On Becoming a School Principal

<p><em>On Becoming a School Principal</em> originated as a study of a new open space elementary school and how it engaged faculty and staff in designing programs and procedures.<br />Monthly planning sessions focused on the development of a school culture devoted to developing good persons within an atmosphere of cooperative teaching and collaboration. Considerable attention was focused on the principal and his history as a one room country schoolteacher at age seventeen.<br />In recent history public education has become highly politicized with reforms focusing on test results as a measure of progress. With each new administration the nation has taken on a new mantra but the reforms have not significantly improved achievement.<br />This book was written in the spirit of John Dewey and his advocacy for school-based research initiatives designed and implemented by practitioners. It is meant for educators and parents who want to help schools be the best that they can be.<br />The narrative examines how one man rose from humble beginnings to lead a new innovative school. It is an ethnography of a school principal and a group of teachers in the act of doing good things for children.</p>