“As a principal, you’re everything to everyone,” Clarence says. “Our children are our most precious jewels. We have to treasure them. Students need leaders who are passionate about their growth and who hold themselves and other educators accountable.”
School principals play an important role in student success, but a new national study suggests that many principals do not receive enough opportunities to continue developing their leadership skills.
A new study from Ireland is putting numbers behind a reality that school leaders in the United States have experienced for years: the demands of running a school are becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.
And this is not simply an Irish problem.
Research from the United States, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and international education systems points to the same troubling pattern: long hours, administrative overload, staffing challenges, growing student needs, and mounting pressure on the people responsible for leading our schools.
I’m especially proud that Peter J. McGuire first proposed a Labor Day parade in 1882 in New York City — a day meant to honor the American worker between Independence Day and Thanksgiving.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office’s national study of public school facilities found that 54 percent of public school districts needed to update or replace multiple building systems or features in at least half of their schools.
The first Fairfax County contract begins a new chapter for school leaders, providing a stronger voice, enhanced working conditions, and a new foundation for collaboration—all with one goal: helping every student thrive.
