An Insider's View of a Principal's Life: Eyewitness Narratives from the Neighborhood

This book shows our appreciation for the incredible work school leaders perform on a daily basis and it informs all parents who have or had children enrolled in school--public, charter or private--of the many facets that are integral to school leaders responsibilities. Additionally, it is hoped that the book will be of interest and applicable to all educators: teachers, administrators, teacher assistants, and other school personnel, as these stories can and have occurred in various PreK-12 schools in different parts of the United States. Also it is hoped that district leaders, parents, and other school personnel will gain insight into important issues, concerns, and sometimes humorous situations administrators deal with on a daily basis.

The book may also be used as a text in educational leadership classes on both the masters and doctoral levels or in a professional development setting for newly appointed principals. It is always helpful for those entering the field of education to know that they are not alone in handling similar situations. In the classroom setting, professors can use the text to promote discussion among small groups of future administrators. The scenarios can also serve as case studies that will ignite meaningful class discussions and ideas surrounding real issues that can offer alternative interpretations of the many challenges faced by educational administrators in the world of leadership. To that end, suggested discussion questions are presented to spark conversations regarding possible solutions as an addendum. Please note that all stories in the book are real and were told to the authors by public, charter and or private school principals from different parts of the United States. All names, locales and dates have been changed to protect both the principal and the people involved in the stories.