principals. The job of a principal has changed dramatically in the last decade, and principals are feeling the stress. In the past, principals’ chief responsibility was to oversee the day-to-day operations of a school, including budgets and discipline. Today, principals are increasingly being dragged away from their administrative tasks and into classrooms, where they are asked to evaluate teacher performance and help teachers improve.”(more)